“My 5th Grader Was Groped By TSA”

by Lisa Simeone on April 23, 2012

Lisa Belkin of Huffington Post writes about a letter she received from the mother of a 10-year-old boy who was groped by the TSA. In a private room, with his mother at his side. He has diabetes and wears an insulin pump.

He set off the machine and was told by officers that he could not touch or move the pump, his mother says, and that the only option was a pat-down of his genital area.

Jacob Wisnik was treated abusively. And he knew it:

My mom kept asking whether I could move the pump or go back through the screener, but they said no. My mom had to come with me to be screened, and my 12-year-old sister said ‘what do I do?’ because all of our stuff was on the conveyer belt. She looked scared. I felt more humiliated than scared. When a thousand eyes are watching you because they think you may be a deadly threat it is so uncomfortable and humiliating. I marched to the screening room barefoot. I suppose they were trying to follow regulations, but I was on the verge crying.

O’Hare airport’s TSA officers need sensitivity training. When I was getting my “pat down” I thought of all the times I have been told to not let anyone go near my private parts. How was this ok today?

Indeed, how is it okay? I’d like to hear from some parents about what they think of subjecting their children to this treatment. If you take your kids on flights, and you know what the TSA is doing, how do you feel about the fact that your child might be abused?

(Photo: Flickr/Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)

Tagged as: abuse, Airport, assault, child abuse, child molestation, Security, Travel, TSA