Category: Sexual Abuse

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Expert WitnessOrganizational DevelopmentSexual Abuse

Boy Scouts: New Netflix Film Reveals Horrific Abuse Scandal

on September 5, 2023

Introduction:

On September 6th, 2023, Netflix releases its latest documentary, Scouts Honor. It will depict how Boy Scouts of America (BSA) attempted to conceal a child sexual abuse scandal of immense proportion in American history. BSA has accumulated more than 1 million members since its inception in 1910 (Boy Scouts of America), similarly modeled to its British counterpart named the Boy Scout Association. Its mission to “prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law,” is the foundation for its seemingly esteemed reputation. Congress chartered BSA in 1916 under Title 36, recognizing it as a “patriotic and national organization” (TIME Magazine). Additionally, the Title permits Congress to investigate the organization, which it never has (Washington Post). It is astonishingly ironic that certain individuals responsible for upholding righteous principles also perpetuated antithetical actions for nearly a century. Further into the blog, insight from Domestic Violence Investigation Expert and current Pack Master, Rachael Frost, Master Inv. (ret.) will be highlighted. Until then, here is a historical timeline of the Boy Scouts of America scandal.

Timeline:

Boy Scouts of America Child Sexual Abuse Misconduct (Abuse in Scouting)

  • 1920: BSA began collecting reports of volunteers accused of child abuse called “Red Files” just ten years after it was founded.
  • 1971: Unbeknownst to most Scouting employees, executives disclosed eradicating thousands of outdated “Perversion Files,” accounts of known child molesters within BSA. Files were eradicated if the abuser was over eighty years old or deceased.
  • 2007: The Boy Scouts of America faced its first lawsuit. Six former Boy Scouts in Oregon sued the organization for child sexual abuse by a previous scoutmaster in the 1980s. The jury consumed thousands of internal reports and saw how severely BSA mishandled sexual misconduct claims. As a result, the organization paid the plaintiffs $19 million in damages.
  • 2012: The Oregon case documents were made public. From the records, investigators discovered that officials implored sexual abusers to relinquish their positions rather than report them to the police, covering for the abusers to the detriment of the Scouts.
  • 2020: The Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after many sex abuse claims and listed assets totaling almost $10 billion.
  • March 28th, 2023: BSA settled a class action lawsuit. Reuters states, “The Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice, a group of 18,000 sexual abuse survivors, said the agreement would bring ‘some justice to tens of thousands of survivors, men and woman, many of whom would have been waiting for decades for this day to arrive.” The youth organization reached a $2.4 billion settlement because of this class action and the decades of sexual abuse claims filed (CNN). Depending on the allowed amount of the claims, individual survivors are expected to receive between $3,500 to $2.7 million in damages per claim. BSA also implemented its Plan of Reorganization consisting of programs dedicated to preventing child abuse, from background checks to prohibiting adult and child one-on-one sessions.
Photo represents the Red and Perversion Files collected by Boy Scouts of America executives.

Expert Q & A Section:

Domestic Violence Investigation Expert, Rachael Frost, Master Inv. (ret.), explains common characteristics among abusers, how to identify grooming behaviors, and potential legal reforms for the future:

*Disclaimer* – This article does not discuss pedophilia. This is a psychiatric diagnosis defined as “over a period of at least 6 months, an equal or greater sexual arousal from prepubescent or early pubescent children than from physically mature persons, and manifested by fantasies, urges, or behaviors,” (Psychology Today).

Q #1: In your experience, are there common characteristics or behaviors of known or suspected child abusers? If so, what are they?

A #1: Let’s focus primarily on those who commit sexual abuse against children. Regardless of motivation – whether an intense sexual arousal towards children, or specifically young boys, or because of a sexual desire to manipulate, control, and have sex with children due to vulnerability or opportunity, yes, child molesters have very similar tactics.

