According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, one in five girls and one in twenty boys will be sexually assaulted or abused before they turn 18. Sexual predators often use manipulation, coercion, and threats to “groom” their targets. They may also use these techniques to establish credibility and trust in their communities, pre-emptively protecting themselves against any accusations of wrongdoing.
Recent news reports and police investigations have exposed widespread corruption in churches, schools, youth sports, collegiate athletics, civic organizations, and other community groups. These scandals often reveal how an organization’s culture enabled sexual predators to escape responsibility and continue their patterns of abuse.
Many recent changes have made it possible for victims to pursue justice against their attackers and compensation for their injuries, even if the abuse happened many years ago. However, victims of childhood sexual abuse often suffer long-term emotional, psychological, and physical injuries. As adults, they are more likely to suffer from mental and physical health issues and are at greater risk for re-victimization.
Protecting children from sexual predators is the only way to prevent this unnecessary harm. Sexual predators often use similar techniques and behave in similar ways. Understanding and staying alert for common “red flags” can help parents, teachers, and community members identify potential predators and prevent abuse before it begins.
Grooming Victims and Communities
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that around 90% of child sexual abuse is committed by someone known and trusted by the victim or their family. These crimes are committed by family members, friends of the family, and other adults in positions of trust and authority (such as coaches, teachers, or church leaders).
Predators use methods called “grooming” to build trust and camaraderie with their potential victims and establish themselves in their communities. Although many of these behaviors may seem innocent and well-intentioned, abusers use them to lay the groundwork to facilitate abuse. These behaviors can be “red flags,” or warning signs that an adult is grooming a potential victim for abuse.
Common grooming behaviors include:
• Taking children on overnight stays or trips. These occasions can provide opportunities to seclude potential victims from their parents, guardians, and viable escape routes.
• Spending time alone with a single child or a small group of children. Predators may invite children to their home, volunteer to take a child or children on outings, or supervise small group activities.
• Gifts and special treatment. Giving gifts or extra privileges to a particular child can be a sign that the adult is nurturing a “special friendship” that could enable abuse.
• Physical contact. Predators often engage potential victims in “innocent” physical contact, such as wrestling, tickling, or hugging. When this familiarity becomes accepted and commonplace, it’s easier for predators to escalate their behavior. Victims may believe abusive touching was unintentional or that they were mistaken about the nature of the contact.
• Providing alcohol, drugs, or other illicit substances. Providing intoxicants to potential victims gives predators a lot of bang for their buck. It can make potential victims think the predator is a cool, hip adult, which can deepen their connection and foster trust. Drugs, alcohol, and other substances can lower victims’ inhibitions, reduce their ability to resist, or incapacitate them completely. Predators may also use evidence of the victims using drugs or engaging in other wrongdoing as leverage to ensure their secrecy.
Sexual predators often go to great lengths to establish relationships with their victims’ parents and family members. They use conscious, directed methods to establish trust, reduce or eliminate skepticism or suspicion about their relationship with the victim, and cast doubt on any report of impropriety.
Establishing this trust helps predators obtain parental consent for unsupervised activities like overnight fishing trips, dinners, or counseling sessions that provide opportunities for abuse. Victims may think they won’t be believed if they report a trusted adult’s inappropriate or abusive behavior. Parents should ensure their children understand that they will take appropriate action to respond to allegations of abuse, regardless of who is involved.
What Can Parents Do if They Notice Red Flags?
Understanding how abusers use calculated grooming behaviors helps parents, teachers, and other community members identify potential predators and prevent abuse from occurring. Parents and other community members should stay vigilant for grooming behavior and encourage children to report any concerns.
Many high-profile cases involve organizations that failed to implement effective strategies to identify and respond to child sexual abuse. The CDC recommends a multi-pronged approach to help parents and communities reduce the chances of sexual violence and child sexual abuse. These strategies include:
• Promoting social norms against violence. This includes empowering and encouraging children to identify inappropriate behavior and intervene appropriately when they see it occurring.
• Teaching healthy sexuality and relationship skills. Parents can help their children avoid becoming victims by teaching them healthy, appropriate sexual boundaries and expectations.
• Creating protective environments. Schools, community organizations, sports programs, and other institutions should develop policies to reduce the opportunities for abuse and encourage children to report inappropriate behavior.
• Supporting victims and survivors. Responding appropriately to allegations of abuse and providing resources for survivors decreases an abuser’s ability to continue preying on children in their communities.
If parents notice potentially problematic behavior or suspect a child is being abused, they should take immediate steps to reduce the opportunities for abuse. This may involve reporting their concerns to the child’s school, organizational leadership, or law enforcement.
What To Do if You’ve Experienced Sexual Abuse
If you or a loved one has experienced child sexual abuse, the experienced attorneys at Lamothe Law Firm can help. Our attorneys have negotiated substantial settlements and won large jury verdicts in sexual abuse cases involving priests, coaches, and other sexual predators.
We know how emotionally challenging pursuing a sexual abuse claim can be. Our compassionate team of sexual abuse attorneys has the knowledge, resources, and dedication to hold sexual predators accountable. Contact us today to schedule a confidential meeting to discuss your claim and the options you may have to pursue justice and recover compensation.
