By Naomi Nishimura
Full Document: Educator Sexual Misconduct and the Problematic Culture of Silence
—Excerpt—
GROOMING:
“the purpose of grooming is to influence the perceptions of adults around the child, to reduce the likelihood of the child being believed if they do come forward, and to reduce the
possibility of detection. Furthermore, grooming tactics are used to manipulate the child into assuming the role of a cooperating participant thus reducing the likelihood of disclosure and
increasing the likelihood that the child will regularly return to the perpetrator.”
“To further control the victim, the perpetrator might begin to introduce sexual themes by telling ‘dirty jokes’ or showing pornography. “The use of pornography in particular may encourage feelings of shame and guilt which the offender may exploit by
persuading the child that they were willing accomplices in their activities” (pg. 347). This in turn, may make the victim less willing to disclose these inappropriate behaviours to others”
“In some cases, when a victim comes forward with allegations of abuse, the community has been groomed to such an extent that they are more likely to support the perpetrator rather than the victim.”
“He was my teacher and supposed to protect me, not hurt me…there were no boundaries with him, he blurred the lines of my understanding of what was appropriate and what healthy intimacy should look like…My former teacher was so good at making me feel as if this sexual abuse was something I wanted and not what it is — violence.” (Canadian Centre for Child Protection, 2018, pg. 30).”
“Examples of visual abuse included using obscene gestures, showing students pornographic materials”
“Whether or not perpetrators are deliberate or opportunistic in their process of selection, choosing a victim is heavily influenced by compliance and likelihood of secrecy”
“Targeted students are often marginal both socially and academically”
“the majority of students who are targets of educator sexual misconduct are female”
“abuse of females is more likely to be reported than the abuse of males”
The process by which a child is befriended by a would-be abuser in an attempt to gain the child’s confidence and trust, enabling them to get the child to acquiesce to abusive activity”
