SPOILER ALERT!
Boarding School Abuse
Boarding School Abuse denotes a wide-range of criminal and lurid actions often perpetrated against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault may be a one-time, non-consensual attack or it can include many assaults within an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, created by the predatory behavior 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, that can be made worse by the school’s failure to provide a safe environment that enabled the assault to happen. Within school abuse lawsuit are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students may be subjected to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. This actions, coupled with peer-pressure exerted on both the attacker and the targeted victim, might lead to varying forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all reported Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to fully, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its additional negligence to investigate, address and deal completely with the matter amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the press exemplify these failures, including matters when the attacker quietly leaves the school merely to assume working elsewhere in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Many boarding schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities inside a well-defined and safe campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This can provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser could be a likeable and popular person, generally thought to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted victim might feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, abuse allegations against these attackers are often met with distrust, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly anticipated. This creates a predatory pathway and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to differing degrees, use predatory actions that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a compilation of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators who are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school situation, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, understanding each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is located 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 first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as private school communities are usually tight-knit and personal interaction is commonplace. Here, the predator is usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellbeing and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might start to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student will spend more time with the predator, feeling more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the guarantee of high grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance step is mainly where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming progresses, the predator might work to isolate the student. At school, this may mean after-hour meetings, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one sports practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This could start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive language to determine the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This will increase until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to keep control over the victim and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably try to manipulate the victim by introducing feelings of guilt, or even threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim with means available to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Victims
While the grooming increases as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond positively to the actions. The predator, through these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-work and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the abuse survivor participated in the re-calibration, he frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and likely not to report it.
Furthermore, after the abuse has been reported, victims of private school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like being bullied, alienation from their peers, or revenge from staff. Especially at boarding schools, where education is rigorous, competition can be fierce and social circles small, victims of abuse can be rapidly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to those reactions, many boarding school abuse victims who have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the legacy can be severe and life-altering.
Some abuse survivors deal with from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble creating and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups could help survivors overcome those effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse can recover financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and responding to the survivor’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 prepared to talk with you. It is important for a survivor to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
Student-on-student sexual assault is another form of abuse, that can be made worse by the school’s failure to provide a safe environment that enabled the assault to happen. Within school abuse lawsuit are students of different ages, maturity and experiences. Younger students may be subjected to the predatory behavior of older, more experienced students. This actions, coupled with peer-pressure exerted on both the attacker and the targeted victim, might lead to varying forms of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all reported Boarding School Assault matters, a school administration’s failure to fully, immediately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its additional negligence to investigate, address and deal completely with the matter amplifies the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the press exemplify these failures, including matters when the attacker quietly leaves the school merely to assume working elsewhere in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Many boarding schools pride themselves on their small, personal communities inside a well-defined and safe campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much nearer and familiar with students than might be expected in a non-boarding school setting. This can provide both opportunity and cover to the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser could be a likeable and popular person, generally thought to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted victim might feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community is expressing special attention in him or her. Because of this popularity and involvement into the school community, abuse allegations against these attackers are often met with distrust, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment problems which turn into oddly friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly anticipated. This creates a predatory pathway and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to differing degrees, use predatory actions that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a compilation of grooming behaviors exhibited by predators who are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming
Grooming is a major part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school situation, a predator often works closely with small numbers of students, understanding each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is located 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 first work to gain the student’s trust. This step is most difficult to discern as private school communities are usually tight-knit and personal interaction is commonplace. Here, the predator is usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellbeing and achievement at the school.
Reliance
As a predator establishes a trusting relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might start to rely more and more on the predator for whatever need it is that the predator is exploiting and fulfilling. The student will spend more time with the predator, feeling more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the potential victim may receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts like the guarantee of high grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance step is mainly where the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming progresses, the predator might work to isolate the student. At school, this may mean after-hour meetings, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one sports practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will start to de-sensitize the student from reacting negatively to contact, caressing and other actions which lead to sexual interaction. This could start with breaking the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive language to determine the victim’s reaction to the advancement. This will increase until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
As the sexual relationship is established, the predator will try to keep control over the victim and the continuing abuse. The predator will probably try to manipulate the victim by introducing feelings of guilt, or even threats, or employ the opposite tactic of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. In any event, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim with means available to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Legacy on Abuse Victims
While the grooming increases as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond positively to the actions. The predator, through these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-work and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the abuse survivor participated in the re-calibration, he frequently experiences deep feelings of shame, initially blaming herself for the incident and likely not to report it.
