The Forensic Nurse

Earlier we wrote about a Child sexual abuser detection test writen by Abel Screening to help identify those who had possibly commited (or interest) in sexually assaulting a child.

We got a few inquiries about where the name came from, so I thought we could share the story from the DianaScreen.com website.

“Diana, a beautiful and talented girl, spent her first seven years in foster care and group homes.

Starting at age five, or perhaps even earlier, she was severely sexually abused. When she was seven, she was adopted by a very loving family and under their care she thrived and became an accomplished gymnast. She was artistic, resourceful and popular. In high school she made many of her own clothes and wrote an advice column for the student paper.

Diana didn’t talk about her abuse until she became a teenager. Her mother contacted the foster care psychiatrist to report the abuse. This physician expressed her doubt about Diana’s story stating, “That is impossible, I have known this man for years. You know, children lie.” A short while later, the man who abused Diana phoned the family and confirmed that Diana spoke the truth about the abuse. He wanted to talk to Diana; he wanted to apologize. Diana’s mother said “no” and changed the phone number.

Diana’s parents did everything they could to help her heal from her past. No amount of love or therapy could bring back the self-esteem the person who abused her stole from her.

Even with her strong will to overcome her childhood trauma, Diana and her family suffered a final tragedy when she ended her own life.

The person who abused Diana, in addition to being the man who supervised the children overnight in the foster care group home, was a family man and a father. Had this man been screened, Diana and countless other children from that group home might have been saved from ever knowing the horror of sexual abuse.”

Like most of the laws and systems we have in place, The Diana Screen, came about from tradgedy just like Megans Law and  Amber Alerts.