Preventing Child Sexual Abuse In Youth-Serving Organizations. Norman D. Bates
“even if the true prevalence of child abuse is not known, most professionals agree that there will be 500,000 babies in the US this year that will be sexually abused before they turn 18 if steps are not taken to prevent it.”12
While the concept of non-disclosure poses a problem similar to that of delayed disclosure, the term “disclosure” itself lacks a clear and concise definition among researchers. Disclosure in this publication means the victim making sexual abuse public.
One of the main factors in whether children decide to disclose incidences of sexual abuse has primarily to do with who they are reporting it to and how likely those people are to believe what the children are saying. Parents should therefore maintain and create comfortable communication between themselves and their children. Studies have shown that “more than half of all child abuse incidents are never reported because the victims are too afraid or too confused to be able to report their experiences.”13
As a result of the fear of disclosing, the average age of disclosure of child sexual abuse is around 25 years, and only one-third of those sexually abused disclosed it before the age of 18. This is called delayed disclosure, and is often linked with repressed memories and other illnesses stemming from the abuse. Delayed disclosures are often difficult to substantiate because of the time that has elapsed between the sexual abuse and the report.
The following narrative is an excerpt from a police report, which illustrates a typical delayed disclosure in a case involving child sexual abuse.
“Victim states that ten years ago he was sexually assaulted by a white male named [name of assailant]. Victim states that he was at a lock-in at the [YSO facility] at 30 Main Street. Victim advised that he and other juveniles were with [the assailant] when the assault occurred. [The assailant] was supposed to be a counselor in training at the [YSO]. Victim advised that there should be other victims of sexual assault from the same subject.”
3.Limited Prosecution of Offenders
Another challenge to the accuracy of child sexual abuse rates is the limited prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. For example, arrests are made in only 29% of the cases reported to the police, with arrests being made more often in incidents involving older children (32%). Arrests are made in only 19% of cases involving children under the age of 6.14 In many cases where arrests are made, there is no prosecution.
Another possible reason for a case to not be prosecuted is the retraction of the accusation. Due to the pressure and encouragement of some adults, there are situations in which children will take back their accusations. There are a number of possible reasons why parents or guardians would pressure children into retracting their statements. One of the main reasons is that parents are concerned that their child would suffer more if made to go through an investigation and trial. This is often done on “behalf of the child,” so as not to put them through additional trauma.
Another reason for there to be no prosecution may be a lack of sufficient evidence. It is for this reason that reporting, interviewing, and investigative protocols are crucially important. They may be the difference between prosecuting the crime or not.
The reported number of child sexual abuse incidents is therefore lower than the actual frequency. This is due to cases being dropped, unsubstantiated, or retracted, even though the crime may have occurred.
Reporting sexual abuse is difficult and complex. There may be a number of reasons why a child withholds this information. A few examples cited by victims are shame and guilt, fear of backlash, not being “heard” or understood, getting in trouble or the fear of getting in trouble, poor communication with the adults in their lives, fear of repeat victimization, being threatened by the offender, and being in a position where contact with the offender is continuing. As previously mentioned, offenders are usually someone the child knows and may continue to see. They may endure not only the fear of disclosing but also the fear of being sexually abused again.
The Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome15
The Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome (CSAAS) is a syndrome that may account for a number of factors that prevent children from disclosing sexual abuse. They are as follows:
1. Secrecy The location of sexual abuse can be isolated or secluded; secrecy can also refer to the offender insisting on silence surrounding the abuse.
2. Helplessness Oftentimes, children are preyed upon by adults or individuals older than them who exude an air of power and authority, rendering them helpless to stop, avoid, or report the offender’s actions.
3. Entrapment and accommodation Children may feel trapped in the situation because of not immediately disclosing the sexual abuse or due to the pre-existing relationship that they may have had with the offender. The children accommodate, or learn to accept, the abusive behavior by blaming themselves or believing that their actions somehow warrant the sexual abuse.
4. Delayed, conflicted, and unconvincing disclosure Delayed disclosures are loaded with limitations and questions regarding their accuracy. Even when children do immediately disclose, precautions are taken relating to them potentially being confused about a situation or circumstance. This can sometimes lead to charges being dropped and no penalty for the offender.
5. Retraction While children may retract their disclosures, there are also situations where due to the pressure and encouragement of adults, parents or law enforcement, children will take back their accusation. This is often done on “behalf of the child,” so as not to put them through the trauma of a trial, or possibly because there does not exist enough evidence.
http://www.naasca.org/2011-Articles/060111-ChildSexAbuseAccommodationSyndrome.htm
Child Sexual Abuse in Sports
It is suggested that between 2% and 8% of all athletes experience some form of sexual abuse.16 Sexual abuse in sports and the failure to report incidents have received considerable attention after being brought to light by the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State. Despite extensive publicity, effective policies are still lacking in the sports community. Given the culture of some sports, athletes may “normalize” inappropriate behaviors and therefore not perceive the conduct (e.g., sexual abuse) by the coach as inappropriate.
The complexity of sport-related sexual abuse has increased because of the role of the offender. In this setting, the offender is frequently in a position of control and authority, making disclosure by the victim much more difficult. Disclosure in these instances can be delayed and may not occur until long after the child has left the sport or been far removed from the offender. For this reason, it is not uncommon for children being sexually abused by coaches to suffer over a long period of time.
Ignoring the Problem
In this environment, as well as other youth organization cultures, it is important that administrators understand and respect the seriousness of such crimes and the critical importance of reporting suspected incidents. Unfortunately, there are obstacles. The following is a quote published in a study of sexual abuse disclosures within sports organizations. The administrator is discussing a case that occurred within his organizations where several children eventually came forward making similar claims against the same offender.
“What really helped in the case in my view was when the second [victimized athlete] came forward. If there had just been the first girl [the victim who filed the first complaint], a girl who is a bit emotionally unstable...Only girls who are kind of [emotionally] weak wouldn’t realize when this happens that it is totally unacceptable. That girl who was a bit unstable at the time...I’m not sure she had the credibility to have him [name of the coach] formally accused and then found guilty.”17
On some level, there is an understandable hesitation on the part of many administrators to turn to law enforcement because they do not want to exaggerate a situation that may be harmless, harm the reputation of the accused, or harm the health and well-being of the child. However, those in charge must follow proper procedure once they receive a report regardless of the situation.
Reporting