Private School Abuse
Boarding School Abuse illustrates a series of illegal and lurid acts often perpetrated against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault can be a one-time, non-consensual abuse or it may include several assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, formed by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or employee and whether heading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.
Student-on-student sexual assault is an additional form of abuse, that may be compounded by the school’s negligence to offer a safe environment that enabled the assault to occur. Within the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students might be subjected to the predatory actions of older, more mature students. This intent, coupled with peer-pressure applied to both the predator and the targeted victim, might lead to different types of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all reported Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to completely, adequately report the crime to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further negligence to research, address and deal fully with the situation increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school community and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the press exemplify these failures, including times where the perpetrator quietly leaves the campus only to assume employment somewhere else in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Most private schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities within a well-defined and secure campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be attacker and for the predatory behavior.
In some situations, the abuser could be a personable and popular individual, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted victim might feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, abuse accusations against these predators are often met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment issues which manifest themselves in oddly friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are normally expected. This provides a predatory pathway and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory tactics that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a list of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators that 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, knowing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and chosen, these vulnerabilities – like loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, might be systematically leveraged in the following manners:
Trust
A predator could first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to see as boarding school communities are usually tight-knit and personal interaction is commonplace. Here, the predator is usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellbeing and success at the school.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting engagement with the potential student-victim, the student may begin to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The student may spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In boarding school sexual abuse to attention and kindness, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the promise of high marks, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming continues, the predator will try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this may mean late meetings, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dorm , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other behaviors which lead to sexual interaction. This may start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This might escalate until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator may work to maintain control of the student and the continuing abuse. The predator will likely seek to manipulate the student by introducing feelings of guilt, or possibly threats, or employ the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator may continue to exploit the victim by whatever means available to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Survivors
While the grooming escalates as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-calibrate and remove the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the victim participated in the re-calibration, she frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming himself for the incident and likely not to report it.
Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of boarding school abuse are frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, alienation from their peers, or revenge from teachers. Especially at boarding schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, victims of abuse could be rapidly isolated and socially abused. Exposed to those reactions, many boarding school abuse victims who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of the isolation and social persecution, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the legacy can be severe and lasting.
Some abuse victims 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 trouble creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups could help survivors get past these effects.
Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse could receive financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the predator, 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 share your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are ready to talk with you. It is important for a victim to realize that being a victim is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the assault to justice.
Student-on-student sexual assault is an additional form of abuse, that may be compounded by the school’s negligence to offer a safe environment that enabled the assault to occur. Within the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students might be subjected to the predatory actions of older, more mature students. This intent, coupled with peer-pressure applied to both the predator and the targeted victim, might lead to different types of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all reported Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to completely, adequately report the crime to law enforcement and other authorities, or its further negligence to research, address and deal fully with the situation increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school community and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the press exemplify these failures, including times where the perpetrator quietly leaves the campus only to assume employment somewhere else in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Most private schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities within a well-defined and secure campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be attacker and for the predatory behavior.
In some situations, the abuser could be a personable and popular individual, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted victim might feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, abuse accusations against these predators are often met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment issues which manifest themselves in oddly friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are normally expected. This provides a predatory pathway and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory tactics that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a list of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators that 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, knowing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and chosen, these vulnerabilities – like loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, might be systematically leveraged in the following manners:
Trust
A predator could first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to see as boarding school communities are usually tight-knit and personal interaction is commonplace. Here, the predator is usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellbeing and success at the school.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting engagement with the potential student-victim, the student may begin to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The student may spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In boarding school sexual abuse to attention and kindness, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the promise of high marks, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming continues, the predator will try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this may mean late meetings, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dorm , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other behaviors which lead to sexual interaction. This may start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This might escalate until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator may work to maintain control of the student and the continuing abuse. The predator will likely seek to manipulate the student by introducing feelings of guilt, or possibly threats, or employ the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator may continue to exploit the victim by whatever means available to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Survivors
While the grooming escalates as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-calibrate and remove the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the victim participated in the re-calibration, she frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming himself for the incident and likely not to report it.
Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of boarding school abuse are frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, alienation from their peers, or revenge from teachers. Especially at boarding schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, victims of abuse could be rapidly isolated and socially abused. Exposed to those reactions, many boarding school abuse victims who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of the isolation and social persecution, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the legacy can be severe and lasting.
Some abuse victims 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 trouble creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups could help survivors get past these effects.
Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse could receive financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the predator, 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 share your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are ready to talk with you. It is important for a victim to realize that being a victim is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the assault to justice.
