SPOILER ALERT!
Private School Abuse
Boarding School Abuse denotes a wide-range of criminal and lurid acts commonly committed on students by school faculty members, administrators or staff involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault might be a one-time, non-consensual abuse or it can involve several assaults within an ongoing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate encounter with a student, spawned by the predatory behavior of a faculty member, school administrator or employee and whether leading 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. Within the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students might 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, might lead to different forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all reported Boarding School Abuse situations, a school administration’s megligence to entirely, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its additional failure to research, address and deal completely with the matter amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media highlight these failures, including situations where the perpetrator quietly departs the school only to assume working somewhere else in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Many boarding schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities within a well-defined and secure campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This may provide both opportunity and cover for the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser might be a personable and popular person, generally thought to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted student could feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and integration into the school community, attack allegations against these criminals are frequently met with distrust, disbelief, and resistance by the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are past what are commonly expected. This creates a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.
Most abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory actions that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a compilation of grooming methods exhibited by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school setting, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, realizing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a victim is located and selected, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust
A predator might first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to realize as private 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 wellness and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might begin to count on more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student may spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the possible victim might 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 when the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming continues, the predator might try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this might mean late get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dormitory , one-on-one sports training sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This may begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive language to determine the victim’s reaction to the progression. This might escalate until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is created, the predator may try to maintain control of the victim and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the victim by inducing feelings of shame, or even threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator will continue to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to keep the inappropriate physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Victims
While the grooming increases 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 performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the victim participated in the re-calibration, she frequently has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming herself for the incident and likely not to report it.
Furthermore, after the abuse has been revealed, survivors of boarding school abuse are frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like being bullied, isolation from their peers, or retaliation from administrators. Particularly at private schools, where academics are rigorous, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse can be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to those reactions, many boarding school abuse survivors who have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse decades later. In either case, the legacy can be significant and life-altering.
Some abuse survivors bear from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups might assist victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse could win 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 method of reviewing and responding to the victim’s report of the abuse. If you are a survivor of boarding school abuse and would like to confidentially discuss your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to talk with you. abuse settlement for a victim to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The attorneys 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 made worse by the school’s failure to offer a safe environment that enabled the attack to happen. Within the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students might 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, might lead to different forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all reported Boarding School Abuse situations, a school administration’s megligence to entirely, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its additional failure to research, address and deal completely with the matter amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media highlight these failures, including situations where the perpetrator quietly departs the school only to assume working somewhere else in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Many boarding schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities within a well-defined and secure campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This may provide both opportunity and cover for the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser might be a personable and popular person, generally thought to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted student could feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and integration into the school community, attack allegations against these criminals are frequently met with distrust, disbelief, and resistance by the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are past what are commonly expected. This creates a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.
Most abusers, to varying amounts, employ predatory actions that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a compilation of grooming methods exhibited by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school setting, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, realizing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a victim is located and selected, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically leveraged in the following ways:
Trust
A predator might first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to realize as private 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 wellness and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator creates a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might begin to count on more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student may spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the possible victim might 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 when the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming continues, the predator might try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this might mean late get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dormitory , one-on-one sports training sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other actions that lead to sexual interaction. This may begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or verbally, with suggestive language to determine the victim’s reaction to the progression. This might escalate until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is created, the predator may try to maintain control of the victim and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the victim by inducing feelings of shame, or even threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator will continue to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to keep the inappropriate physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Victims
While the grooming increases 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 performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the victim participated in the re-calibration, she frequently has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming herself for the incident and likely not to report it.
Furthermore, after the abuse has been revealed, survivors of boarding school abuse are frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like being bullied, isolation from their peers, or retaliation from administrators. Particularly at private schools, where academics are rigorous, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse can be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to those reactions, many boarding school abuse survivors who have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse decades later. In either case, the legacy can be significant and life-altering.
Some abuse survivors bear from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups might assist victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a victim of boarding school abuse could win 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 method of reviewing and responding to the victim’s report of the abuse. If you are a survivor of boarding school abuse and would like to confidentially discuss your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to talk with you. abuse settlement for a victim to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the assault to justice.
