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Like Dominoes Falling: Chronicles of Sexual Abuse Continue Unabated

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Some apologies ring hollow.

We are "very sorry that any athlete has been harmed during her or his gymnastics career," noted USA Gymnastics recently in a statement addressing sexual abuse allegations against employees of that entity in the past.

Sorry is nice, but contrition expressed in a few words doesn't really seem to cut it in light of the scores of sexual abuse allegations made by female American gymnasts in recent years.

And it seems especially woeful when this is considered: A staggering number of complaints -- more than 140 thus far, and counting -- have been lodged against a single doctor who worked with seemingly unchecked immunity in the gymnastics program at the national level for nearly two decades.

And then there is this, as noted in a recent news report: Even though national team physician Larry Nassar was fired a few years back, "the federation waited five weeks before alerting the FBI."

How many young girls can be sexually abused within five weeks? Shouldn't criminal liability attach to an employer who knows an ex-worker is a sexual perpetrator and yet fails to alert authorities to that person's demonstrated and lengthy history of wrongdoing toward minors?

Just last week, multiple gold medal winner and former national team captain Aly Raisman added her voice to those that have already accused Nassar of criminal wrongdoing. Raisman says that, like many others, she was abused by Nassar under the guise of receiving necessary medical treatment.

"I am angry," Raisman recently told the news show 60 Minutes. "I'm really upset."

So too are legions of people across the country who are now demanding that perpetrators be outed and that strong legal actions be taken against them, with maximum legal remedies being awarded to victims.

Raisman hopes that something positive can come from the public disclosures of victims. She says that she just wants to spur change through speaking, hoping that other young girls "never, ever have to go through this."

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