Boarding School Abuse

Boarding School Abuse presents a series of criminal and lurid acts commonly committed against students by school faculty members, administrators or employees regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The attack can be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it might involve several assaults during an ongoing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate relationship with a student, spawned by the predatory actions of a faculty member, school administrator or staff and whether leading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.

Student on student sexual assault is another form of abuse, which might be made worse by the school’s failure to provide a safe environment that allowed the attack to occur. Inside the school community are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be subjected to the predatory actions of older, more experienced students. Their actions, coupled with peer-pressure applied on both the predator and the targeted victim, could lead to different types of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.

In all reported Boarding School Abuse matters, a school administration’s megligence to fully, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further failure to investigate, address and deal completely with the situation amplifies the effects on the victim, the school community and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the media exemplify these failures, including times when the perpetrator quietly leaves the campus only to assume employment somewhere else in a school environment.

Predatory Behavior
Many boarding schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities inside a well-defined and safe campus. In this environment, faculty, administrators and staff are often much closer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This may provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be attacker and for the predatory behavior.

In some situations, the attacker might be a personable and popular person, generally considered to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted student could feel flattered that a popular superior in the school community has expressed special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and integration in the school community, abuse allegations against these attackers are frequently met with distrust, disbelief, and resistance from the community. Often, abusers have boundary and morality 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 attack.

All abusers, to differing amounts, use predatory actions that are generally referred to as “grooming,” or targeting a potential abuse victim. Following is a list of grooming methods used 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 situation, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, knowing every student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and selected, these vulnerabilities – like loneliness, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, can be systematically exploited in the following manners:

Trust

A predator may initially work to get the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to see 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 creates a trusting engagement with the potential student-victim, the student may start to count on more and more on the predator for any need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student might spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and affection, the possible victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts such as the promise of high grades, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance stage is usually when the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.

Isolation

As the grooming progresses, the predator will work to isolate the student. At school, this could mean after-hour meetings, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dormitory , one-on-one athletic practice sessions, or various other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to desensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other behaviors which lead to sexual interaction. This may begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or speaking, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s response to the advancement. This might increase until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator will try to keep control of the victim and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably try to manipulate the student by inducing feelings of guilt, or even threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim by whatever means necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.

Impacts on Abuse Survivors

While the grooming increases 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 targeted student. Because the abuse survivor participated in this re-calibration, she frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming himself for the incident and hesitant to report it.

Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, survivors of boarding school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as being bullied, alienation from their peers, or revenge from staff. Particularly at boarding schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be intense and social circles small, survivors of abuse might be quickly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to those reactions, many private school abuse victims that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the impact can be significant and life-altering.

Some abuse victims suffer 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 difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups could help victims get past these effects.

Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse can recover financial compensation from the predator and more commonly, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the predator, as well as failures or deficiencies in its method of reviewing and replying to the victim’s report of the abuse. If you are a survivor of boarding school abuse and would like to confidentially review your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to talk with you. It’s important for a survivor to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The attorneys at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those responsible for the abuse to justice.