The Wrong Way to Keep Kids Safe From Predators

My heart is racing as he kisses my cheek. “Bye, Mom,” he says. Then he grabs his backpack and walks away. I want to snatch him back. I’ll settle for puking instead.

It’s the summer of 2015, and my baby is going off to camp. It’s 3,000 miles away. It’s his first time flying on a plane by himself. When he gets to the other side, a stranger will pick him up and drive him to the Poconos. To a cabin I’ve never seen. To sleep in some foreign, far-off bed.

Although he’s only 9, my boy fears none of this. On the contrary, he’s excited about the adventure. My son is unusually independent, which doesn’t surprise me.

I raised him to be like that.

Experts Explain: How to Talk to Your Kids About Sexual Assault in Sports

Experts are speaking out on the importance of safety in sports in light of the recent alleged sexual abuse scandal involving USA Gymnastics, former national team doctor Larry Nassar and Michigan State University.

Dozens of alleged victims are currently pursuing lawsuits against USAG, MSU and Nassar — all claiming similar stories of abuse and neglect including allegations that Nassar inserted his fingers into their vaginas and rectums without gloves as part of what he claims was a legitimate medical treatment. (Nassar has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.)

Nancy Hogshead-Makar of Champion Women, an advocacy group for female athletes, says open dialogue between a parent and child is key to preventing this type of sexual abuse. This is especially true in athletics — where the bond between coach (or doctor, trainer, mentor) and athlete are “much different” from that of a teacher-student relationship. 

How to stamps out institutional sexual abuse

The latest sex abuse scandal in the headlines paints USA Gymnastics in as bad a light as you can imagine. Indeed, it is so bad the successful president of the organization, Steven Penny had to resign.

This scandal, amidst a series of other sports scandals, has pushed the U.S. Olympic Committee to create a new board to investigate claims of sex abuse, SafeSport, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, with bipartisan support, to introduce the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act.

Talking to your young athletes about sex abuse

This week, former U.S. gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar, who has been accused of sexual assault by more than 150 women and girls, faces at least an additional 25 years in prison after pleading guilty in November to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was also sentenced in December to 60 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

The Nassar case has been horrifying to watch, and is just the most recent example of a predator who was allowed access to kids for far too long. Kimberlee Norris, an attorney who specializes in these cases, said sexual abuse of youth by adults other than their parents is frighteningly prevalent.

Senators Introduce Bill Requiring U.S. Amateur Athletic Organizations, Members to Report Sexual Abuse

Washington—Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) today introduced legislation to require amateur athletics governing bodies to immediately report sex-abuse allegations to local or federal law enforcement, or a child-welfare agency designated by the Justice Department.

The bill stems from recent allegations of sexual abuse made against personnel involved with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Taekwondo.

The bill would also amend the Ted Stevens Amateur and Olympic Sports Act, which governs amateur athletics governing bodies, to make it safe and easy for victims to report abuse and mandate oversight of member gymnasiums to ensure strong sexual-abuse prevention policies are implemented. For example, USA Gymnastics would implement and enforce policies to ensure coaches and personnel are trained in sexual abuse prevention.

Senator seeks tougher law after USA Gymnastics' handling of sex abuse cases

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Friday that she will introduce legislation that would require Olympic national governing bodies to immediately report sexual abuse allegations to authorities.

Feinstein, D-California, said the legislation is in response to USA Gymnastics' handling of such allegations.

"News reports, civil and criminal cases, as well as discussions I’ve had with sex abuse victims, appear to reveal systemic problems within USA Gymnastics that have allowed allegations of sexual abuse to go unreported," Feinstein said in a statement Friday. "I met with some of the victims and it was one of the most powerful, emotional meetings I’ve had during my 24 years in the Senate. The abuse these women suffered will stay with them the rest of their lives."

Lawsuit against banned Huntington Beach gymnastics coach Don Peters, doctor Larry Nassar alleges sexual abuse

The suit by the former U.S. national team member also alleges that SCATS for more than a decade used its global reputation as a launch pad for Olympic and World Championship gymnasts to recruit underage gymnasts and place them in vulnerable situations that led to their sexual abuse at the hands of Peters and USA Gymnastics women’s national team physician Dr. Larry Nassar.

The gymnast said Nassar sexually abused her multiple times during U.S. national team trips and training camps. Nassar used “the guise of care, athletic training, osteopathy, and kinesiology to normalize intimate, inappropriate, and sexually abusive contact.”

The suit also charges USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body; Bela and Martha Karolyi, both coaches of Olympic gold medal-winning teams; and the last three USA Gymnastic presidents created environments that enabled Nassar to sexually abuse numerous under-aged female gymnasts.

National Champion Missy Erickson Speaks Out About Her Sexual Abuse

Missy Erickson says that as a junior racer she endured three years of sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse from a man connected to her cycling club. Now 26, the multi-time national track champion hopes that her story will increase awareness of the issue and help young athletes in similar situations recognize signs of abuse

Sex, Lies, and Leadership

In the United Kingdom, the last month has brought harrowing reports about child abuse in youth soccer teams, where promising young athletes attempt to play their way to the professional level. At last count, 98 amateur and professional clubs in the UK were implicated in some way.

While the public has been shocked by the revelations, the affected clubs’ leaders may not have been – at least not in every case. After all, many clubs had previously heard allegations of sexual abuse of young players, but had chosen to ignore them or cover them up, at times even doling out hush money to the victims – all for the sake of protecting their own reputations.

Silence in Graham James scandal deafening after soccer, gymnastics sex-abuse revelations

It has been the most enduring — and troubling — question in the sickening saga of Graham James right from the beginning: did hockey’s most notorious pedophile really act alone?

No accomplices? No enablers? No one covering up for him? No other hockey coachesjust like him sexually abusing the young players in their charges?

No one else? Really?

That’s the narrative Canadian hockey authorities would certainly like all of us to believe: "move along, folks... nothing more to see here. And, don't forget to stop by the box office on your way out."

But it’s also almost certainly nonsense, as we were all reminded once again this week with new and spiralling abuse scandals from the worlds of soccer and gymnastics strongly suggesting that if James was truly a lone wolf, both he and the institution (religion?) of Canadian hockey are unique in the world of sport.