Realistic too. 

The mandatory reporting laws have been changed throughout the past decade or so in our country as a result of the studies and the awareness of the prevalence of child abuse in our society.  These laws have been put in place to protect at-risk children now, not adult survivors of child abuse.  In that regard, I still do believe that everyone must be a mandatory reporter, whether it's by law or by moral choice.  I also believe that the reporting laws must include the clergy of any religion. 

What comes to mind is the reason child abuse and neglect became a crime to begin with in our country.  People had no problem reporting animal or pet abuse.  Because children were considered the property of their parents/primary caregivers, there were no laws to protect children.  Believe if or not, people found it much easier (and still do) to report pet or animal abuse than child abuse.  Thankfully, things have changed (albiet slowly) and that's one reason for the mandatory reporting laws for certain professionals like teachers and doctors, etc.

So, the mandatory reporting laws are there to rescue children now because kids are helpless to protect themselves and it is the responsibility of the adults in our world to come to the aid of any child at-risk.  It takes courage to do it, there's no doubt about that.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case in the 70s and add the cult aspect to your picture and you had a unique situation -- a very volitile one at that.

You're right about the level of awareness of authorities like the police and even prosecutors about sexual abuse/assault and that has changed a lot in the past decade alone.  You did what you could under the circumstances and that was more than enough on your part.  The adults in your world (which was Maharaji's, unfortunately) failed you and there's really no excuse for that, especially for Judy Osborne, because she was a midwife (who would be a mandated reporter nowadays).  I'm particularly hard on women you might have noticed, because women are essentially children's primary caregivers. 

The other thing that folks often forget is that probably any fifteen year old in the mid to late 70s compared to a fifteen year old in the late 90s and now, are quite different in their levels of awareness.  Kids are more educated about this issue now and they also have much more exposure to the matter via the media.

I don't think the current mandatory laws have any retroactive grandfathering type of clause that would cover your situation anyway.  But, I'm not a lawyer.

One issue that many people become confused about is the statute of limitations for adult survivors of child abuse to take civil legal action against their abusers. In the U.S. there is a quagmire of different laws from state to state that vary so much that one does have to consult a lawyer to figure it all out.  If someone has claimed to have recovered memories of abuse, then they have an even more difficult row to hoe in the court systems if they chose to sue.

Another very important issue that some people don't understand is that it is always the private and personal decision of every single adult survivor of child abuse, whether or not to even confront their abuser, and to make the decision about taking legal action. No one can make that decision for any abuse survivor.  That includes ex-premies. 

It don't believe it would serve any purpose for Randy Prouty, Judy Osborne, Charanand, or anyone else to be arrested for not reporting the abuse or for even lying about it now.  I don't even think there's a law that would cover that (don't know for sure).  Having said that, it would be a leap of great courage if the individuals who were told by you and others about Jagdeo so many years ago did tell the truth now.  I suspect that these people who you told have no idea how much of a enormous help and validation that would be to you and the other adults who were abused by Jagdeo as kids (of any age or gender).

I continue to believe that it is a moral outrage that Randy, Judy, Charananad, and anyone else who denies it now to continue to remain silent and go along with the cult party line.  The "I don't recall" defense just doesn't cut it anymore.  Not for me anyway.  There is no excuse for that in today's world.

I have tried to become more attentive and sensitive to your specific and personal needs on this issue, Susan.  Even though it wasn't learning the Jagdeo abuse that got me out of the cult initially, it certainly sealed my decision after I did learn about it.  But, this is your private and personal situation and I want to make sure that your are okay with the many discussions that are brought up here about it.  I sincerely hope that you will tell us if/when you are not comfortable when the discussions here get out of control and over-the-top.  Ultimately, it is about something that happened to you and others, not any of us that I know of who posts here.

Love,

Cynthia