Child molesters have specific ways of targeting children and using technology as a tool is one of the preferred methods.  It’s ironic that a child predator, who is devious and cunning, would utilize text messaging and social networking to make friends with children when most of this is traceable and can be shown to a parent at any time.  A child predators strategy to grooming their victims, which is the process a child predator uses to develop a friendship with the child, is used again and again until the child responds the way they want.   An off comment or a friendly text message that is slightly out of bounds of normal conversation is used to “soften” the victim up and “push the boundaries” for future communication.  By the time a child molester puts something in text that is clearly out of bounds, the child has engaged in enough communication to give the predator the confidence he or she needs to take the risk of stepping way out of bounds. 

As parents we should keep a close eye on all the social networking and texting our children are doing, so we are able to perceive a threat that our children might not see as a threat.  Children are more open to all forms of communication and explicit content.  Children are now “sexting” to each other, which is the process of sending nude pictures between their phones.  A joint study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl suggests that 20% of teens (ages 13-19) and 33% of young adults (ages 20-26) have shared nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves either via text or by posting online. Teen girls are slightly more likely to do this than boys and 11% of the young teen girls (ages 13-16) admitted to sending suggestive photos of themselves.

Consider the recent arrest of a Former Boys and Girls Club Coach arrested for soliciting a girl.  A 27 year old man faces attempted child solicitation and improper communication with a child for asking the girl if she ever “touches” herself.  This question is clearly inappropriate, but some children might not realize that this is the behavior of a child predator and that questions like these are build up to what’s coming. 

In the case of Clifford Moran, he began grooming his victim by communicating with her through texts about friends, family and the 4^th grade.  Then, it allegedly escalated to Moran wanting to see pictures of the young girl “maybe some naughty full body ones?”

According to Indiana Code of Law a person who solicits and improperly communicates with a child, as outlined in IC 35-42-4-6, is committing a felony:

Child solicitation    

Sec. 6. (a) As used in this section, “solicit” means to command, authorize, urge, incite, request, or advise an individual:
        (1) in person;
        (2) by telephone;
        (3) in writing;
        (4) by using a computer network (as defined in IC 35-43-2-3(a));
        (5) by advertisement of any kind; or
        (6) by any other means; to perform an act described in subsection (b) or (c).
   
Keep an eye on all your children’s correspondence with leaders in church, sports, school or any other activities.  A good rule of thumb is that no one over the age of 18 should be contacting your child directly, unless they come through you.  This might sound too conservative, but this policy can also help you prevent other issues like “sexting” and overall it can help you build a hedge of protection around your most precious gift, your children.

Get information on how to train your leaders to spot potential child abusers through Protect Youth Sports and get background checks and child safety training resources.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” – Edmund Burke

Penn State Scandal

As I am sure you have heard by now, Penn State university has been rocked by the scandal of a former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually assaulting young boys beginning as early as the mid 90’s and continuing throughout and after his tenure at Penn State.

Where Did Coach Paterno Go Wrong?

According to the attorney general report there are several accusations of assault happening both on and off campus property with one in particular being witnessed by a graduate assistant who reported what he witnessed to head football coach Joe Paterno. Paterno then reported the incident to his immediate supervisor who escalated the incident to senior staff, but never University Police or local officials.

The Grand Jury concluded that the sexual assault of a minor male in 2002 should have been reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and/or a law enforcement agency such as University Police or the Pennsylvania State Police in accordance with Pennsylvania’s mandatory reporting statute for suspected child abuse.

Most people don’t’ disagree with Joe Paterno first reporting to his direct supervisor what he heard from his graduate assistant about Jerry Sandusky assaulting a boy in a Penn State athletics facility shower room. You shouldn’t have to go over your supervisor’s head and report an incident to the police. What we can’t accept is why he waited a day to tell Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and why he didn’t make sure that Curley went immediately to the police with the report. We now know that Curley did not go to the police at all – and Paterno left the matter alone.

What Can We Learn?

In the light of this horrific tragedy, being angry and shocked is simply not enough. What happened at Penn State needs to go beyond anger, surprise, sensationalism, and lengthy news coverage. Every organization that works with children needs to look at what happened and do some self- evaluation of their current sexual abuse prevention strategies.  Don’t be afraid to make changes.

Policies Protect Children

Start with a clear policy and guidelines on what is acceptable and not acceptable.  The consequences of not having a child protection policy in place far outweigh the cost of implementing them.  As fathers, mothers and caretakers we don’t care what the cost is to protect our own children.  Youth sport and recreation should have the same level of protection in place that you would choose for your own children. 

It’s not too difficult to establish a policy with clear, enforceable child protection guidelines.  The basic tenants of your policy should include background checks for staff and volunteers, including coaches and officials that work with minors.  Background checks of criminal and sex offender history that meet national standards typically cost around $10 to $20.  And because only 1 in 10 sexual abusers has a criminal history it is also imperative to have mandatory child safety training on the topic of sexual abuse prevention and awareness.  Be sure to get signed agreements from volunteers stating they have read and understand the policy and agree to adhere to the requirements of the policy. Enforcing the policy is essential to demonstrating that your organization has performed the necessary due diligence, in case someone still manages to slip through the cracks.

Children Won’t Always Tell

Next it is paramount that we figure out how to get kids to understand when something wrong has been done to them – and then report it to the right people. It is terrifying how pedophiles are able to keep their victims silent. Children remain silent because their abuser scares them into silence; there can also be shame and embarrassment, and sometimes even a feeling of affection for the person molesting them. Silence is terrible because it protects and enables the molester to keep on molesting, and it deprives the victims of the help they need. Studies have shown the average sexual predator victimizes 120 before being caught.

Predators Are On The Prowl

It is not enough to say “we know everyone” or “that will never happen here.” Our communities and youth sports program are a target for predators.  Predators are eager to volunteer to coach children and they especially like that they can get immediate access to children by coaching or officiating.  Predators don’t like to wait long before gaining access.  If access is not permitted they will move to another target.  The two-person rule is a great way to weed out any potential predators.  This requires 2 adults to be present with children at all times.

About Protect Youth Sports

Coach & Volunteer Background Checks through Protect Youth Sports are designed to help league officials implement and maintain a thorough background screening program for employees, staff and volunteers, while using simple paperless technology to streamline the process.

Protect Youth Sports can help you avoid many of the problems that occur with low quality, instant databases and state-level-only police checks, which lead to lead to missed records, incomplete records, out-of-date records and inadequate protection from sexual predators. Don’t put your children and organization at risk!

 Visit us www.protectyouthsports.com