Why do religious institutions fail to prevent sexual abuse?

Risk reporter asked Dr. Anna Salter that very question as well as others. Dr. Salter received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University and obtained a master’s degree in child study from Tufts University. Before moving to Madison, Wis., in the fall of 1996, she was in private practice in Lebanon, N.H., and on the adjunct faculty of Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Salter isthe author of two academic books: “Treating Child Sex Offenders and Victims: A Practical Guide” and “Transforming Trauma: A Guide to Understanding and Treating Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse.” In addition, she has produced two educational videotapes: “Truth, Lies and Sex Offenders” and “Sadistic ffenders: How They Think, What They Do.” She has also published four forensic mysteries. She is currently working on a nonfiction book called “Predators” about who sex offenders are, how they operate and how they fool people. Dr. Salter has conducted training in 43 states and eight countries, and was the winner of the 1997 Significant Achievement Award from the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

risk reporter: Do religious institutions pose a greater opportunity for sexual offenders?

Dr. Anna Salter: Yes, they do, for some very fundamental reasons surrounding faith, as well as some other reasons more indicative of society in general. First, religious institutions are built upon a belief that people are fundamentally good and there to help others. People are compelled by faith to believe that clergy, staff and volunteers at a religious institution are there to help in response to some sort of higher calling. As one of the offenders I interviewed said, “I consider church people easy to fool…they have a trust that comes from being Christians.” Second, as a society we tend to believe one of two things when it comes to sexual offenses: it won’t happen to me or anyone close to me, or as I constantly hear, “I can tell if someone is a sex offender.”

rr: With your years of training, are you able to spot a sexual offender?

Dr. Salter: I’ve been doing this for more than 20 years, and I can no more identify a sexual offender than an untrained person. Sexual offenders, particularly child molesters, do so for a variety of reasons and rarely leave telltale signs in their public behavior. We want to believe that child molesters look different on the outside and that we can detect such differences when, in truth, we see them as loyal friends, good employees and responsible community members.

rr: What makes child molesters so successful in going undetected?

Dr. Salter: Deception. They are master deceivers, both in deceiving themselves and others. I have found that there are two characteristics of sex offenders:

• It is in their best interest to lie.
• It is something they can lie about and not get caught.

Sexual offenders look for opportunities in which they can minimize the risk of getting caught, and part of doing so is to create an environment in which they are liked, trusted and accepted without question. This is why religious institutions are particularly vulnerable.

rr: How do sexual offenders go about deceiving in an effort to reduce their risk of being caught?

Dr. Salter: Quite successfully, according to a 1990 study in which it is estimated that only 3 percent of sexual offenders ever get caught. We don’t give sexual offenders enough credit, but they are much better at it than we assume. For example, whether it be preying on children of single parents, assuming roles of authority with direct unsupervised contact with children, or targeting children with low self-esteem, the deceiver knows he/she must be careful to construct a scenario conducive to their exploits.This is part of what makes detection very difficult — you can’t predict private behavior based on public behavior. People often cite “niceness” as the reason why they trust an individual. Author Gavin DeBecker said, “Niceness is a decision — a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait.”

rr: Why don’t more victims come forward?

Dr. Salter: This is a very difficult question. In the case of child molestation, often the victim feels as if he/she has done something wrong or won’t be believed when compared to a respected adult. In other situations there are direct threats that force silence, and often the child is just confused by conflicting emotions and chooses silence rather than confronting someone their parents trust.

rr: Is there some sort of checklist that people can look at to detect if someone is a sexual offender?

Dr. Salter: No, and the mistake we often make is to judge people based on words like sincerity, kindness and friendliness. In one of the interviews that I profile in my upcoming book,“Predators,” a likeable, charming young musician responsible for molesting more than 100 victims says,“Child molesters are professionals at what they do, and they do a good job of it.”

rr: What can one do?

Dr. Salter: There is no foolproof solution, but I do feel that more time should be spent on deflection, not detection.You would be as successful flipping a coin rather than trying to guess someone’s propensity for committing a sexual offense. I would argue that looking at structures that limit the risk of a sexual offense would be more beneficial. A parent, church administrator or youth organizer needs to ask themselves the question,“Is this an attractive situation for a pedophile or other sexual offender.”

rr: What steps are groups taking to reduce risk?

Dr. Salter: Take for example a very high risk group like the Boy Scouts of America.They have gone to great lengths to set up conditions that limit exposure, like not allowing situations where a child would be alone with an adult. Background checks and reference checks are things that can be done on the front-end, but for someone involved in high risk environments, common-sense steps like parental involvement, direct supervision and chaperones are all good steps. Anything that minimizes the probability in situations is a step in the right direction.

rr: It sounds as if the reality is somewhat imposing.

Dr. Salter: Finding a balance between protecting yourself and having very few options vs. having greater freedom with too much risk is important.

rr: Finally, you have a new book coming to the shelves later this year. Why are you writing “Predators”?

Dr. Salter: It is precisely our lack of knowledge and understanding that gives predators their edge: there is nothing wrong with trying to level the playing field a little. “Predators” is an attempt to describe, to make meaning of what I’ve seen in the course of two decades and to make sense of harm’s way.