Furthermore, after the abuse has been reported, victims of private school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like being bullied, alienation from their peers, or revenge from staff. Especially at boarding schools, where education is rigorous, competition can be fierce and social circles small, victims of abuse can be rapidly isolated and socially abused. Subjected to those reactions, many boarding school abuse victims who have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of such isolation and social abuse, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the legacy can be severe and life-altering.
Some abuse survivors deal with from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, restless sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble creating and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups could help survivors overcome those effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse can recover financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or deficiencies in its process of reviewing and responding to the survivor’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 prepared to talk with you. It is important for a survivor to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
Boarding School Abuse
Private School Abuse illustrates a series of criminal and lurid actions commonly committed on students by school faculty members, administrators or employees regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault can be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it might include several assaults within an ongoing interaction. For example, an ongoing intimate encounter with a student, created by the predatory actions of a faculty member, school administrator or employee and whether heading to physical agreed sex acts or not, is a form of abuse.
Student on student sexual assault is another form of abuse, which can be made worse by the school’s negligence to provide a safe environment that enabled the attack to occur. Within the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more mature students. This behavior, coupled with peer-pressure applied on both the attacker and the targeted victim, might lead to different forms of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Assault situations, a school administration’s megligence to completely, adequately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further negligence to investigate, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the press exemplify these failures, including situations when the attacker quietly departs the school merely to assume employment elsewhere in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Many private schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities inside a well-defined and safe campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This can create both opportunity and cover for the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular person, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted student could feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community has expressed special interest in him or her. Because of this popularity and integration into the school community, abuse allegations against these attackers are frequently met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment problems which manifest themselves in unusually friendly relationships with students that are past what are commonly anticipated. This provides a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.
Most abusers, to differing degrees, employ predatory methods that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming methods exhibited by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the subordinate student.
Grooming
Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school setting, a predator often works closely with small amounts of students, realizing every student’s needs and weaknesses. Once a victim is located and chosen, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically exploited in the following manners:
Trust
A predator could initially work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to see as private 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 relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might start to rely 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 increasingly comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the predator, including valuable, gifts such as the guarantee of high grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming progresses, the predator will try to isolate the student. At school, this could mean late meetings, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or 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 may begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or speaking, with suggestive language to gauge the victim’s response to the progression. This could increase until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator will work to keep control over the student and the continuing interaction. The predator will likely try to manipulate the student by inducing feelings of shame, or even threats, or employ the opposite strategy of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator will keep trying to exploit the victim with means necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Impacts on Abuse Victims
When the grooming increases as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, through these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the victim participated in the re-calibration, she often has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming herself for the incident and hesitant to report it.
Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of private school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as bullying, alienation from their peers, or retaliation from staff. Particularly at boarding boarding school abuse reports , where academics are stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse could be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Exposed to such reactions, many boarding school abuse victims who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of the isolation and social abuse, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the impact can be severe and lasting.
Some abuse victims deal with from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups could help survivors overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse could recover financial compensation from the abuser and more commonly, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or negligence in its process 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 discuss your story and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to speak with you. It is important for a victim to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
Student on student sexual assault is another form of abuse, which can be made worse by the school’s negligence to provide a safe environment that enabled the attack to occur. Within the school population are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be exposed to the predatory behavior of older, more mature students. This behavior, coupled with peer-pressure applied on both the attacker and the targeted victim, might lead to different forms of abuse that includes sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Assault situations, a school administration’s megligence to completely, adequately report the crime to police and other authorities, or its further negligence to investigate, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the abuse survivor, the school population and possibly others. Recent Boarding School Abuse cases reported in the press exemplify these failures, including situations when the attacker quietly departs the school merely to assume employment elsewhere in a school environment.
Predatory Behavior
Many private schools pride themselves on their tiny, personal communities inside a well-defined and safe campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This can create both opportunity and cover for the would-be abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some situations, the attacker might be a likeable and popular person, generally considered to be a positive addition to the school community. A targeted student could feel flattered that a well-liked superior in the school community has expressed special interest in him or her. Because of this popularity and integration into the school community, abuse allegations against these attackers are frequently met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Frequesntly, abusers have boundary and judgment problems which manifest themselves in unusually friendly relationships with students that are past what are commonly anticipated. This provides a predatory path and opportunity for the attack.
