Fighting Back After Molestation : Desiray Bartak of Palmdale has set an example of courage after childhood sexual trauma

Even when police advise parents on how to protect their children from molesters, some important possibilities can be missed. For example, when the Los Angeles Police Department produced some tips and rules of thumb for our newspaper last December, much of the focus on avoiding problems involved examples of strangers as perpetrators.

It is arguably much more difficult for a child to be suspicious of the adults who hold a revered status in their lives, such as that of godparent. It is devastating enough to be a victim of child sexual abuse. The psychological and emotional damage is far greater when it is committed by a trusted and well-known adult.

Experts will tell you that some people suffer lifelong repercussions from early-age traumas, such as an inability to trust people with whom trust should come easily, such as a spouse or other loved one.

Many children are unable to cope with such incidents, will not report them, and will suppress the memory.

Desiray Bartak, now aged 14, went through such an incident when she was 10 years old and a resident of Palmdale. She was molested by her godfather, Richard Streate. (He has since changed his name to Kyle Hochstrasser.)

Since then, she has set a remarkable standard for strength, purpose and resilience. Hers is also an example of what can and should be done when molestation occurs. First, she reported the abuse, and saw the matter through to Streate/Hochstrasser’s conviction and imprisonment. She even sued him successfully for $2 million.

In December, she will receive an award at the White House in Washington, D.C., honoring people who work for change. The ceremony should be regarded as an opportunity to cite Bartak as a national example of the problem of child molestation, and as an example of how children can fight their way back from it.