Santa Clara Sexual Abuse and Assault Attorneys

What is institutional sexual abuse in Santa Clara?

Many incidents of sexual assault and abuse occur between individuals who know each other. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center states that 51.1% of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance. Institutionalized sexual abuse refers to a pattern of behaviors within an institution that enables these types of predatory and abusive behaviors.

Institutional sexual abuse also works within power dynamics, as many perpetrators use their positions of authority within these institutions to commit these acts of violence. For example:

• An employer who offers an employee preferential treatment for sexual favors, or an employer who pressures a subordinate into sexual situations.
• Teachers and educators who groom students for sexual encounters.
• Parents or guardians who sexually abuse their own children or place them into sexually dangerous situations.
• Coaches who groom and sexually assault their athletes, like the case of Larry Nassar.
• Youth organization leaders and members who sexually abuse children
• Priests and other religious figures who sexually assault or abuse children in their supervision.

These types of situations are particularly dangerous, as they involve threats and exploitative behavior from authority figures that lead to long-lasting emotional and psychological damage, whether the victim is a child or adult. It’s even more important the perpetrator is brought to justice – when they abuse their authority, they must face professional penalties as well as criminal and civil. You may also be able to bring a third-party liability case against the institution if their negligence led to your assault.

Common warning signs of sexual assault

Everyone should be able to recognize the signs of sexual assault and abuse, especially among your loved ones and children. Often, a sudden or striking change in behavior, or mysterious injuries or medical problems could indicate a person may have experienced a sexual assault but isn’t comfortable or ready to talk about it. Remember, often sexual abusers use threats and coercion to prevent their victims from speaking out, and they may feel trapped.

Equally important is to know how to protect both yourself and your loved ones from potentially becoming a target for abuse or assault. Following are some important things to keep in mind, as well as things to look out for regarding other people’s safety.

• Often, individuals who plan to commit sexual assault and abuse attempt to make their victims feel safe and secure before the assault, or use flattery and gifts to get the victim to lower their guard.
• Other people may use alcohol or drugs to lower their victims’ resistance to their assault. When someone seems focused on getting another person drunk or otherwise impaired, they may be intending to do that person harm.
• Another strategy perpetrators often attempt is to isolate potential victims, for either immediate assaults or long-term abusive relationships. This could mean a sexual assaulter luring a child away from a party to commit an act of sexual abuse, or an abuser slowly removing their victim’s support system over time.
• Sexual offenders also rely on emotional manipulation and confusion in an attempt to make their victims feel responsible for the assault. They may try to influence the victim to believe the abuse was a consensual act.