A friend of mine is in touch with someone who has been treated in the worst possible way by her ex. My friend is very stressed about it and the woman is most likely living in fear for her life. Of course the police need to be involved, however, it's not always easy persuading a victim of crime to take that route. In this case we don't know the people involved but we trying to help. I can't go into details.
As a bystander the worst feeling about this kind of situation is the powerlessness to help. You want to intervene, but you cannot, not without permission. You can give information, you can counsel and support but without taking direct action what more can you do? I wonder how many times I have to be a bystander in this kind of situation before I take a different perspective? This isn't the first time I've been privy to another's suffering.
The only suitable response is to lay your life down for the person in need.
It's worth knowing the police don't need a victim's cooperation to prosecute if there's enough evidence. And I've heard that sometimes the police will receive useful information from victims but respect a wish not to press charges simply because the information alone alerts the police to a dangerous individual. But I'm not sure about this last point.
Is prayer any use? Yes, though the effect is unknown. I've been praying for breakthrough in this situation.
There's this thing called
ReplyDelete"stepping out in faith"
In this case, of a resolution.
It's illogical, and the safety
gates have gone - but, hey, what's
faith without risk?
I see where you are coming from,
but often doing the right thing
means protecting the victim.
I know you've probably heard this
before, but "evil will flourish
when good men do nothing".
Tell the police bro', and take the knocks. If you like, I'll look
up an anonymouse inform line.
Ok, you might lose the respect
of a potential victim. You might lose a friend. But you could be saving a life.
I'd agree TJ, and emphasise the
ReplyDeletethe point about accumulation of evidence.
Chat to you're local police station,
and express your concern, and add
to the accumulation of concerns.
Take your caring bro' along. If his
head is stuck in the sand, take your
shepherd. If he's likewise,
Do it anyway.
Situations like this are always
going to have personal pitfalls.