Preventing Child Sexual Abuse In Youth-Serving Organizations. Norman D. Bates
for more effective procedures on how to investigate those claims. It also emphasizes the importance of taking all claims seriously, regardless of the circumstances. Additional children can be victimized by an offender who goes unpunished.
Another example of the problem of ignorance surrounding child sexual abuse is illustrated by the numerous e-mails between Penn State University officials about how to approach the allegations of child sexual abuse against Jerry Sandusky.
On June 8th, 1998, Gary Schultz, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business at Penn State, wrote the following to Athletic Director Tim Curley in an e-mail with the subject line “Jerry” when asked for an update:
“Tim, I don’t have an update at this point. Just before I left for vac[ation], Tom told me that the DPW [Department of Public Welfare] and Univ[ersity] Police services were planning to meet with him. I’ll see if this has happened and get back to you.”18
This e-mail shows an ignorance about both the severity of the problem and the proper procedures to follow when allegations of child sexual abuse are made. Not only did the officials not know if or when the meeting with police had happened, but Schultz went on vacation in the middle of a significant time for investigating and protecting children who were being victimized.
On June 9th, Schultz informed Curley and two other officials, including the University President, of the following:
“They met with Jerry on Monday and concluded that there was no criminal behavior and the matter was closed as an investigation. He was a little emotional and expressed concern as to how this might have adversely affected the child. I think the matter has been appropriately investigated and I hope it is now behind us.”19
On the contrary, this matter was not behind them. Sandusky continued to sexually abuse boys. These officials faced a similar problem but again failed to go through the proper reporting channels in 2001 when more allegations were made against him.
The report by a Special Investigative Council states that the investigation revealed “a striking lack of empathy for child abuse victims by the most senior leaders of the University” as well as “a lack of awareness of child abuse issues” and “a failure of the Board...by not having regular reporting procedures or committee structures in place to ensure disclosure to the Board of major risks to the University.”20
A great deal of concern has arisen from the apparent lack of action and failure to properly report Sandusky’s known offensive behavior to the appropriate authorities. Joe Paterno, Gary Schultz, and Tim Curley have been heavily criticized for their lack of response to the complaints. The timeline of Sandusky’s offensive behavior highlights common grooming methods used, the failure to report, and victim trauma as a result of ignoring the problem.
A Timeline of Offensive Behavior: The Jerry Sandusky Scandal at Penn State University21
1994: There were allegations of inappropriate behavior against Jerry Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator at Penn State, beginning as early as 1994.
1994-2011: Victims of Sandusky ranged in age from 7 to 13 years old.
1994-2011: Sandusky, like many perpetrators, began his sexual abuse with grooming such as touching, fondling, talking about inappropriate topics, and suggestive sexual talk. This escalated over time to full sexual encounters.
1994-2011: The victims were sexually abused in various locations including Sandusky’s home, his vehicle, hotel rooms, and the Penn State football facilities.
1997: Sandusky founded the Second Mile, a charity that was specifically geared towards assisting “at-risk” youth boys, many of whom became his victims.
1998: A claim was made against Sandusky stating that Sandusky had showered with an 11-year-old boy. In a June 1998 interview with investigators from multiple agencies, Sandusky admitted to showering naked with the boy, admitted that he knew that it was wrong, and promised not to do it again, according to the Grand Jury report. The district attorney advised investigators that no charges be filed and the University police chief instructed that the case be closed.
1999: Sandusky retired, but was still given access to the facilities where he continued to carry out his sexual abuse of boys from the Second Mile charity organization.
2001: Athletic Director Tim Curley was notified after an eyewitness informed Joe Paterno, then head football coach at Penn State, that he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a boy.
2001: About a week later, Mr. Curley and Gary Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business, met with the eyewitness, then told Sandusky that he could not bring any children from the Second Mile onto campus. Later, a Grand Jury said that Mr. Curley acknowledged that this ban was unenforceable. The university officials did not alert law enforcement.
2008: Despite the early suspicions and allegations dating back to 1994, the investigation into child sexual abuse by Jerry Sandusky did not begin until 2008.
2011: Sandusky was ultimately arrested on November 5, 2011 on charges of “sexually abusing eight boys over a 15 year period.” He was found guilty on 45 counts of the total 48 counts against him. Sandusky admitted in an interview, “I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them.”
2012: In June of 2012, Jerry Sandusky’s son came forward accusing him of abuse.
Here are some of the disturbing accounts of the victims and persons involved in this case.
•The Tickle Monster
•“Who would believe kids?”
•In the basement, nobody can hear you scream.
•Creepy love letters
•“He told me that if I ever told anyone, I’d never see my family again.”
•A skin-on-skin smacking sound
•Sandusky has “a heart of gold”: how the school counselor reassured the young victim who finally found the courage to confide
•Raspberries blown on the tummy
•The crying janitor, who has seen too much.
•“It is just remarkable how many children one man can shower with.”
•A young man, now shaken by the sight of chest hair.
Steps Towards Increasing Reports of CSA
Under-reporting can sometimes be attributed to the professionals who are responsible for reporting the suspected abuse. In order to combat the problem of under-reporting, teachers and individuals who work with children in various capacities should be trained in policies and procedures so that they
•Know how to identify possible sexual abuse
•Know what steps to take to report the suspicion to the appropriate person or agency
Organizations need to make their reporting policies clear and concise to anyone witnessing or suspecting child sexual abuse. Clear policies help to identify the appropriate channels of communication through which reports must be made. An organization may have pre-existing policies already in place but if an employee is confused about who the “appropriate authority” to report to is, or how exactly to report the abuse, they could become deterred from doing so for fear of doing it incorrectly or receiving backlash for not proceeding correctly.
Law enforcement should also establish policies to encourage reporting, including
•Emphasizing the criminal seriousness of such offenses
•Providing incentives to report
•Making reporting easier
•Working with schools about policies concerning when to involve the police.22
It is important to note that individuals required to report sexual abuse can be legally culpable for not reporting it. In some instances, it is a felony offense to not report an incident when required by law.
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