Institutional Sexual Abuse
Institutional or organisational sexual abuse is abuse which usually takes place outside of the home, typically in an institution designed to make people feel safe.
What is institutional sexual abuse?
Institutional abuse is one of the ten types of abuse that are listed in The Care and Support Statutory Guidance. Institutional or organisational abuse is often an imbalance of power, which can lead to neglect and poor care practices. Those who are typically victim to institutional abuse usually fall into one of four categories, they are:
- Children
- Adults with learning difficulties
- Adults with mental health issues
- Older people
Places where institutional sexual abuse might occur
There are a number of different places that this type of sexual abuse might occur, it is usually in an organisation that is controlled by someone who is not in the family of the victim.
Some places where institutional sexual abuse might occur, but are not limited to, include:
- Care Homes
- Hospitals
- Within NHS care
- Schools
- Prisons
- Churches and other religious establishments
- Foster homes
- Group homes
- The Scouts, Brownies and Cadets
- Out of school activities such as a youth club
- Swimming clubs
- Sports clubs
Examples of institutional sexual abuse
It can be more difficult to pinpoint institutional sexual abuse because vulnerable children or adults may not be able to communicate what is happening, or they may not know that it is wrong. This includes instances where children or adults are sexually abused by caregiver or other members of staff at the institution who abuse their positions of power.
Signs Institutional Abuse might be happening
There might be indications within the individual setting that indicate that organisational sexual abuse is occurring, even if you can’t see it physically on a person.
- Overcrowded environments
- A withdrawal from family, friends or community
- Lack of privacy or dignity for a person as an individual
- Unhygienic environments
- The treatment of adults like children
- Discouragement of visits to outside people
- Limited staff
- Poor record keeping
- Organisations that don’t allow for involvement of family and friends
Why does institutional sexual abuse occur?
Unfortunately there isn’t just one particular reason why institutional sexual abuse can occur, it typically happens in organisations where the staff are:
- Insufficiently supervised
- Inadequately trained
- Unsupported by their management
- Poor at conveying information
Institutional sexual abuse can be carried out by just one abuser or a group, depending on circumstances and situations. What’s more, it can span years and sometimes decades as it has been ignored, covered up and sometimes just plainly overlooked as a way of maintaining the reputation of the said organisation.
How you can help stop institutional sexual abuse?
Institutions will typically have complaint systems in place which makes it a little easier for you to report any type of abuse to the correct person.
It’s also important that you report any abuse to the police, this doesn’t matter whether it occurred five weeks ago or give years ago. Police forces are highly trained in these areas and there are specially trained officers who can deal with allegations of sexual abuse.