Headline news in Phoenix, AZ – January 30, 2006 (CBS 5 NEWS) – Twenty-eight-year-old Ernest Figueroa, a worker at the Salvation Army Daycare for Toddlers is being held on felony sex crimes against a two-year-old.

CBS news reported “It’s a disgusting crime and one most parents can’t even think about.” Therein, lies the reason sex offenders are able to abuse children.

The parents of the survivor are speaking out to warn others. It is commendable these parents are willing to speak out to warn others. My question is, “What stopped them from taking action prior to their child being abused?” The answer is simple-“It’s a disgusting crime and one most parents can’t even think about.” Therefore, they make a complaint and expect management (authority figure) of the daycare to protect their child.

The parents stated they were concerned about Figueroa’s behavior toward their child and reportedly talked to the daycare director about him several times. The daycare director assured them, that he would never be alone with their daughter, but that’s exactly what happened, he was found alone in the bathroom with the two-year-old. Herein, lies a myth about sex offenders, which apparently neither the parents or the daycare director know.

First and foremost, we need to accept that sex offenders (Pedophiles-sexual attraction to pre-adolescents; or Ephebophile-sexual attraction to adolescents) conduct themselves as average and ordinary to the world. He or she may be a leader in the church; the community; or business. Pedophiles/Ephebophiles seldom fit a classic stereotype education, socioeconomic status, career or culture. Furthermore, sexual abuse/incest is more difficult to believe or accept when the person we know, like, admire, love, and/or marry is the perpetrator. This is precisely why those who are uneducated in the profile of a sex offender unknowingly become accomplices to these cunning predator’s intentions.

Pedophiles/Ephebophiles are cunning predators with a honed mode of operation. They are experts at manipulation, thus escaping adult reality and thwarting detection. They feel entitled, justifying their actions as loving; not harming the child. They expend considerable energy maintaining this illusion to themselves and others. They create a persona of goodness beyond reproach. They go to great lengths to present themselves as exemplary people, who love children. They are predators stalking their prey and no amount of ‘watching or monitoring’ them will prevent them from achieving their goal.

A Salvation Army daycare employee was very upset when hearing this news, because she says concerns about Figueroa and his interest in this child were brought to the daycare director by daycare employees and her parents and nothing was done. While the daycare director has responsibility to keep children safe in their care, the parents are equally responsible for keeping their child safe. Since the parents were concerned about Figueroa’s contact with their child-they had a responsibility to protect her-even if that meant taking their child to another daycare.

Police say Figueroa admitted to sexually assaulting the child after being found alone with her. He also reportedly told police that he has been molesting children for the past 15 years. He had been working at the Salvation Army Daycare for the last three months.

He said he was fired from a job in California for doing the same thing and CBS 5 News learned that he worked at another Phoenix daycare and that he passed his fingerprint background check.

The Salvation Army Daycare center said they do background checks on their employee but did not say whether they did reference checks on Figueroa.

Having worked with sexual child abuse survivors for twenty-five years, this story is all too common. Sexual child abuse is the greatest hidden epidemic in the world. Prevention has eluded all of society, even passionate and committed prevention advocates, because they concentrated their efforts entirely on repairing the damage.

While most experts agree that no child is a match for a predatory adult, this does not mean that we can ignore the facts or neglect to empower our children with the best tools possible. Empowering our children with such knowledge as teaching them to protest when any touch doesn’t feel right might thwart the abuser or alert someone that something is awry. There are six kid tested and parent approved techniques children as young as two-years-old can learn to thwart the majority of would-be sex offenders.

In the final analysis every adult is responsible to protect children so they can reach their greatest potential, free of adults who may exploit and alter that divine gift-unconditional trust and integrity.