Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women & Survivors

In this episode I’m talking with Allison Bressler, MA, and Gloria Sgrizzi, Love and Murder in Suburbia. A True Story. About “Big Little Lies” when it comes to intimate partner violence that occurs literally everywhere.

We are talking about domestic violence, dating violence, intimate partner violence, beatings, murder, and more hidden behind closed doors, a Big Little Lies, a dirty, little secret. Things that go on behind closed doors. One family’s tragedy underscores the peril of concealing abuse by an intimate partner.

During the early morning hours of September 9, 2002, Peter Clancy arrived at his house in upscale Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., armed with a large kitchen knife. He tried the garage, which did not respond to his opener, and then the front door, but the lock had been changed. So, he picked up a chair from the deck and hurled it through a kitchen window.

Debora Riggs Clancy, his wife and the mother of their four children was stabbed to death in front of two of her four children by her husband, Peter. She had recently filed a protective order against her husband Peter.

We are ROARING TODAY with two Sheroes Allison Bressler, MSA, and Gloria Sgrizzi who say, "Domestic violence knows no socioeconomic boundaries. It can happen in the wealthiest families and the most financially stressed,"

One in four women in the U.S. are victims of domestic violence according to Bressler and Sgrizzi.

"Statistically there are nine significant incidents before a call to the police,"

That's why Bressler and Sgrizzi have made it their life's mission to ending intimate partner violence as co-founders and co-directors of their private nonprofit, A Partnership for Change: They want to empower and teach the vulnerable before they are victimized, by educating the young, the less young, the poor, the incarcerated, the wealthy.

We will learn about their incredible programs, education, and insight that lead to the empowerment of anyone, any age, seeking control of their own relationship so they can be safe.

You do not have to wait to be a victim in order to take control, how to identify signs of potentially dangerous relationships whether you are currently in a relationship, preparing to leave, or have left.

Listeners, Please Note: Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in the State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice, you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at https://karneyadvocates.com/

Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.

In this episode, I’m talking to child-on-child sexual abuse survivor, Adrianne Simeone, the founder of the non-profit, The Mama Bear Effect.

She calls our unwillingness to confront this issue head-on as “ Willful Blindness.”

“Child sexual abuse is not necessarily an epidemic because abusers are so effective at perpetrating, but because the taboo, and consequent discomfort and fear, hold protective adults back from being aware, effectively empowering children, and responding appropriately.”

Child on child sexual abuse as well as all child sexual abuse is one that parents, caregivers, and loved ones, just don’t want to deal with. And they don’t know how.

Adrianne works tirelessly educating parents, caregivers, pediatricians on behalf of children to prevent child sexual abuse. The Mama Bear Effect is a nonprofit whose mission is to change the way people think, talk, and respond to child sexual abuse. Adrian calls child sexual abuse, “The Silent Pandemic.”

About the issue of should I protect my children from the reality of child sexual abuse, Adrianne says, “ I am not going to shroud my children from this reality to somehow 'protect' them from the truth that the world isn't as safe and wonderful as we want it to be. I want them to know the truth so that when they have the power to do so, they can help make it better rather than turn a blind eye like so many do

Listeners Please Note:

Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at www.karneyadvocates.com
Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.

In this episode, we discuss an unsolved murder.
Haunting, horrible, upsetting and deeply troubling documentary: The Keepers on Netflix. Gemma Hoskins, Emmy Nominated for The Keepers, is still hunting down who killed beloved teacher and nun Sister Cathy Cesnik.
Every now and again you stumble across a documentary that leaves you speechless, of murder, sexual violence, and hidden secrets, that plants an expression of disbelief across your face that lasts long after you’ve finished watching it. One, that leaves you no choice but to be heavily invested in strangers’ lives, and leaves you still trying to find resolve to unanswered questions in the days that follow. A documentary that makes you question what the hell is wrong with the world. The Keepers is one of those documentaries. Our guest today, is Gemma Hoskins, one of the students of Sister Cathy, and at the center of the documentary, The Keepers.

Horrible, gut wrenching and deeply haunting. But it's an important and incredibly brave story nonetheless. The Keepers tells the story of Sister Catherine Cesnik, a 26-year-old nun living in Baltimore who was abducted and murdered back in the 1960s. The case was never solved, but was linked to a horrific history of sexual abuse by a chaplain called Father Joseph Maskell.
The documentary itself is incredibly interesting, but the subject matter is difficult and descriptions of what happened are upsetting and rather detailed, so I'd probably make sure you're aware of what you're getting yourself into before you dive into your next true crime binge.

Meet Gemma Hoskins who shares with us today, her personal, relentless pursuit of the unsolved murder of her favorite high school teacher, Sister Cathy Cesnick and what they uncovered, which was more horrible than even murder.

Listeners, Please Note: Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in the State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice, you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at https://karneyadvocates.com/

Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.

In this episode, I’m talking to a grandmother who experienced first-hand the devastating impact of child sexual abuse in her family. The financial, emotional, psychological and legal devastation.
It all began when Carol D’Attoma’s six-year-old granddaughter was sexually abused by her father. He was arrested, and Carol’s daughter’s main source of income was gone. The mother of the child (Carol’s daughter) had to sell her home, her car, and re-locate to a less expensive area with more immediate family support.
Her income was not enough to support her four little girls, so Carol and her husband John began a campaign to raise money to help her pay for medical deductibles, co-pays, fresh fruit and vegetables, and assist with her living expenses.

Carol D'Attoma now devotes full time executing her passion for helping families and children victimized by child sexual predators. She is Co-Founder of Sexually Abused Children’s Relief Endeavor known as SACRED.

Sacred has raised $1,082,102 since our inception, granted over $640,000, assisted 340 families and growing and assisted 317 children.

Listeners, Please Note: Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in the State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice, you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at www.karneyadvocates.com
Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.

In this episode, I’m talking with Tabitha’s Mpamira who shares her incredible story which begins when her own African grandmother was sold as a child into a forced marriage with an older man in exchange for a cow. Tabitha’s mother was also forced into child marriage in exchange for a goat, but fought back and escaped. So began the journey of freedom that was passed on from mother to daughter.
Tabitha's heroic story and activism was made into a documentary, screened at the United Nations, called: Victors: A Song to the Lions." With only a single Motorcycle and cell phone, Tabitha Mpamira moved day and night to protect young girls in Kenya from rape and sexual assault and from contracting HIV from their abuse.

After Tabitha realizes that she too was sexually abused as a child, she goes through her own healing process turning trauma into activism to protect other young girls from child rape. Tabitha Mpamira’s story is a transformational journey of breaking the family and cultural legacy of sexual violence against women and children.
This interview with Tabitha is a reflection of the devastating reality for assaulted children and the inspirational people that created a path out. Tabitha’s story is filled with compassion and shows how the actions of a few, can begin to put a stop to decades of depredation. The rise of a woman leading a community that has said, ‘enough is enough.’
Listeners Please Note:

Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at www.karneyadvocates.com
Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.