Most abusers, to differing degrees, employ predatory methods that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Below is a compilation of grooming methods exhibited by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the subordinate student.
Grooming
Grooming is a significant part of a predator’s ploy. In a boarding school setting, a predator often works closely with small amounts of students, realizing every student’s needs and weaknesses. Once a victim is located and chosen, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, may be systematically exploited in the following manners:
Trust
A predator could initially work to gain the student’s trust. This step is the most difficult to see as private 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 relationship with the potential student-victim, the student might start to rely 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 increasingly comfortable with the relationship. Additionally to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the predator, including valuable, gifts such as the guarantee of high grades, or a university recommendation letter. The reliance stage is mainly where the predatory behavior is noticeable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming progresses, the predator will try to isolate the student. At school, this could mean late meetings, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one athletic training sessions, or 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 may begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or speaking, with suggestive language to gauge the victim’s response to the progression. This could increase until the relationship advances to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is created, the predator will work to keep control over the student and the continuing interaction. The predator will likely try to manipulate the student by inducing feelings of shame, or even threats, or employ the opposite strategy of continuing to have the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator will keep trying to exploit the victim with means necessary to maintain the immoral physical relationship.
Impacts on Abuse Victims
When the grooming increases as planned by the predator, the victim, being made to feel special, will probably respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, through these well planned and performed grooming behaviors and activities, seeks to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the victim. Because the victim participated in the re-calibration, she often has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming herself for the incident and hesitant to report it.
Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of private school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, such as bullying, alienation from their peers, or retaliation from staff. Particularly at boarding boarding school abuse reports , where academics are stringent, competition can be fierce and social circles small, survivors of abuse could be readily isolated and socially persecuted. Exposed to such reactions, many boarding school abuse victims who have reported the abuse leave school. Others, faced with the prospect of the isolation and social abuse, report the abuse a while later. In either case, the impact can be severe and lasting.
Some abuse victims deal with from long-term effects of the abuse that include depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and trouble establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individual therapy and support groups could help survivors overcome these effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse could recover financial compensation from the abuser and more commonly, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, as well as failures or negligence in its process 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 discuss your story and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are prepared to speak with you. It is important for a victim to remember that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
SPOILER ALERT!
Private School Abuse
Private School Abuse denotes a wide-range of illegal and lurid acts often perpetrated against students by school faculty members, administrators or staff regarding sexual assault of varying degrees. The assault may be a one-time, non-consensual encounter or it might involve many assaults during an continuing interaction. For example, an continuing intimate relationship with a student, formed 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, that can be made worse by the school’s negligence to provide a safe environment that allowed the assault to occur. Inside the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be subjected to the predatory actions of older, more mature students. Their actions, along with peer-pressure applied to both the attacker and the targeted victim, may lead to varying types of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Abuse matters, a school administration’s failure to entirely, immediately report the assault to police and other authorities, or its additional negligence to research, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the victim, the school population and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the press highlight these failures, including situations where the attacker 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 secure campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This can provide both opportunity and cover to the possible abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser could be a personable and popular individual, generally thought to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted student 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 in the school community, abuse accusations against these abusers are frequently met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Often, abusers have distance and morality problems which manifest themselves in unusually friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly expected. boarding school sexual abuse creates a predatory path and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to differing degrees, employ predatory methods that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a list of grooming behaviors used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming
Grooming is a main part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school situation, a predator usually works closely with small amounts of students, realizing each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and chosen, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, can be systematically leveraged in the following manners:
Trust
A predator could initially work to gain 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 usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellness 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 will spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts such as the guarantee of high grades, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance step is usually when the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming progresses, the predator might work to isolate the potential victim. At school, this could mean after-hour get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one sports practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This might begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s response to the progression. This will increase until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to maintain control of the student and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the student by introducing feelings of guilt, or possibly threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim with means necessary to maintain 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 likely respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well planned and executed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the abuse survivor participated in this re-calibration, she frequently has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming himself for the incident and hesitant to report it.
Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of boarding school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like bullying, alienation from their peers, or retaliation from administrators. Especially at private schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be intense and social circles small, survivors of abuse can be quickly isolated and socially persecuted. Exposed to such reactions, many private school abuse survivors that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse years later. In either situation, the impact can be severe and life-altering.
