Why do some communities (families, groups) cover up child abuse? How can we change this?

I am in tears over the stories of child abuse at Penn State. If you are not into sports, here is a link to the overview article: Link

And, additionally a “timeline” of events: “Link”: and Link
(please be aware, this link contains graphic descriptions of child abuse)

This brought up emotions for me because I was sexually abused at age 5 by a mentally handicapped cousin in a small town. Bet you can’t guess what happened!

Yes, 31 years later – my father admits to me “I should have done more” but when he consulted with an older member of the “tribe”, he was advised not to do anything. WTF?

Why is child abuse such a hush-hush subject and why do people in certain groups continue to allow children to be violated in this way and then add this burden of responsibility of not punishing these criminals?

I am beyond angry that this has happened and I am speculating a lot of this case in the links above are a reflection of PRESTIGE and MONEY. In many cases, it’s just fear and ignorance. But the emotional suffering that children carry into adulthood is traumatic.

What do you think? What can we do?