Private School Abuse presents a range of illegal and lurid actions frequently committed on students by school faculty members, administrators or staff involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The attack might be a one-time, non-consensual attack or it can include numerous assaults during an continuing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate encounter with a student, formed by the predatory actions of a faculty member, school administrator or staff and whether leading to physical consensual sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.
Student on student sexual assault is another type of abuse, that might be made worse by the school’s failure to provide a safe environment that enabled the attack to occur. Within the school population are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students may be exposed to the predatory actions of older, more mature students. This behavior, along with peer-pressure exerted on both the attacker and the targeted victim, might lead to different forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Abuse situations, a school administration’s megligence to fully, immediately report the assault to law enforcement and other authorities, or its additional failure to research, address and deal completely with the matter increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school community and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media highlight these failures, including situations where the attacker quietly leaves the school only to assume working elsewhere in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior Many boarding schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities within a well-defined and secure campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are often much nearer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This can create both opportunity and cover to the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser may be a personable and popular person, generally thought to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted victim might feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community has expressed special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement in the school community, attack accusations against these attackers are frequently met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment issues which manifest themselves in unusually friendly relationships with students that are past what are commonly anticipated. This provides a predatory path and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to differing amounts, use predatory methods that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a potential abuse victim. Below is a list of grooming methods exhibited by predators who are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school setting, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, realizing each student’s needs and weaknesses. Once a victim is identified and selected, these vulnerabilities – such as loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, could be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust
A predator might first work to get the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to realize as private school communities are often tight-knit and personal interaction 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 engagement with the potential student-victim, the student may start to count on more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The victim might spend more time with the predator, feeling increasingly comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and kindness, the possible victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, presents such as the guarantee of higher marks, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
As the grooming progresses, the predator will try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this might mean late get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one athletic practice sessions, or various other such circumstances. Sexualization The predator will start to desensitize the student from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This may begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This will increase until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature. Maintenance As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to maintain control over the student and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably try to manipulate the victim by inducing feelings of shame, or even threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator might keep trying to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to maintain the inappropriate physical relationship.
Impacts on Abuse Survivors
While the grooming increases as intended by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond positively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well-thought-out and executed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the victim participated in this re-calibration, she often experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and hesitant to report it.
Additionally, beyond abuse in boarding school has been revealed, survivors of private school abuse are frequently subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as bullying, alienation from their peers, or revenge from administrators. Particularly at boarding schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be intense and social circles small, victims of abuse could be rapidly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to such reactions, many boarding school abuse survivors that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse decades later. In either situation, the legacy can be significant and lasting.
Some abuse victims deal with from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups may assist survivors get past these effects.
Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse could win financial compensation from the abuser and more frequently, from the school for its negligence to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies in its method 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 survivor to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
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