WAG Disturbing article (IndyStar Article on USA Gymnastics Enabling Sexual Abuse)

[txgymfan]

And be very careful not to spread false rumors and accusations.

 

[raenndrops]

So here's the thing, in order to file a police report, you need first-hand accounts. If I walked into the police station and said "I'm a gymnastics coach and I think maybe another coach is touching the gymnasts" the police won't be able to do much. If they are able to start an investigation, people involved would need to testify and that could potentially put other coaches jobs at risk, and other gymnasts at risk. I think that is why some of these incidences were not reported to the police. Reporting it anonymously to USAG allows other avenues to be taken.

1. There are child abuse hotlines that the suspicions can be reported to. The Children's Services Agency will take it from there... They will decide when to involve the police.
2. The reports to USAG are not always anonymous... Or else they would not have been able to reply to the reporters. In this age of technology, I could see reports being emailed (as some have been).

 

[Natasha]

The person who suspects the abuse needs to report to CPS or police. How exactly are authorities supposed to investigate if it is only reported to USAG and then USAG reports it? The same people that made the original complaint to USAG would need to be interviewed by authorities, you are simply adding a step....It's not like the police are going to be able to go interview the accused person and they are going to just admit it.... As part of my job I have to regularly report suspicions of abuse and the authorities much prefer to hear it directly rather than from a 3rd party (i.e. student tells a teacher, that teacher reports it not another school official who the teacher then tells.) USAG needs to directly advise anyone who makes a report to them to also make a report to their own local authorities.

 

[rjb123]

This whole situation makes me so sick and sad. However I am grateful that this article was in the paper as it sparked a conversation with my 10 year old DD about abuse, etc. We have discussed safety and good touch/ bad touch with her over the years, but it is always good to keep the topic open IMO. Plus it brought up the topic of HOW these abusers work- we talked about "grooming" etc. Knowledge is power. That said, I really have full trust and confidence in her coaches and especially her HC in this area. They have demonstrated over the years a level of transparency and concern for the physical safety of the girls that I have found impressive (and I don't give my trust easily!). I trust but validate frequently. Reading this article made me even more appreciative of her HC and other coaches.

 

[raenndrops]

So here's the thing, in order to file a police report, you need first-hand accounts. If I walked into the police station and said "I'm a gymnastics coach and I think maybe another coach is touching the gymnasts" the police won't be able to do much. If they are able to start an investigation, people involved would need to testify and that could potentially put other coaches jobs at risk, and other gymnasts at risk. I think that is why some of these incidences were not reported to the police. Reporting it anonymously to USAG allows other avenues to be taken.

1. There are child abuse hotlines that the suspicions can be reported to. The Children's Services Agency will take it from there... They will decide when to involve the police.
2. The reports to USAG are not always anonymous... Or else they would not have been able to reply to the reporters. In this age of technology, I could see reports being emailed (as some have been).

 

[Tumbellina82]

Do you think this has any connection to the situation of gymnastics coaches in the USA not requiring formal qualification? Not that formal qualifications will prevent abuse but that child protection should be part of any coaching course. That means learning what procedures to follow if you suspect abuse and also learning about avoiding potentially inappropriate behaviour with gymnasts in your care. I think that actually removes some ambiguity because then if a coach is known to be acting in a way that is inappropriate but not illegal it is still a clear breach of their training and so that can be recorded, they can be warned. If there are repeated instances or it is particularly inappropriate they can have their coaching credentials revoked, without their having to be sufficient evidence for criminal prosecution, or even investigations. It is enough that it is breach of professional standards.

 

[bogwoppit]

I removed a few posts as needed. If you need admin help in future please message me as the system did not notify me that I had been tagged and I only stumbled across the posts by accident.

 

[Natasha]

Do you think this has any connection to the situation of gymnastics coaches in the USA not requiring formal qualification? Not that formal qualifications will prevent abuse but that child protection should be part of any coaching course. That means learning what procedures to follow if you suspect abuse and also learning about avoiding potentially inappropriate behaviour with gymnasts in your care. I think that actually removes some ambiguity because then if a coach is known to be acting in a way that is inappropriate but not illegal it is still a clear breach of their training and so that can be recorded, they can be warned. If there are repeated instances or it is particularly inappropriate they can have their coaching credentials revoked, without their having to be sufficient evidence for criminal prosecution, or even investigations. It is enough that it is breach of professional standards.

Coaches do have to go through USAG's instructor course to be allowed to coach at any USAG event. It does include a substantial section on child abuse, warning signs, grooming process, what to do, etc. However, the specific laws of who is required to report and who you report to vary based on what state you live in.

 

[flipnastic]

I think the whole back and forth above illustrates pretty clearly why things stay silent. Even a triple anonymous comment (I don't know the person who made it here, the alleged perpetrator of abuse, or the people having suffered the abuse) on here gets people up in arms. Imagine having a pretty good idea that someone you work with needs to be called out- not proof but a pretty good idea. It puts you in a rough position.

When we lived in NY I was a mandatory reporter as a probation officer. I came to have solid knowledge through my life on base that a child was being physically abused. I jumped through numerous hoops to report it (child lived in a different city), and it was never even investigated. On top of that, I had a private conversation where my boss asked why in the world I didn't report anonymously and move on. I got pulled into a whole mess and nothing changed at all.

As a healthcare worker who goes into children's homes, I have reported cases of abuse and neglect as well...in most cases, Cps says "no intervention is needed." In one case...ONE out of many, classes were offered to the parent. These were all cases where there was a definite need for intervention that I saw first hand, but it's evidentially really difficult for Cps to form a case in one visit...multiple reports need to be made, and solid proof must be found. One thing I've learned over the years as sister of many foster/adopted children and a home health worker, is that often, the "guilty" are masterminds of beating the system. It's a hard job for those who are investigating to figure out the guilty vs innocent. It's sick and sad, but It is very hard to get a full blown investigation going without multiple reports and hard proof.

 

[txgymfan]

The victims that I know were caught when the father snuck a camera in his own house to catch his wife. He still had to pay enormous lawyer bills and while she did not get custody, she was not required to get help. She will have unsupervised visitation within three years. I want her to fall off a high bridge.

 

[gymyogimom]

As someone who was molested as a kid (not in sports), I see this as the exact reason why we will not be part of a gym where parents cannot see the entire gym. My daughter wants to go where some school friends do gym, but the gym doesn't allow team families to watch the entire practice, just the last 10 minutes. I get CGM issues, but I also know things can be hidden, especially with small groups and privates. Nope, no thank you!