The following statement is not to tarnish any fields or people within them with heart and dedication for our youth. There are certain jobs that give perpetrators more access to a child and their family’s trust. They provide chances for them to simultaneously praise and condemn a child’s actions and personality traits to get them to rely more upon the perpetrator’s positive interaction. It allows them to isolate a child without raising extreme suspicion. Overall, they generally choose jobs where they are around children. You do not become an accountant.

Common tactics include:

  • Choosing a Vulnerable Victim: Kids with poorer relationships with family/foster child/looking for sense of belonging/lonely/taking advantage of a friendly connection.
    • It is important to note that being a vulnerable victim is NOT the victim’s fault. None of this is their fault. It is the perpetrator’s fault and manipulation.
  • Providing Special Consideration: “Love Bombing”/special gifts or treatment.
  • Providing Access to Risky Behaviors: Alcohol/drugs/porn/parties/staying up all night/going to places parents would not approve/etc.
  • Personal Time: Extra time together/going to a gym/spending time at the perpetrator’s house.
  • Sharing Secrets
  • Sharing Touch: Gradually getting them used to touch to “accidentally” grazing more intimate places.
  • Projecting Guilt: “If you do not do this for me you do not think I am special, you do not care.”
  • Sexual Contact: Framing intercourse or sexual contact as a learning process and normal.
  • Denials, Promises, & Blame: The perpetrator relies on their good standing in the community. The abuser also blames the victim’s “bad behavior” if any possible disclosure is heard.
  • Power and Control: Promising Withholding [below]/promising to tarnish the person’s reputation if they say anything/using homosexuality as a manipulation tactic.
  • Withholding: Time/gifts/secrets/promises – when the victim pulls away or does not meet control requirements of the perpetrator.
  • Threats

Q #2: Do you think State and Federal legal reform is necessary to mitigate child sexual abuse?

A #2: Yes, reform should be considered in four areas –

  • Regulations for Access and How Adults Interact with Children: The Scouts have required safety courses, fingerprinting, and a safety video advising no single adult should ever be alone with a Scout. However, it must be greater to include a full background check by a trained background investigator…, and specific, defined interaction requirements that are subject to civil or criminal investigation if violated.
    • No adult/set of adult in a room away from other children and adults.
    • Rotating parent involvement.
    • Mandatory awareness training for all parents becoming involved in an organization for what behaviors are unacceptable.
    • Child education regarding what association representatives should and should not do.
  • Education for and Increased Types of Professions Who Are Mandated Reporters of Child Abuse or Neglect: Even those who are mandated reporters too often do not report, often because they either do not know they should report or are dissuaded by executive staff.
  • Increased Annual Education for Children and Safe Spaces for Children to Report Abuse and Neglect: Children should know who they can talk to. They can come to the front office, or talk to a teacher, officer, parent, or mentor they trust. Examples of what predators say to keep children from saying anything, and discussing grooming tactics openly, are all important.
  • Mandated Policies and Procedures to be followed in Child Abuse and Neglect Reports and Investigations and Consequences for Legal Failures: Addressing legal failures that prevent mandated reporters and investigators from letting incidents fall through the cracks is necessary. Including protections for mandated reporters begins with confidentiality and job protection. This should also include specific, supportive direction and significant consequences for the knowing failure to meet these legal requirements.

Additional solutions:

Emphasizing parent education about what grooming looks like can also mitigate child sexual abuse in organizations like the Boy Scouts of America. Parents are advised not to leave their children or a group of children alone with a single adult, no sleepovers, or traveling alone with adults. Finally, they should also pay attention to the amount of time an adult spends with their child and gifts being given to their specific child and not others.

Q #3: Will the Boy Scouts of America’s reorganization reforms successfully reduce abuse, and are there other processes it should institute to prevent abuse?

A #3: This is a start, and additional safety features may be put in place. However, like all programs, it cannot simply be an add-on program. It must become a mantra, a process, a part of what the Scouts are. It must be prevalent in how leaders conduct themselves, messaging from the association, from schools, parents, and participants.

Q #4: In my lifetime, I’ve seen massive organizational abuse and coverups in both the Catholic Church and now the Boy Scouts. Are there other organizations where similarly massive scandals are currently under investigation?

