Thanks to brave survivors opening up and the intrepid investigative reporting by the Boston Globe in the early 2000s, sexual abuse scandals by priests have been a terrifying cover up that has finally seen the light of day. As investigators of priest abuse ourselves, we understand how high ranking members of community religious organizations can take advantage of their position to harm others. Nobody is above the law when it comes down to sexual assault and abuse.
What is the Grooming Process
As someone that is skilled in investigating sexual abuse cases, a priest abuse lawyer can point to many specific pieces of evidence that would support a sexual assault or predatory sexual behavior claim. One piece of evidence is the grooming process prior to any kind of abuse actually taking place. During this process, a leader or someone in position of authority gives a lot of special attention to the future potential victim. This might include treating them better than other members of the organization and bonding the victim to the abuser. Once this bond has been formed, it becomes especially hard for the victim to peel away from the abuser and confide in friends and family.
What the Grooming Process Looks Like
Grooming is a long term process of building trust and camaraderie with the group and the group the victim is in. Essentially, this results in lowering the victim’s inhibitions when the actual abuse begins to occur. Some methods abusers can use include:
- Alcohol, Cigarettes, and Drugs
Despite the obvious use of alcohol that can lower a victim’s inhibitions, the use of cigarettes and other drugs is very impressionable upon teenagers and children under eighteen that feel as if they are finally being treated with respect as an adult.
- Overnight Stays and Trips
The use of drugs and alcohol can be instrumental during overnight trips that end up bonding abusers and victims even more than just meeting at the church. However, on some of these trips, drugs don’t have to be involved. For example, some abusers have been known to commit crimes while in private condominiums or after taking the victim on a fishing excursion.
- Establishing a Relationship with Parents
Developing positive relationships with parents is another method in how grooming can occur. This can come in the form of accompanying parents to social events or helping them out financially.
- Gifting
Some abusers use the tact of gifting their victims as ways of luring them in and lowering their guard when the actual abuse begins to take place.
If you feel that this has happened to you, reach out to a priest abuse lawyer today.
