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How youth-serving organizations enable acquaintance molesters
1The Forum for Youth Investment, Washington, USA patrick@forumfyi.org.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|May 27, 2014
Summary
Prominent institutions often fail to prevent child sex abuse due to organizational patterns that protect abusers. Proactive strategies are needed to safeguard children in youth-serving organizations.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Criminology
- Organizational Behavior
Background:
- Child sex abuse scandals have impacted prominent institutions.
- Organizational behaviors have facilitated abuse and hindered accountability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand and combat acquaintance molestation in youth-serving organizations.
- To identify patterns of organizational behavior in institutions with child sex abuse scandals.
Main Methods:
- Examination of common behavioral patterns in organizations with paid and volunteer staff.
- Analysis of institutional responses to child sex abuse allegations.
Main Results:
- Organizational faith blinded staff to abuse risks.
- Staff were kept ignorant of the problem's extent.
- Accusations favored adults; organizations prioritized self-protection over child safety.
- Abusers were exonerated; children were disbelieved; abuse persisted.
Conclusions:
- Youth-serving organizations often lack proactive strategies against child sex abuse.
- Common organizational patterns enable abusers and fail to protect children.
- A shift towards proactive risk reduction and effective response protocols is crucial.