A #4: There are a few reasons why abuse in Scouting was prevalent for so long. While these could be argued as good things, it combined religion, youth mentorship, and regulated behaviors (uniforms, respect, pride, honor) with a leader responsible for teaching children lifelong and beneficial skills embodying the roles of God and righteousness. Parents and other community members saw these gregarious and friendly leaders as pinnacles of the community. They were held to a high standard, supposedly met the standard, and were above reproach. Still, underneath all that friendliness is a complicated, harmful monster. The difficult part is spotting the wolf among the overwhelming group of great pack and troop leaders.

I became a Pack Master because I believe in the mission of providing children a safe space to learn and create community. I wanted to establish an environment where I knew that kids were celebrated for who they were without judgment and mitigate misplaced patriarchy. Fostering the recognition of every culture, race, religion/non-religion, sexual orientation, and gender identification is important. Respect, community, and positive behaviors can develop without fear of Eric Cartman’s (South Park) “You will respect my authori-tay” mentality.

Specifically regarding organizational coverups, they occur in any system or association. Organizations need executive staff members who recognize the true issues of an ongoing problem are 1) wrong; and 2) have to be addressed effectively and transparently. The messages and processes for this leadership must be clear throughout the entire organization and community. Any entity has to inquire about its “Business Culture” during its strategic planning and must meet in all they do. It is crucial for organizations, especially those that serve children, to lead ethically. Lastly, ethics do not rest on a checklist, as true solutions are holistic and complete with redundancies and iteration.

Expert Parting Words:

Emphatically, no one should be above the law and of decency. Evidence-based investigation is vital. We cannot allow for anything otherwise or else we are just giving into cancel culture. There is often extreme corroborative evidence in these cases, especially when law enforcement can quickly get to them.

Wooden blocks spelling moral and ethical, the two qualities needed for leaders in the Boy Scouts of America and all other organizations.

Conclusion:

According to Rolling Stone Magazine and Brian Knappenberger (director of the upcoming Netflix documentary), “There are over 82,000 and counting survivors of sexual abuse in Scouting.” From the Scouts Honor trailer alone, the courage and fearlessness of the interviewees involved are highly commendable. Tomorrow’s release will provide a more detailed depiction of the severity of BSA’s abominable actions and the suffering it induced. From the current circulation of news, the Boy Scouts of America has undergone a three-year financial reconfiguration process. It also enacted a Plan of Reorganization, where a series of protection policies were implemented to ensure children’s safety. Examples include required youth protection training for employees and volunteers, criminal background checks for staff and leaders, and the ban on one-on-one interactions between adults and scouts. Hopefully, the youth organization and historic institution will clean up its act and keep its promises to survivors by breaking its cycle of criminal behavior.

A special thank you to our Domestic Violence Investigation expert and Pack Master, Rachael Frost, Master Inv. (ret.), for taking the time to provide her contributions.

If you know anyone in need of support, visit the RAINN website or call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s telephone hotline 800.THE.LOST (843-5678).

PsychiatryPsychologySexual Abuse

Psychiatry: Religion, Power, and Sexual Assault

on June 15, 2022

Religious communities are one of many places which provide people a sense of belonging. Connecting with fellow congregants with like-minded beliefs brings comfort and safety. However, religious institutions are not exempt from exploiting, coercing, and manipulating devotees into unsavory demands. Experts.com Member and Psychiatry Expert, Dr. Mark I. Levy, MD, DLFAPA, shares insight about abuse, power, and institutional betrayal within religious groups.

Although abuse occurs in every religious institution and denomination, the most recent scandal involves the Southern Baptist Convention. According to AP News, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, along with other high-profile members, currently have a chance to acknowledge a scathing report regarding their lack of action toward allegations of sexual assault. For over two decades, survivors and involved members of the church received unsatisfactory responses to abuse, which included, “resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within EC.” An investigation has been conducted and a report was released on Sunday, May 22nd, 2022.

