For more than a century, Maine has been America’s summertime “vacationland.” Families across the country and around the world send their children to the Pine Tree State to participate in outdoor youth programming. Often, these experiences form positive, core memories for young campers and serve as a foundation for ensuring the next generation of outdoorspeople.
In order for the community to feel good about the opportunity to send children to summer camp, summer camps must never allow their campers to be abused. Child sex abuse prevention should be prioritized like fire safety, safe swimming, and other well-known camping risks.
Since 1910, the summer camp industry has issued safe camping recommendations. These largely purpose-driven policies emanated in response to patterns of documented injury and abuse starting in the early stages of American “boys camps”, including the Boy Scouts.
To ensure that children can enjoy camping in a safe environment, it is critical that our community is informed about potential risks and warning signs of child sex abuse. Regrettably, the subject of child sex abuse is often ‘taboo,’ despite the grave threat it poses in all of our communities.
By taking a few simple steps to protect children, families can remain assured and appropriately vigilant without detracting from the magic of the summertime camp experience.
Risk Factors
Child sex abuse can happen anywhere. It doesn’t discriminate on the basis of wealth, social status, gender, or sexual orientation.
Any time a child is in a situation in which another person—often an adult or older child—has power, authority, influence, or control over them, there is an opportunity and risk for abuse.
Often, perpetrators of child sex abuse exploit a child’s vulnerabilities (e.g. naivety, disability, hardships, etc.) as a means of grooming. After gaining a child’s trust, perpetrators often physically isolate the child as a final precursor to abuse. This is why it is critically important that no child ever be allowed, under any circumstances, to be alone with an adult while at camp. No exceptions.
To prevent child sex abuse, parents and guardians should be aware of ‘red flags’ that something deserves closer attention. Common examples of ‘red flag’ behavior include:
- Sudden, uncharacteristic changes in a child’s behavior (i.e. they may become withdrawn, hyperactive, aggressive, tearful, etc.);
- Sudden changes in speech and vocabulary involving age-inappropriate sexual knowledge a child would not otherwise understand (e.g. using sexualized terminology or describing sexual activity of which a child would normally have no knowledge or experience);
- Unexplained behavioral changes, such as attempting to initiate inappropriate sexual contact with other children, adults, or family;
- Substance misuse (sadly, even young children can turn to drugs and alcohol as a trauma response, when accessible); or
- Changes in their physical health (e.g. reports of pain, new/unexplained bruising, presence of blood/foreign substances in/on the child’s clothing, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, weight loss/gain, etc.).
Similarly, some of the hallmarks of inappropriate behavior on the part of others that should give pause include:
- The person pays special attention to the child;
- The person is or is seeking to spend time alone with the child;
- The person has given gifts to the child without parental consent;
- The person has told the child that only they can protect/look out for the child, or the child has expressed this belief;
- The person frames himself as a child, engaging in age-inappropriate behavior in which he treats the child as a peer;
- The person resists attempts to maintain close, real-time contact with the child (e.g. disallowing texts to parents, etc.).
Safety Toolkit
Of course, no one ‘red flag’ is absolute proof of child sex abuse. Even still, the following simple steps may drastically reduce the risk of child sex abuse and keep our communities safe:
- Card the camp. ACA accreditation assures that the camp has adopted and follows basic abuse prevention policies. It is important to know whether the camp has been accredited, and by whom. In the world of camping, accreditation by the American Camping Association has been the gold standard since 1910. Be wary of camps that are not ACA-accredited.
- Audit the camp. Camp staff should be prepared to share what their mandatory minimum ratios are for staff/campers. The answer should NEVER be 1:1 under any circumstance. Staff should be able to explain how a camp ensures compliance with these ratios, and how children are monitored in a shared responsibility system with multiple different observers.
- Be blunt. Camps should be able to provide a list of the adults who will have physical access to children while at camp, and under what circumstances. Staff must undergo routine background checks and abuse prevention training. Camps need to be transparent and share any reports of child sex abuse occurring on their campus, and what actions were taken to investigate/remediate.
- Open, plain-language conversations with children. Children attending summer camp should be taught that it is inappropriate for another person who is not a parent to touch or hug them. Young campers need to understand the differences between “good touch” (e.g. tag, high-fives, etc.) with “bad touch” (e.g. nonconsensual contact with the child’s body, both over and beneath clothing).
- Children are far less likely to be forthcoming about difficult experiences if they fear a negative reaction. Young campers need reassurance that trusted adults will never get angry or disappointed at them for telling the truth. Children are more likely to report abuse when they believe that trusted adults support them and believe them, no matter what. Children should be taught that parents/guardians are the sole authority as to whether they get ‘in trouble,’ and reassured that they won’t be punished for reporting abuse. Children need to be told that, in fact, speaking up is the right thing to do.
- Make a rule. Children can keep track of and abide by simple rules. They should be advised not to, under any circumstances, willingly go with or follow anyone alone without another adult present. Most summer camps and youth organizations observe this practice by default. The important thing, though, is for children to understand that one-on-one situations must be avoided.
- Make a plan. Children need to be equipped with an understanding of “what to do” if they are isolated by an adult. One method for preparedness is sharing vocabulary and knowledge that the child may recall in response to a potential emergency. Phrases like “no, I do not want to go alone with you,” or “I have to ask my Mom/Dad first. They ask and make me tell them about everything that happens at camp. They told me I can never be alone with anyone,” can relieve a child of the burden of being unable to respond in real-time. A simple phrase such as “I’m going to have to tell my Mom/Dad about this” could be enough to stop a predator cold in their tracks.
- Inoculate, but don’t intimidate. It’s important that young campers be suspicious of adults who seek to isolate them. While children should not be made to fear of every person’s intentions, it is important to teach that some behaviors—like trying to be alone with the child—are not normal and should be reported.
- Gear up. Parents and guardians may take advantage of technological advancements such as child-parent tracking and communication apps/devices, and personal security whistles when sending their children to summer camp. Parents are encouraged to show their child how to use these tools and make a point to inform the camp that your child will have ongoing, unrestricted access to them while at camp. Of course, all devices must be charged prior to use.
- Trust your gut. If something does not feel right, it probably isn’t. We should never push away or disregard suspicions that a child is/has been groomed or sexually abused. It is always, always best to address child sex abuse with appropriate law enforcement, advocates, and medically credentialed professionals as soon as possible. Unresolved and unaddressed childhood trauma has permanent and devastating impacts on a survivor’s life expectancy and quality of life.
Ultimately, being prepared to send children away to summer camp is about far more than bug spray, sunscreen, and favorite snacks. By taking the time to share information and discuss these boundaries, our communities can decrease the risk of child sex abuse.
Berman & Simmons stands at the ready as a trauma-informed partner and advocate to help families and survivors get justice when a child has been sexually abused. No other law firm in Maine has the trauma-informed resources and experience to match Berman & Simmons in holding perpetrators accountable.