Children with disabilities — why higher-risk ? Why is sexual abuse risk higher for children with a disability ?
The Grooming Process When sexual abuse occurs , the abuser often selects a child who may be manipulated into trusted time alone , then deceived into inappropriate forms of touch . Manipulation and deception are hallmarks of the grooming process utilized by the abuser to gain access to children within an age and gender of preference , select a specific child , introduce nudity and sexual touch , then keep the victim silent . An understanding of the abuser ’ s grooming process is critical in the evaluation of sexual abuse risk and prevention .
Grooming the Gatekeepers Almost without exception , child sexual abuse victims are groomed for sexual interaction , and the gatekeepers — adults who care for the targeted child — are groomed as well . Why groom the gatekeepers ? The perpetrator is looking for trusted time alone with the targeted child , so the abuser works to convince gatekeepers that he or she is helpful , trustworthy and respectable .
Grooming the Child Once the abuser identifies the targeted child , the abuser engages in barrier testing and erosion — through forms of touch , banter , horseplay , playful activities and physical interaction . The abuser manipulates the targeted child into places or circumstances of isolation , where the barriers of appropriate touch or behavior are challenged and pushed . At this point , the abuser introduces forms of nudity and inappropriate touch , all the while communicating that the behavior or interaction must remain secret .
These forms of touch and banter are intended to desensitize the child to touch and move appropriate boundaries , always characterized by manipulation and deception .
Grooming & special needs children The child with a disability is at higher risk for abuse because the disability often makes the child more susceptible to manipulation and deception — particularly when the abuser is ‘ known ’ to the child . As children age and develop , they gain a sense of independence and self-sufficiency — which means fewer individuals are engaged with the child in behaviors that may call for intimate touch , such as bathing , toileting or other forms of hygiene . Depending on the type or severity of a disability , the special needs child may require ongoing forms of assistance involving touch . The barriers to touch do not exist or develop in the same manner , resulting in far greater opportunity for manipulation and deception , leading to inappropriate sexual touch . This is compounded by the fact that a child with a disability is less likely to make an outcry or be believed — given that the abuser has groomed the gatekeepers — convincing other adults and caregivers that the abuser may be touchy and playful but presents no risk of sexually inappropriate behavior . Additionally , the child with a disability is often dependent — and that dependency forces the child to trust others — starting at an early age . The special needs child trusts others to engage in appropriate touch and assumes that all touch from a caregiver is proper . An individual with ill intent can easily take advantage of that assumption . When a disability is more severe , the child may receive care from an organization or agency and may be touched in an intimate manner as a routine element of care and personal hygiene , often provided by care providers the child has never met or does not remember . Again , an abuser can easily take advantage of this circumstance . It can be challenging for a child with a disability to understand that there are those who should and should not touch them — or should not touch them in a certain manner or area of the body . This confusion may be compounded by the fact that children with disabilities are often encouraged or expected to follow the direction of those without disabilities : family members and caregivers . By its very nature , the disability may foster an atmosphere ripe for exploitation .
TRAINING RESOURCES AVAILABLE Ministries must be equipped with good instruction for all childserving programs ; this is particularly true when serving children or adults with disabilities .
MinistrySafe training In addition to industry-leading training resources , MinistrySafe offers specialty supplements related to Children ’ s Ministry , Youth Ministry , Camp Programming , Day Care , Education and Youth Sport ; and now a specialty training supplement for Special Needs .
Sexual Abuse Awareness Training includes these topics :
• Facts vs . Misconceptions
• Abuser Characteristics
• The Abuser ’ s Grooming Process
• Common Grooming Behaviors
• Peer-to-Peer Sexual Abuse
• Impact of Abuse on a Child
• Reporting Requirements
The Special Needs supplement adds additional content :
• The Heightened Risk of Sexual Abuse
• The Abuser ’ s Grooming Process in Special Needs Contexts
• Signs of Sexual Abuse
• Challenges to Communicating an Outcry
• Overcoming Barriers to Reporting
Joni & Friends Whether a church is initiating a Special Needs Ministry or has a program underway , good instruction is critical . MinistrySafe resources address sexual abuse awareness and prevention ; Joni & Friends provides a wide variety of educational and training resources for churches providing ministry opportunities for children and adults with disabilities . Learn more about Joni & Friends at JoniandFriends . org and the comprehensive resources and training available at Courses . JoniandFriends . org .
SUMMARY Special Needs Ministries offer tremendous opportunity to enrich the lives of children , while providing respite for a stretched-thin parent . Those who serve special needs children report a fulfillment that far surpasses the investment of time and resources expended . At the same time , Special Needs Ministries must take intentional steps to ensure that all participants are safe and well-supervised , rather than offering an ‘ easy in ’ for applicants with the wrong motive . Churches committed to serving these families must be intentional when establishing and growing a Special Needs Ministry : Staffing the program , Screening applicants , Training staff members and volunteers , and creating Policies & Procedures consistent with effective training . When the Church does so with excellence , special needs children and their families are well-served .
Kimberlee Norris and Gregory Love are partners in the Fort Worth , Texas law firm of Love & Norris [ www . LoveNorris . com ] and founders of MinistrySafe [ www . MinistrySafe . com ], providing child sexual abuse expertise to ministries worldwide . After representing victims of child sexual abuse for more than two decades , Love and Norris saw recurring , predictable patterns in predatory behavior . MinistrySafe grew out of their desire to place proactive tools into the hands of ministry professionals . Love and Norris teach the only graduate-level course on ‘ Preventing Sexual Abuse in Ministry Contexts ’ as Visiting Faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary .
84 CHURCH EXECUTIVE • STOP CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE churchexecutive . com