After seven months, a lengthy 400-page report has now been published. It mentioned, “for many years, a few senior EC leaders, along with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to these reports of abuse…and were singularly focused on avoiding liability for the SBC.” This list was made public days after the investigative report’s release, which was the SBC’s effort to encourage national churches to be “proactive” in defending the vulnerable (FOX News). Ed Litton, Southern Baptist Convention’s President, stated he was “grieved to my core” for the survivors and urged churchgoers to “prepare to change the denomination’s culture and implement reforms,” (AP News). He also vowed to address the failures and the report’s findings during their 2022 national meeting in Anaheim, California on June 14th and 15th, 2022. While the body of the Convention will meet in Anaheim, several high-ranking Executive Committee members will not be attending, as they have relinquished their roles in the church.

The Southern Baptist Convention is not the only denomination to be accused or charged with sexual assault. A recent study by the University of Alberta was released in 2019 detailing patterns of sexual assault in religious and ideological groups. This includes the Catholic Church, Protestants, the Branch Davidians, Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, Hindu ashrams, and various cults. Along with academic studies, documentaries such as Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (Netflix), The Vow (HBO Max), and Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Netflix) also expose the coercive abuse that occurs in these groups.

Experts.com Member, Dr. Mark I. Levy, MD, DLFAPA, provides his contributions on the matter. When asked about grooming minors and sexual assault against adults within religious groups, Dr. Levy presents a thought-provoking paradox. He states:

“When humans identify with codes of ethics, which all religions espouse, they put themselves at risk of their own fallible humanity. In general, there’s always this perceived idealization of the role of the person in a morally heightened position and the fact that life is imperfect.”

The discrepancy between the revered status of religious leaders, along with the virtuous sermons they preach, and the egregiously immoral acts committed, is the shock value associated with deplorable situations like the ongoing Southern Baptist Convention scandal. Sexual assault and rape are heinous crimes altogether, but the inconsistency also explains why religious sexual assault contentions make more news headlines than workplace, university, or random abuse cases.

Dr. Levy provides four reasons why sexual abuse continues in religious groups:

  • Authority: The sexual abuse against minors and adults in religious environments has more of an emphasis on a person’s position of authority rather than the ideology itself. “Authority is a critical component to this because a person has to be in a role of trust and respect, which increases the chance of being able to abuse minors. It disarms them when the person is recognized as the leader because they are more prone to trust and believe them.” In communities like churches, repeat abusers in authoritative roles are not quick and brash in pursuing their ulterior motives. Due to their constant access to believers, they meticulously and strategically develop a seemingly benign relationship with their victims to ultimately exploit them at a given opportunity.
  • Power: If authority is the vehicle for abusers, then power, granted by their authority, is the fuel that perpetuates these atrocities. “Sexual abuse is always about power. Sexual abuse of children, which clearly uses that, is also about the sexual gratification of the adult abuser’s needs. They’re peculiar because the sexual interest is focused on minors because of the abuser’s own psychopathology.” Defenders may say it is justified by culture, tradition, and love, but it is illegal under the law because children are not mature enough to give consent.
  • Structure of the Group: “There are particular problems with institutions dominated by men, which are virtually all major religions. One wonders if the leaders of the Catholic Church were female…, whether there would be the same sexual abuse scandal.” This is not to say that women cannot abuse others. However, sometimes the camaraderie within fraternal groups is based on a “boys will be boys” mentality, which tends to excuse abusive behaviors and disregard the damage done to victims.
  • Structure of Belief System: “I think that sometimes within religious belief systems where sin is a prominent concept and confession of sins leads to forgiveness, the psychological damage done, and not to mention the legality of the sin, is often overlooked because it is forgiven in a religious concept.” To reverse this, victims subject themselves to acts they would not do otherwise to avoid sin, reach salvation, or to meet the expectations of the congregation. When church leaders manipulate ideology for their own selfish satisfaction, they violate their congregant’s spiritual, moral, and physical vulnerabilities.

