Private School Abuse illustrates a series of criminal and improper acts frequently perpetrated against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault might be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it can include many assaults during an continuing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate relationship with a student, spawned by the predatory actions of a faculty member, school administrator or employee and whether heading to physical consensual sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.
Student-on-student sexual assault is an additional form of abuse, that may be made worse by the school’s failure to offer a safe environment that enabled the attack to happen. Inside the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students may be exposed to the predatory actions of older, more experienced students. Their actions, along with peer-pressure exerted on both the attacker and the targeted victim, could lead to varying types of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Assault situations, a school administration’s failure to fully, immediately report the assault to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further negligence to investigate, address and deal completely with the situation increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the media exemplify these failures, including matters when the attacker quietly leaves the campus only to assume working somewhere else in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior Most boarding schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities within a well-defined and safe campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are often much closer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may provide both opportunity and cover to the possible abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the attacker could be a likeable and popular individual, generally considered to be a enhancement to the school community. choate school abuse might feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community has expressed special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, attack accusations against these predators are frequently met with distrust, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Often, abusers have distance and judgment problems which manifest themselves in unusually friendly relationships with students that are past what are normally expected. This creates a predatory pathway and opportunity for the attack.
All abusers, to varying degrees, employ predatory methods that are generally referred to as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming behaviors used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the subordinate student.
Grooming Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school setting, a predator often works closely with small amounts of students, realizing every student’s needs and weaknesses. Once a victim is identified and chosen, these vulnerabilities – like being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically leveraged in the following manners:
Trust
A predator might first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to realize as boarding school communities are usually tight-knit and personal engagement is commonplace. Here, the predator is likely part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellness and success at the school. Reliance As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student will start to rely more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The victim might spend more time with the predator, feeling more comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and kindness, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the guarantee of higher grades, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance step is usually where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming continues, the predator might work to isolate the student. At school, this may mean after-hour get togethers, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dormitory , one-on-one sports training sessions, or other such circumstances. Sexualization The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This could start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s reaction to the progression. This could increase until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature. Maintenance As the sexual relationship is established, the predator may try to maintain control over the student and the continuing abuse. The predator will likely try to manipulate the student by inducing emotions of shame, or even threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim with means available to keep the immoral physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Survivors
When the grooming escalates as intended by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well planned and executed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-work and reduce the moral confines of the targeted student. Because the abuse survivor participated in the re-calibration, she often has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming himself for the incident and hesitant to report it.
Additionally, after the abuse has been revealed, survivors of private school abuse are often exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, alienation from their peers, or revenge from administrators. Particularly at boarding schools, where academics are rigorous, competition can be intense and social circles small, survivors of abuse might be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to such reactions, many boarding school abuse survivors who have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse years later. In either situation, the legacy can be significant and lasting.
Some abuse survivors bear from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups might help survivors overcome these effects.
Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse may recover financial compensation from the predator and more commonly, from the school for its negligence to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and replying to the survivor’s report of the abuse. If you are a survivor of boarding school abuse and would like to confidentially review your story and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to speak with you. It is important for a victim to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those responsible for the assault to justice.
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