Web Sites by Topic 

Exploitation by Educators and Helping Professionals

Schools are a typical place where offenders may target vulnerable and marginal students who are afraid to complain or unlikely to be believed if they complained.  Annually, about 4.5 million students are the victims of sexual misconduct by school staff members (www.seraph.net/school_safe_report.html#intro).  Sexual misconduct is defined as inappropriate physical, verbal, or visual behavior.  In elementary schools, the offender is often one of the people liked most by students and trusted most by parents (www.seraph.net/school_safe_report.html#intro).

Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute focuses on preventing sexual abuse and exploitation by religious leaders and helping professionals through research, education, and healing (www.csbsju.edu/isti).

Stop It Now! stops the perpetration of child sexual abuse by emphasizing adult responsibility.  Programs focus on adults who are concerned about their own inappropriate thoughts or behaviors. It sponsors the first confidential helpline (1-888-PREVENT) offering support and access to resources about preventing child abuse and inappropriate sexual behavior between adults and youth (http://www.stopitnow.com/asit_howwework.html).

CEASE (Clergy and Educator Abuse Survivors Empowered!) suggests 13 options to terminate romantic relationships for youths and clients involved with helping professionals.  Some options include to report the relationship, seek legal recourse, confront, or seek counseling (http://www.advocateweb.org/hope/itsneverok/options.asp).

Advocate Web helps to overcome exploitation by coaches, educators, medical/mental health professionals, clergy, and youth ministers, among others (www.advocateweb.org).

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) helps individuals to heal and focuses on changing the church that allowed the abuse.  It offers self-help, education, and prevention assistance.  It provides a speakers’ bureau, online support, suicide prevention, recommended books, and a special site for female victims (http://www.snapnetwork.org/).