Dismantling Stereotypes about Child Sex Abuse: a Q&A

The Star-Ledger
October 26, 2012

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2012/10/dismantling_stereotypes_about.html

Margaret Smith, a member of the research team at John Jay College of Criminal Justice that studied child abuse.

The Boy Scouts of America called it the “Perversion Files” — documentation of sex abuse allegations in the Scouts, culled from police and newspaper reports over 25 years, including statements from boys who were victimized. Police were rarely notified, and some of the abusers simply moved on to other troops, to prey on other youths.

The 1,200 files were released by court order after news organizations requested access to the files. Similarities to the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal that unspooled over the past 10 years are unmistakable.

What are we learning about these crimes against children and the adults who commit them? The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned two reports over the past decade, the latest one delivered last year by a research team at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Their findings demolish many closely held stereotypes, especially the one that equates homosexuality with child abuse.

Editorial writer Linda Ocasio spoke with Margaret Smith, a member of the research team, about its findings.

Q. The Boy Scouts and Catholic Church both ban gays from membership. Yet they are the two organizations hardest hit by sex abuse scandals involving gay men and boys. Why is that?

A. It’s really a mistake to perceive this as a problem of homosexual men and adolescents. First of all, there is no reason to think that homosexuals are any more likely to abuse a child than heterosexuals.

In general, the typical man who abuses a boy is a married heterosexual. This finding is common to many social science studies and is endorsed by those who treat abusers. We found in our research that 80 percent of the priests who abused boys also had sexual relationships with adults.

Q. You make a distinction that not all abusers are pedophiles or even predators.

A. A pedophile is an individual who has persistent sexual fantasies and behavior with children before the age of puberty. These individuals are typically sexually aroused by children of either gender. A very small number of men who abuse youth qualify as pedophiles.

Adolescents are the high-risk group for sexual abuse. They’re learning about their sexuality and may not be able to recognize an overture to abuse from a trusted adult and put a stop to it.

Q. How do predators figure into this?

A. Jerry Sandusky was a predator. He had a lifelong history of initiating sexual behavior with adolescent boys and maintaining it for as long as possible. The number of predators is a small fraction in the overall pool of abusers, but they are responsible for a significant fraction of victims.

Q. So beyond the pedophile and predator, who’s out there?

A. Every organization where adults work closely with youth runs the risk that a positive relationship can turn in a harmful direction, as an adult who finds he or she is attracted to the youth doesn’t behave ethically.

The internet has introduced some people to pornography who never would have encountered it. They find images of child pornography in otherwise adult sites and discover they are aroused by it.

We’re engaged in a study now to understand the circumstances that allow the transition from a healthy to an unhealthy relationship. We’re paying close attention to the social life of the adult. Is he always with young people, has he no other social life? It’s not an acceptable adult response to get emotionally attached to a youth with whom you have a coaching or mentoring relationship.

Q. Are women less likely to be abusive? We haven’t heard any reports of abuse in the Girl Scouts.

A. The reason we know about boys is because of the reporting or records released by these organizations. Now, all major sports organizations and other youth-serving organizations are paying close attention to abuse allegations.

It doesn’t mean there is no abuse in the Girl Scouts; it means there has been no reporting of abuse. The number of boys who reported an unwanted sexual approach from an adult 20 years ago was low, but is rising now, as 20 to 25 percent of boys report such experiences. About a third of women report an unwanted sexual approach by an adult before the age of 18.

Q. Is there a profile of an abuser, with common traits that would indicate how we can prevent the abuse?

A. In our research, we could find very little that could distinguish those who would abuse from those who would not. Until the first incident of abuse, this behavior can’t be predicted with any given instrument or personality test we have now.

Q. Do abusers join the church or the Scouts for opportunity, like arsonists joining the fire department?

A. We did not find that men approached the priesthood with that goal. They do not go through 10 years of education in college and seminary to abuse children. With the Boy Scouts, or other youth organizations, all you need to do is volunteer. So these groups are more likely to attract opportunist adults.

Q. Is the church somehow a refuge for gay men who have sexual dysfunction?

A. We don’t find any basis for that belief.

Q. Are priests or Scout leaders more likely to be gay?

A. Is Jerry Sandusky gay? That’s my answer to that. In other words, this whole line of questioning that is based on the idea that people are homosexual or heterosexual and set that way for life is not borne out by our research. It’s not clear that any research supports that contention, although it’s clear that some people have a strong interest in simplifying sexuality.

It is easier to blame homosexuality instead of acknowledging that adults can be attracted to or develop intimacy in a variety of ways with a variety of people. Protecting youth from unwanted sexual intrusion means that we must be realistic about adult sexual behavior.