Father Figure

My Mission to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

This is a true personal account that describes how I had to go to tremendous lengths to protect two children whom I love dearly from the possible risk of falling prey to a convicted child molester and registered predatory offender in our community. Never in my life, as an ordinary citizen, had I dreamed I would ever find myself in such a complicated, bizarre and difficult situation as this. But seeing the ordeal through and being able to successfully protect these two children has been a remarkable learning experience for me, in understanding how to effectively work with the legal system, the law enforcement system, the correction system, and the child protection system under tough circumstances and how to embark on such an important, positive, essential life mission based upon PREVENTION rather than reacting AFTER a child has been sexually abused. Even in this awful predicament, which was riddled with numerous obstacles and setbacks throughout, I was able to prevail in the end. This new story will help many others to learn from this harrowing life experience and be better prepared to keep children safer whenever an opportunity presents itself. This touching, humorous and heartfelt story would reach out to children currently suffering in silence from sexual abuse, as well as their mothers who may be on the verge of dating a man who should not be around any children. It would also show the public the true importance of being vigilant and involved as an ordinary adult citizen when it comes to protecting vulnerable children in the community, and how effective use of facebook, the internet and background checks can make all the difference in the world.

Here are some excerpts from some of the reviews of this book:

Father Figure by Sumi Mukherjee is a brilliant and captivating piece of story-telling. Father Figure provides key information, salient advice, and guidance on what child sexual abuse is, what it does, how it happens, how to recognize it, what to do about it, and how to prevent it. The story more than holds one’s interest, as it needs to do in order to get people to “listen” and wake up to what is happening all around us, and act! Now, with information available through mediums like Mukherjee’s Father Figure, perhaps we will!
– Dr. Pamela Pine, PhD, MPH, Founder and CEO, Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse Inc., Glenn Dale, MD

This book is captivating. It gives a riveting account of how a family friend believed in the cause of keeping two girls safe and worked tirelessly with family, friends, law enforcement, the justice court system, and other interested organizations such as child protection system and rape and sexual abuse crisis center. The book also makes a key point that ‘prevention’ means doing something before it happens – it means avoiding a scenario that might lead to possible abuse.
– Bevelyn Mitchell, Rape Crisis Center, Myrtle Beach, SC

What a triumphant message this book is sending the reader, the abuser and the victims.  The author took on a huge risk becoming so involved with this family, but his dedication and desire to help proved to be triumphant for many and a wake-up call to some.
– Ellen Olsson, Safe Homes, Inc., Winfield, KS