Hi, ARoarer
Your opinions are very valuable ones, and sharing your personal experience undoubtedly helps many more feel the same strength of conviction as you have. As for where our opinions appear to differ, I think we are closer than you may believe.
In most cases I would agree with you that automatic reporting of a child abuser is in the best interest of a person. The only instance I would disagree is when a person (a child or adult abused as a child) wants to get help but, for the time being, refuses or avoids help if it means automatic reporting. I hardly see how you could disagree.
Would you turn a child away who needed to talk about scars of abuse and getting help because their condition was that it not be reported unless they later chose to do it? I couldn’t turn away a child or adult in that situation, and I don’t think you could either. What good have we done if we turn away a victim? At least if we make ourselves available and offer whatever help they let us give then we would have a golden opportunity to fortify them and help them realize power they have over their own life, including the ability to turn in whatever criminal scarred them in the first place. Again, I hardly see how or why you would disagree.