As stated above, offenders in authoritative positions like priests or teachers are typically repeating abusers. Repeat abusers generally commit certain behaviors that allude to deviant motives. Specifically, regarding the adult sexual assault of minors, Dr. Levy has named a few warning signs that can potentially mitigate further abusive situations when identified. These include solely befriending single moms, children having an “adult friend,” overstepping boundaries (children sitting on laps or being invited out to dinner alone), and becoming an “adopted uncle” of the family. Some of these behaviors may not directly indicate the person is an abuser, but all four certainly pose a concern.

If you or someone you know needs support, call 1-800-656-4673 or visit https://www.rainn.org/resources.

Computer ForensicsDemonstrative EvidenceEvidenceSexual AbuseUncategorized

The Jeffrey Epstein Trial: Expert Witness Commentary on eDiscovery and Forensics

on August 7, 2019

Last week, The Daily Beast reported the Jeffrey Epstein criminal trial will have a million pages of evidence, which will include materials seized from several devices.

A million pages of evidence makes for a great headline. It feels overwhelming! However, after reading the article from The Daily Beast, I began to wonder if a million pages of evidence is a lot or a little? How many files are stored on a standard laptop or cell phone? How will the prosecution and defense identify those files admitted into evidence? These questions, obviously, got me thinking about digital forensics and eDiscovery issues present in the Epstein sex abuse trial.

Now, if you read the blog post from last week, you’re probably wondering if I’m going to constantly write about sex abuse issues. The answer is, no. However, when these topics fill our news and I have the ability to reach out to qualified expert witnesses to provide insights on issues of public import, I’m going to do so.

As of this writing, the Florida Governor has ordered a state criminal probe into the handling of the 2008 Jeffrey Epstein investigation. This new probe was reported by The Miami Herald, yesterday afternoon. Some credit for Epstein’s current predicament, is due to the “Perversion of Justice” exposé series, from Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown. She detailed the 2008 sex trafficking investigation and settlement. The series is worth a read!

Now, back to the million documents of evidence. I’ve been working with digital and ediscovery experts for nearly 10 years. That said, I’m a novice on their areas of expertise. I’m able to issue spot when an attorney needs a particular type of expert. With that said, I posed some foundational questions to one of our members.

Questions & Answers for expert witness C. Matthew Curtin, CISSP:

C. Matthew Curtin, CISSP, founder and CEO of Interhack Corp., is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. An expert in computers and information technology, Mr. Curtin and his team at Interhack help attorneys and executives use data and computer technology in high-stakes situations.

NR: According to The Daily Beast article, the Epstein trial will have more than 1 million pages of evidence, found on multiple devices. How will the prosecution and defense retrieve all of these documents and collate them into usable evidence?

CMC: One million pages of computer evidence is no big deal. Consider that in a typical computer system you’re looking at anywhere from 100,000-500,000 files, including all of the software, operating system, and user data. By the time you get through to the things being used by the prosecution and defense as evidence, the vast majority has been thrown out, but if you’ve got a phone or two, a couple of computers, and a few online services, it’s pretty easy to get into those numbers. Ultimately it depends on how they’re counting, of course: Are these bates numbered pages for presentation, or are they the raw input? If these are the results that are turned into exhibits and so on, that’s pretty big but not huge.

NR: What is the process for identifying the usable documents from those that are unrelated to a litigation?

CMC: Finding relevant documents and conducting a forensic examination are two fundamentally different processes. Finding relevant documents is typically a matter of “indexing” (reading the files for their contents) and then making “queries” of the “index” to return the documents and pages that are responsive to the search. Typically an attorney will then look at the responses and make a decision as to whether something is material. It’s basic data processing: data in, data out for a lawyer to use.

In the case of a forensic examination, the raw data will be subjected to various tests and analysis, ultimately resulting in reports that will be submitted as evidence. For a phone, a complete “extraction report” can easily produce a 5,000 page PDF document, and many get much, much larger. In any case, all of these things will wind up going into some kind of expert report that will outline opinions and findings that might be challenged and should be subjected to scrutiny. This is expert data analysis, where the data processing is performed to be consumed by an expert to form a technical opinion or finding.