Some abuse victims deal with from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups may assist victims overcome those effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse may receive financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, 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 discuss your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are ready to talk with you. It’s important for a survivor to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
Student-on-student sexual assault is another form of abuse, that can be made worse by the school’s negligence to provide a safe environment that allowed the assault to occur. Inside the school community are students of varying ages, maturity and experiences. Immature students might be subjected to the predatory actions of older, more mature students. Their actions, along with peer-pressure applied to both the attacker and the targeted victim, may lead to varying types of abuse including sexual assault of varying degrees.
In all alleged Boarding School Abuse matters, a school administration’s failure to entirely, immediately report the assault to police and other authorities, or its additional negligence to research, address and deal fully with the matter increases the effects on the victim, the school population and potentially others. Recent Boarding School Abuse issues reported in the press highlight these failures, including situations where the attacker 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 secure campus. In that environment, faculty, administrators and staff are frequently much closer and familiar with students than would be expected in a non-boarding school situation. This can provide both opportunity and cover to the possible abuser and for the predatory behavior.
In some matters, the abuser could be a personable and popular individual, generally thought to be a enhancement to the school community. A targeted student 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 in the school community, abuse accusations against these abusers are frequently met with doubt, non-belief, and resistance from the community. Often, abusers have distance and morality problems which manifest themselves in unusually friendly relationships with students that are beyond what are commonly expected. boarding school sexual abuse creates a predatory path and opportunity for the abuse.
Most abusers, to differing degrees, employ predatory methods that are generally known as “grooming,” or targeting a possible abuse victim. Following is a list of grooming behaviors used by predators that are in a position of authority in relation to the student.
Grooming
Grooming is a main part of a predator’s method. In a boarding school situation, a predator usually works closely with small amounts of students, realizing each student’s needs and vulnerabilities. Once a target is identified and chosen, these vulnerabilities – such as being lonely, low self-esteem, emotional neediness, or attention seeking behavior, can be systematically leveraged in the following manners:
Trust
A predator could initially work to gain 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 usually part of a group of staff who are genuinely interested in the student’s wellness 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 will spend more time with the predator, feeling more and more comfortable with the relationship. In addition to attention and affection, the possible victim might receive gifts from the predator, which may include valuable, gifts such as the guarantee of high grades, or a college recommendation letter. The reliance step is usually when the predatory behavior is distinguishable from well-meaning collegial behavior.
Isolation
While the grooming progresses, the predator might work to isolate the potential victim. At school, this could mean after-hour get togethers, tutoring sessions, meetings in the dorm , one-on-one sports practice sessions, or other such circumstances.
Sexualization
The predator will begin to de-sensitize the possible victim from reacting negatively to touching, caressing and other behaviors that lead to sexual interaction. This might begin with breaching the physical-touch barrier, or communicating, with suggestive messages to gauge the victim’s response to the progression. This will increase until the relationship transforms to one of a physical, sexual nature.
Maintenance
Once the sexual relationship is established, the predator will work to maintain control of the student and the continuing interaction. The predator will probably seek to manipulate the student by introducing feelings of guilt, or possibly threats, or use the opposite strategy of continuing to make the victim feel special and desired. Regardless, the predator may keep trying to exploit the victim with means necessary to maintain 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 likely respond affirmatively to the behaviors. The predator, from these well planned and executed grooming behaviors and activities, tries to re-calibrate and reduce the moral boundaries of the targeted student. Since the abuse survivor participated in this re-calibration, she frequently has deep feelings of guilt, initially blaming himself for the incident and hesitant to report it.
Furthermore, beyond the abuse has been reported, victims of boarding school abuse are often subjected to discreet social pressure and intimidation, like bullying, alienation from their peers, or retaliation from administrators. Especially at private schools, where academics are stringent, competition can be intense and social circles small, survivors of abuse can be quickly isolated and socially persecuted. Exposed to such reactions, many private school abuse survivors that have revealed the abuse leave school. Others, fighting with the prospect of such isolation and social persecution, report the abuse years later. In either situation, the impact can be severe and life-altering.
Some abuse victims deal with from long-term effects of the abuse including depression, anxiety, ptsd, low self-esteem, suicidal feelings, substance abuse, disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, and difficulty establishing and keeping healthy relationships. Individualized therapy and support groups may assist victims overcome those effects.
Legally, a survivor of boarding school abuse may receive financial compensation from the predator and more frequently, from the school for its failure to protect the student from the abuse, 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 discuss your situation and learn of your legal options at no cost or obligation, we are ready to talk with you. It’s important for a survivor to realize that experiencing assault is not your fault. The lawyers at Meneo Law Group are committed to bringing those who committed the the abuse to justice.
