Private School Abuse

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Boarding School Abuse denotes a series of illegal and lurid acts often perpetrated against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The attack can be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it may include many assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate relationship with a student, formed by the predatory actions 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 type of abuse, which might be made worse by the school’s failure to offer a safe environment that enabled the assault to happen. Within the school community are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be subjected to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. Their behavior, along with peer-pressure exerted to both the attacker and the targeted victim, may lead to varying forms of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all reported Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to fully, adequately report the assault to law enforcement and other authorities, or its additional negligence to research, address and deal completely with the matter amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school community and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the media exemplify these failures, including matters when the attacker quietly departs the campus only to assume employment somewhere else in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior
Most boarding schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities within a well-defined and safe campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may create both opportunity and cover to the possible attacker and for the predatory behavior.

In some situations, the attacker could be a likeable and popular individual, generally thought to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted student may feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community is expressing special interest in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, attack allegations against these abusers are frequently met with distrust, disbelief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have distance and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are past what are normally expected. This provides a predatory path and opportunity for the abuse.

Most abusers, to differing amounts, employ predatory actions that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a potential abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming behaviors used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the student.

Grooming
Grooming is a main part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school situation, a predator usually works closely with small numbers of students, knowing each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and selected, these vulnerabilities – like being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, can be systematically leveraged in the following manners:

Trust

A predator might first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to realize as private 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 wellbeing and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student may start to rely 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 increasingly comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and kindness, the possible victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, presents like the guarantee of high marks, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance step is usually where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

As the grooming continues, the predator will work to isolate the student. At school, this might mean late meetings, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dorm , one-on-one athletic practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This could begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, 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
Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator may work to keep control of the student and the continuing abuse. The predator will likely try to manipulate the victim by introducing feelings of shame, or possibly threats, or use the opposite tactic of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator will keep trying to exploit the victim by whatever means available to keep the immoral physical relationship.

Legacy on Abuse Victims

When the grooming escalates as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond positively 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 victim. Because the abuse survivor participated in the re-calibration, he frequently experiences deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming himself for the incident and hesitant to report it.

Furthermore, after the abuse has been reported, victims of private school abuse are often exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as bullying, isolation from their peers, or revenge from administrators. Particularly at boarding schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse may be quickly isolated and socially abused. Exposed to those reactions, many private school abuse victims who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of the isolation and social persecution, report the abuse years later. In either situation, the impact can be significant and lasting.

Some abuse victims suffer from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble creating and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups could assist survivors overcome those effects.

Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse may receive 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 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. It is important for a victim to realize that being a victim is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those responsible for the abuse to justice.