Victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking often feel desperate, vulnerable and powerless. Many are minors seeking approval, friendships, mentors and relationships; something they have not gotten at home. And many are runaways who are far from home.
They are troubled souls often looking for someone whom they can trust. However, in a scenario involving sexual assault and sex trafficking, that trust ultimately gets violated. A sexual predator hovering on the outskirts may gain access to a vulnerable person’s world and gradually take advantage of him or her. This cycle rooted in disgusting and illegal behavior must cease.
Federal charges pressed against Ohio priest
Sadly, situations involving sexual assault and sex trafficking are not uncommon. Consider the recent federal charges filed against Rev. Michael Zacharias, a 53-year-old Toledo diocesan priest. Zacharias is accused of preying on vulnerable, drug-addicted men in the Ohio communities of Mansfield and Van Wert.
Zacharias allegedly groomed his victims, using their drug addiction in order to perform sexual acts with all of them. One victim, now 32, told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Zacharias molested him when he was a child, and the priest also paid him for sex well into his adulthood. The victim said he needed money to purchase drugs such as fentanyl.
For victims of sexual assault, the road to life recovery is difficult and bumpy, but possible. Regaining their lives, their self-esteem and their dignity remain priorities. Therapy can help, and so can the sympathy and guidance of other crucial allies.
A knowledgeable, dependable and compassionate attorney is one who can help you try to overcome this trauma. An attorney can represent you in a civil action against your assailant and his or her employer. You deserve compensation for the nightmare you have been through. Remember, it was not your fault.