NR: How much time would it take a forensics expert to comb through multiple devices to determine which documents are appropriate for discovery and evidentiary purposes?

CMC: Methodology and the size of the source matter for how long it takes. Generally speaking, I tell people to figure that to run through a forensic image of a raw computer hard drive and prepare it for human review, you’re looking at three days if you want to recover deleted files, compute the mathematical “hash” values that allow us to distinguish among files, and so on. A human will then need to go through the results and that can take anywhere from another day to another week or more, depending on what’s found, and how much work needs to be done without automated tools to manage the process. In some cases, no one cares about deleted files. In other cases, they’re critical. The only rule of thumb that applies generally is that the time it takes to do the job is between two and eight times what a lawyer thinks it should take.

NR: Is a million documents a lot of digital documents for a trial? Or is that common when dealing with digital files?

CMC: I addressed this a bit in my first answer, but one million computer files isn’t a big deal.

NR: I’m sure many of my questions are rudimentary, please feel free to provide any additional information you think the public should know about digital forensics and e-discovery in this type of matter…

CMC: Something to add: when conducting forensic examination, we often see a law-enforcement view put forth: Suspect that X happened, so go search for evidence of X. Fail to find X, and you add “tampering” to the list of charges. The reality is, though, that it isn’t sound scientific process to go in search of confirmation of what you think is already happening. Various cognitive biases interplay to create serious problems with the results extracted this way. Far better to construct tests to look for the “null hypotheses,” the things that would disprove what you think is happening. At the very least, alternate theories of the case deserve exploration and there are plenty of cases that would not take the time and money put into them if they were given greater scrutiny.

For example, if someone is suspected of having illegal pornography on a computer—that is, possessing the material, knowing the character of its content—law enforcement will typically reconstruct deleted files, look at thumbnail image databases, and loose files found in caches and elsewhere on the disk managed by the computer operating system rather than the user directly. If they find material that looks like what they thought was there, in many places a prosecutor will go forward with charges. On the other hand, what if someone did get the files and not mean to have them? What other course would there be but to delete the material? If the material has been deleted, why would it be brought up in a prosecution? There are cases where it can be relevant to a legitimate legal question but we’re only in the last few years starting to see some sophistication in consuming these results and moving forward sensibly with discretion informed by understanding.

A huge thanks to C. Matthew Curtin for taking time to provide us with these excellent answers. Please check out his company at http://web.interhack.com/.

Sexual AbuseSports Safety

Olympian Ashley Wagner’s Sexual Assault: Sports Sex Abuse Expert Witness Analysis

on August 2, 2019

Yesterday, Olympian Ashley Wagner came forward with a story of her sexual assault by another figure skater, when she was only 17 years old. We reached out to a sport sexual abuse expert to gain insights.

For many, the Larry Nassar matter was an introduction to the abuse suffered by many of our greatest competitive athletes. In fact, there was a recently released congressional report about the institutional failures relating to Larry Nassar, as reported by CNN.  I, for one, was completely unaware of the potential for abuse in Olympic athletics.

Unlike the Nassar matter, where an Olympic physician was convicted of abusing athletes, Ashley Wagner reported abuse by fellow figure skater, John Coughlin. She was 17 years of age, and Mr. Coughlin (now deceased), was 22 years old at the time of the offense. Ms. Wagner provided a video recording and transcribed statement to USA Today. You can view and read her statement here.

To get a better understanding of the power dynamics and power imbalances described in Ms. Wagner’s statement, I reached out our member Katherine Starr, who is an expert witness in the areas of school and sports-related sexual abuse and harassment. Ms. Starr is also a former Olympian. Please visit her website to learn more about her services and organization Safe4Athletes. Below are my questions and her answers.

NR: Yesterday, Ashley Wagner bravely told a story about a time in which she was sexually assaulted while away at a skating camp. How common are these types of attacks in athletic environments?

