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| Pedophile killed by victims' parents |
Why
did these people take the law in their own hands? Was it because the law failed them?
About
six years ago, in Buenos Aires a
preschool music teacher, Marcelo Fabián Pecollo, 42, was sentenced to 30 years
in prison for sexually abusing five of seven children, ages 3 to 5. Four years later, his sentence was reduced
(reason not stated), and he was released from prison. He joined a local
orchestra group as a trumpeter.
Pecollo,
42, was playing the trumpet in a church on October 30th when a mob of angry
parents stormed in. “There is a pedophile and a rapist in the church and he is
playing in this orchestra!” they yelled. He tried to run, the parents caught
him and beat him and he may have been hit with his own trumpet. The parents had
hung posters and wore T-shirts saying “With the children, no!”
Pecollo
was hospitalized — later falling into a
coma — and died last week, according to Argentine police. A priest in the
church, Jorge Oesterheld said: “I think they came to kill him.” No one has been
arrested as yet. A witness said that the orchestra members did not know about
Pecollo’s criminal record. What about
the church who hired him – did they ever check the background of those they let
into the church?
What
did he do to the children? According to complaints from several parents, the
teacher organized a game for his class called “al que le toca, le toca,” which
translates roughly to “whoever’s turn it is gets touched.” On other occasions,
boys in the class reported the teacher would lower his pants in front of the
students and inappropriately touched some of the boys.
Some
Argentines tweeted and posted on Facebook in solidarity with the parents in
recent days, applauding their attempts to seek justice. Others reluctantly
admitted they would likely do the same, if they were in the parents’ positions.
“Justice does not work like this, but if they touched my daughter I think I
would have done the same thing,” one father wrote.
As
far as protecting children from sexual abuse or stopping it when it happens,
justice rarely works. There are too many
children in situations where they are isolated and can be abused: day care
centers, schools, orphanages, churches – and by people who are considered
trustworthy: teachers, coaches, scout leaders, nuns and priests.
Until
this society, everywhere in the world, starts to value children and protect
them and take the perpetrators off the streets permanently it will be left to
us to keep them safe.
