SPOILER ALERT!
Boarding School Abuse
Private School Abuse illustrates a wide-range of illegal and lurid actions commonly committed on students by school faculty members, administrators or employees involving sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault might be a one-time, non-consensual attack or it can include several assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, formed by the predatory actions of a faculty member, school administrator or staff and whether heading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.
Student on student sexual assault is another type of abuse, which can be made worse by the school’s negligence to offer a safe environment that enabled the attack to happen. Inside the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students may be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. choate abuse , coupled with peer-pressure exerted on both the attacker and the targeted victim, could lead to varying types of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Abuse situations, a school administration’s failure to fully, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further negligence to research, address and deal fully 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 where the attacker quietly departs the school merely 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 safe campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular individual, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted victim may 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, attack allegations against these attackers are often met with distrust, non-belief, and resistance by the community. Often, abusers have distance and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are past what are normally expected. This creates a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.
All abusers, to varying amounts, use predatory tactics that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming behaviors exhibited 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 amounts of students, knowing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is located 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 will first work to get the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as boarding school communities are often tight-knit and personal engagement is commonplace. Here, the attacker 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 might start to count on more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The student will spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the promise of higher grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is usually where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
As the grooming continues, the predator may try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this might mean after-hour meetings, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dorm , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to desensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This could begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or speaking, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This might escalate 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 victim and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the student by inducing feelings of guilt, or even threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator might continue to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to keep the immoral physical relationship.
Impacts on Abuse Survivors
When the grooming increases as intended by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the actions. The predator, through these well-thought-out and executed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the abuse survivor participated in this re-calibration, he frequently 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 frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as bullying, isolation from their peers, or revenge from teachers. Particularly at private schools, where education is stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse might be rapidly isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to such reactions, many boarding school abuse victims that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse a while later. In either situation, the legacy can be severe and life-altering.
Some abuse survivors suffer from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups may help victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse can recover financial compensation from the predator and more commonly, from the school for its negligence to protect the student from the predator, 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 share your story 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 remember 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 another type of abuse, which can be made worse by the school’s negligence to offer a safe environment that enabled the attack to happen. Inside the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students may be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. choate abuse , coupled with peer-pressure exerted on both the attacker and the targeted victim, could lead to varying types of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Abuse situations, a school administration’s failure to fully, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further negligence to research, address and deal fully 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 where the attacker quietly departs the school merely 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 safe campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This may provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular individual, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted victim may 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, attack allegations against these attackers are often met with distrust, non-belief, and resistance by the community. Often, abusers have distance and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are past what are normally expected. This creates a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.
All abusers, to varying amounts, use predatory tactics that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming behaviors exhibited 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 amounts of students, knowing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is located 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 will first work to get the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as boarding school communities are often tight-knit and personal engagement is commonplace. Here, the attacker 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 might start to count on more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is leveraging and fulfilling. The student will spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the promise of higher grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is usually where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
As the grooming continues, the predator may try to isolate the potential victim. At school, this might mean after-hour meetings, tutoring sessions, encounters in the dorm , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to desensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This could begin with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or speaking, with suggestive messages to determine the victim’s response to the progression. This might escalate 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 victim and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the student by inducing feelings of guilt, or even threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator might continue to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to keep the immoral physical relationship.
Impacts on Abuse Survivors
When the grooming increases as intended by the predator, the targeted student, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the actions. The predator, through these well-thought-out and executed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the abuse survivor participated in this re-calibration, he frequently 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 frequently exposed to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as bullying, isolation from their peers, or revenge from teachers. Particularly at private schools, where education is stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse might be rapidly isolated and socially persecuted. Subjected to such reactions, many boarding school abuse victims that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse a while later. In either situation, the legacy can be severe and life-altering.
Some abuse survivors suffer from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty creating and maintaining healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups may help victims overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse can recover financial compensation from the predator and more commonly, from the school for its negligence to protect the student from the predator, 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 share your story 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 remember 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.
