Patricia Debney

‘my incurable anger’ The liminal space of airports can take me one of two ways: either I feel elated by the possibilities that travel may hold, or I feel lost, rudderless, unmoored. It's not surprising I guess that what with everything happening in the world right now -- the latter pulled me in deep last night, as I traveled back from Germany after seeing our (beautiful, precious, smiling and laughing, curious) grandson.

Why I cried: I must look. My eyes are stuck open. Every day, and especially right now. Millions of us have to look. We have no choice but to know about all of this, from the inside -- and none of us, not a single one, wants to.

We are flayed raw. We are so tired. We are so heartsore.

Survivors, like me, are well aware that few perps ever face justice. While this case is blowing wide open, the rich & powerful are pulling no punches to obstruct & cover up.

This ends much like the abuse scandal in the church, w/ some progress, but falling short of lasting justice. Keep fighting.

will we get there? So many are asking this question right now: survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, allies of survivors, and the general public. Who will be charged? Who will be prosecuted? And importantly: will this global explosion around sexual abuse and sex trafficking change anything? *** I was up at the University of York this week, diving into a set of materials gathered by relatives of a long-term survivor activist in the UK.

So many are asking this question right now: survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, allies of survivors, and the general public.

Who will be charged? Who will be prosecuted? And importantly: will this global explosion around sexual abuse and sex trafficking change anything?

where so many of us are right now But we can do this. More soon. Hold tight.

where so many of us are right now

anger Safe to say it's been a grim few days, on top of already grim days, on top of a hard year. I was raised never to be angry. Never to disrupt. Never to raise a fuss. For abuse victim survivors of any sort, anger can bring with it a variety of outcomes, all bad: more abuse perhaps, to 'put you in your place'; more attention, which may draw eyes to the abuse, which in turn will definitely destabilise your life -- and make everything worse.

Sunday January 25th, the day after Alex Pretti's death, I felt, like a lot of people, incandescent with rage. And I couldn't see how I was going to get out of it. Would I just have to get used to this hopelessness -- would we all?

McBride: Look, people are clutching their pearls at this guy yelling something at the president. They are more offended by a worker standing up to the president and calling him out for his hypocrisy than they are by the president trying to cover up for a human trafficking ring

Thank you. Solidarity 💙

are we finally at #metooCSA? So. I spent the first nine months of 2025 feeling pretty freaked out: everything seemed worse, and likely to keep getting worse. Pillars of what most people in the world have taken to be truths and even basic human rights crumbled and continued to crumble. I for one felt that the ground I had stood on my whole life was shifting, inexorably.

Something is happening now. Does anyone else feel it? NOT just around Epstein and his cronies. But around the whole space of Child Sexual Abuse. In the last six weeks or so, my Threads and Bluesky and even Instagram feeds have been flooded with disclosures. Is it finally time for #metooCSA?

A Year Later: starting 2026 I have been writing and re-writing this post in my head for months. What happened? I considered this for weeks. What I did not want to admit (to myself, or anyone) was how completely shaken I was by the re-election of an abuser to the White House. His re-emergence, followed by lawless action after lawless action, rendered me almost paralysed. What is the point of working away in my small corner of the fight against Violence Against Women and Girls, when the whole world order has turned justice on its head?

What is the point of working away in my small corner? In the last few months, the plight of the Epstein survivors, and the involvement of men and women who occupy the most wealthy and powerful positions in the world in their trafficking -- have crashed my worlds together.

This was so important. Thank you.

Let’s be clear. When the President defies the Supreme Court, it is the role of Congress to remove him from office. Full stop.

MIT following Harvard's lead here

This event might be of interest: on creative works about child sexual abuse and the cultural ramifications of creative works (& we would appreciate a repost) @survivorsrise.bsky.social

I would not have predicted that large universities would show more courage than either Big Law or corporate media. Good for them.

Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions - rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking steps to make sure students can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope others follow suit.

Join us for the CSAReps project online launch event Apr 29th & 30th

With esteemed speakers @drcisme.bsky.social @theflyingchild.bsky.social @hazelklarkin.bsky.social @brenrooney.bsky.social Chris Godwin David Hanauer & Emilie Pine

Register: www.eventbrite.ie/e/csareps-pr...
Contact: CSAReps@ucd.ie

It’s really too much. He doesn’t get it. To be fair - I think he knows now that he didn’t get it when he needed to. But it’s too late.

Justin Welby was too ‘overwhelmed’ by scale of abuse in C of E to take action In first interview since resigning, former archbishop of Canterbury says more cases were arriving every day and he ‘got it wrong’

If you need help, you create structures to help. If more people need to be part of the process, you find the people. You figure it out. You think outside the default. Not investigate sexual abuse because it was ‘overwhelming’? This smells of fear. #CSA #welby

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

An all time fave.

‘austere and lonely offices’? (Robert Hayden)

😂

For anyone who hasn’t seen this group yet. 💪

US park service erases references to trans people from Stonewall monument website National monument commemorates 1969 riot led by trans women of color outside historic New York City bar

First they came for gender identity….

I wonder if the gender critical brigade will EVER admit that their agenda is a profoundly right wing one? But the reality is here: erasure of trans and queer people.

Because wow that 1% of the population is such a threat.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Make your calls. Go to your town halls. Ask your state and local officials what they are doing under state and local law. Rest. Hydrate. Make soup for the hungry. Don’t let people tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Not a sprint. Not a marathon. A relay. Find your team. Thank you.

These children are no longer protected. They are being systematically raped. Shame on you Trump and Musk. And unfortunately - shame on the US for allowing this to happen. I’m an American living abroad. And it’s so heartbreaking to watch all of this.

Exactly. It is total madness.

So. I do get that the US ‘administration’ is committing crimes at the rate of knots. However. I feel like my brain is melting: how is firing thousands from their federal jobs ‘helping’ the economy? This seems such an obvious weakening of it. Thousands unable to support themselves/others. Really?!

I’m almost frozen with horror. It is totally paralysing. Do you get the sense that any opposition is organising? We really, really need help now.

And what the hell planet is he on? Are they on? I mean: they treat the world like their playground. We are being bludgeoned over and over.