| Children suffering abuse readily accept | | | | to this day. |
| greater abuse in adulthood. | | | | He is not only a veteran clinician in |
| That is the conclusion reached by abuse | | | | the mental-health field but also a |
| expert Heyward Bruce Ewart, III, Ph.D., | | | | distinguished teacher at the university |
| university professor with 20 years of | | | | level. Through Zoe University, |
| counseling and teaching experience. | | | | Jacksonville, Florida, his video |
| "Child abuse mangles the personality, | | | | lectures have been used by |
| and sets up a false idea of self that | | | | distance-learning students across the |
| attracts predators for a lifetime," he | | | | United States and in some 41 foreign |
| says. | | | | countries. |
| A maltreated little girl, for example, | | | | A much sought-after public speaker, Dr. |
| will later pick out a mate who is no | | | | Ewart is a commanding presenter who |
| better than what she thinks she | | | | speaks with great passion on the issues |
| deserves. That relationship confirms | | | | of abused women and children. He has |
| what she has always thought: "There's | | | | hosted and appeared as a guest on many |
| something evil in me that caused me to | | | | TV and radio programs in major markets, |
| be abused early and now. This is all I | | | | a love that dates back to his original |
| deserve." | | | | career as a radio and TV news announcer. |
| Ewart says if she leaves that first bad | | | | He is a published poet, and his hobbies |
| relationship she will go to a worse one. | | | | also include photography, singing, |
| And that's why shelters don't work, he | | | | drama, evangelism, and social activities |
| asserts. Shelters offer haven but no | | | | of all kinds. |
| insight into how one becomes a victim. | | | | His test for concealed child abuse is |
| His new book, THE LIES THAT BIND: THE | | | | uploadable from his website. The intent, |
| PERMANENCE OF CHILD ABUSE, is the first | | | | he explains, is to overcome threats and |
| to establish a link between abuse as a | | | | other fierce intimidation that typically |
| child and further abuse as an adult, | | | | prevent a child from revealing the truth |
| most often in domestic violence. | | | | about what he/she has suffered. |
| The book is in polished manuscript form | | | | Such is accomplished by basing the first |
| and awaiting publication. In the | | | | half of the test items on symptoms |
| meantime, he sells the book on his | | | | rather than reputed fact recalled from |
| website for a nominal fee, either | | | | memory. The child is thus able, for the |
| printed and bound or immediate email | | | | first half, to answer without fear. The |
| upload. His site is devoted to helping | | | | symptoms are derived from the literature |
| victims and survivors of abuse and | | | | describing symptoms of abuse and |
| violence, including the pandemics of | | | | emotional trauma, Ewart reports. |
| school and workplace violence. | | | | For a reason yet unknown, when children |
| The author counts as major victims those | | | | take the test, they tend to begin |
| falsely accused of child abuse--about 71 | | | | talking freely during the second half, |
| percent of the cases reported--and he | | | | when the questions are plain and obvious |
| consults these individuals in fighting | | | | to the child. THIS TEST REQUIRES NO |
| what he calls a "no-win system." | | | | SCORING, BECAUSE THE CHILD WILL TALK TO |
| Ewart also offers new tests for | | | | YOU, he insists. |
| identifying predators, secret child | | | | A second intent is to provide a means |
| abuse, dangerous employees, and | | | | for interviewing the child directly, |
| dangerous students. | | | | rather than through a third party. This |
| Dr. Ewart has devoted more than 24 years | | | | approach, when objective, tends to hold |
| of his professional life to the | | | | up in court proceedings rather than |
| protection and treatment of women, | | | | subjective measures that call for an |
| children, and the family. During the | | | | opinion of the expert witness. AGAIN, |
| President Jimmy Carter Administration, | | | | THE CHILD'S OWN WORDS ARE THE EVIDENCE, |
| he served the White House Conference on | | | | Ewart concludes. |
| Families, and such leadership continues | | | | |