Female Sexual Predators: Understanding Them to Protect Our Children and Youths by Karen A. Duncan

Author:Karen A. Duncan [Duncan, Karen A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Forensic Psychology, Child Abuse, Social Science, Female sex offenders, Sex crimes, General, Child sexual abuse, Family & Relationships, Child sex offenders, Psychology, Social Work, Criminology, Abuse, Personality
ISBN: 9780313366291
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 2010-07-20T04:00:00+00:00

Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Harassment in Schools • 113

may not be willing to tell and adults may not be willing to question, let alone report, this person. It is important to remember that “asking” someone about

his or her behavior or expressing concern for a student’s safety and well-being is not the same as accusing someone of sexual abuse. Speaking with another

adult about their behavior may also provide the opportunity for that person to consider another way of interacting with students and most importantly,

that having this conversation might give the person a reason to pause and

consider seeking professional help to examine their behavior and beliefs and

stop the potential exploitation or abuse of students and prevent future prob-

lems from occurring. Manipulative and deceptive adults can use their posi-

tion of authority, likability, and access to students in order to commit an array of behaviors that, for the purpose of this discussion, are defi ned as educator sexual misconduct .

A REVIEW OF FINDINGS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF EDUCATION (2004) STUDY ON EDUCATOR SEXUAL

MISCONDUCT IN SCHOOLS

In the comprehensive report issued by the U.S. Department of Education

(2004), educator sexual misconduct is defi ned as “any behavior of a sexual

nature which may constitute professional misconduct” (p. 2). 5 Th erefore,

educator s exual misconduct includes sexual crimes against minors as they are defi ned by state laws and behaviors that are outside established laws

but are considered ethically prohibitive because of the inherent relationship between an adult affi

liated with the school and the student attending the

school. Th

is defi nition of sexual misconduct in schools broadens the scope

of the types of sexual misconduct that adults who have access to students

are known to commit. Th

is broader scope of sexual misconduct in schools

includes off ensive behaviors that may not be specifi cally defi ned in state law because a student has reached the age of legal consent but where the adult

continues to take advantage and exploit the student relationship.

It is also important to remember that labels like pedophile and hebephile are not legal terms; rather, they are clinical terms used in the mental health profession that have no bearing on identifying or reporting educators or other adults who commit the various crimes that constitute child sexual abuse. As clarifi ed in the report by the U.S. Department of Education (2004), the sexual disorders of pedophilia (i.e., a sexual disorder characterized by a sexual preference for prepubescent children) and hebephilia (i.e., a sexual preference for adolescents) limit rather than expand the recognition and reporting of the array of motives and sexual behaviors that correlate with educator sexual misconduct

because “not all sexual contact with children is delivered by a pedophile or

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