KS: Unfortunately, sexual abuse is a very common occurrence in athletics, especially at the elite levels. Training camps and international competition often lack any type of formal education and prevention modalities. The risk of sexual abuse to a minor athlete increases exponentially, as they are now susceptible to sexual abuse from an adult-athlete, program staff members and coaches. There are generally no safeguards in place with minimal resources and structures for an athlete to seek the help and protection they need.

Safe4Athletes did a survey on abuse in sport with a focus on elite athletes, the questions asked were in regard to frequency and duration of abuse, all forms of abuse. We found that abuse was more likely to occur over multi-years and multi-occurrence then a single occurrence of sexual abuse. We also found that over 25 % of the participants in the survey were sexual abused, 80% that responded to having been sexually abused had competed at the international level.

We also found that sexual abuse is common across sport, the level of accomplishment is what makes the athlete vulnerable to being targeted for sexual abuse.

For additional review, a survey can be found on the Safe4Athletes website at www.safe4athletes.org/resources/survey-results.

NR: Ms. Wagner posted a video of her experience and went into great detail. In one part of the video, she discusses the “dynamics of my sport, where uncomfortable power imbalances thrive to this day.” Do sports-related sexual assaults usually involve power imbalances? And, can you expand on these imbalances for our readers?

KS: The power imbalance that Ms. Wagner has shared transpires across all sport and is a direct result of the talent of the athlete. The inherent structure of sport in itself is an imbalance of power. The imbalance of power first becomes exposed when the athlete reaches its “peak age of involvement” in the sport and the imbalance of power continues to widen as the talent reaches the top of its sport.

The power imbalance does not discriminate or change in regard to type of sport, what changes is the peak age of involvement in the sport. For example, gymnastics peak at around 13 and can compete in the Olympics as young as 13 and a typical elite career will last until 20’s. That sport is vulnerable to an abuse of power structure very young were in a sport like cycling the youngest age of Olympic competitor is 18, and last well in to their 30’s. In both instances, athletes are exposed to same abuse of power dynamic.

The imbalance of power and the dynamic develop at all talent levels and environment, often the star of the team is a target abuse. One of the other vulnerable structures is the group of athletes that are good but haven’t reached the great level, they show promise. It is the promise that is always in reach but never obtained.

NR: How can the athletic organizations improve athlete safety?

KS: First and foremost, implement effective policies, which have an external reporting structure.

Athletic departments should not do their own investigations, oversight and training modules. It appears as a conflict of interest. Seek outside help to set up structures that can actually address the power imbalance that is inherent in the system.

Most importantly, the oversight teams of these issues, needs to be educated and trained themselves to be able to understand how the voice of an athlete works.

NR: Often, it seems competitive athletic organizations fail to recognize the dangers. Or, they choose to “sweep it under the rug” when it comes to misbehavior. How should organizations respond to issues of abuse?

KS: As a result of this very issue, all our programs require an “Athlete Welfare Advocate” that is there for the athlete to seek the help they need, when they are ready. If the athlete doesn’t feel comfortable with that option, they always have the choice of speaking with Safe4Athletes directly to obtain the help and resources that they need to respond to the issue.

We customize policies for the sports environment (schools and sports programs), making sure the key ingredients are in place, to allow for an effective program to respond to the inherent abuse of power in the system.

NR: What steps can athletic organizations take to better protect athletes (many of whom are children, as Ashley Wagner was at the time of the incident)?

KS: Invest in athlete safety and protection equally as one would invest in the success of the athlete and the program. Provide the same vigor and fortitude that one puts into the athlete and the program a structure to combat these issues. One cannot have, a truly successful athlete and program without a system to address the inherent dangers that an athlete is susceptible to.

Effective programs understand the needs of “the athlete” coupled with the “level of participation” and are able to adopt and implement those nuances to respond effectively to issues and concerns.

There will be more to come on these matters. For parents with children involved in competitive athletics, please stay informed. Katherine Starr is a great resource!