Sexual violence is a global pandemic that affects individuals of all ages. When children enroll in sports, parents often put a level of trust in their child’s coach. The coach and staff have a responsibility to ensure the well-being of the children in their care. Unfortunately, that trust is often betrayed. The culture of sexual abuse within sports is not a new issue. However, it is important to note that, child sexual abuse is preventable. Those in positions of power within sports should have a clear code of conduct and must be held accountable if the boundaries thereof are crossed.
According to RAINN, every 98 seconds a person over the age of 12 is sexually assaulted. 1 out of every 6 women in America has been the victim of an attempted
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1 in 9 girls will suffer sexual abuse before the age of 18. According to Darkness to Light, of the child sexual abuse reported 82% are female. 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser. A family member abuses approximately 30%, and 60% are abused by an individual the family trusts. The effects of sexual violence can be severe. Children who are victims of sexual violence are four times as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, suicidal ideation; as well as other mental illnesses and health complications. Adult childhood sexual abuse survivors have a heightened probability of being diagnosed with other diseases long-term. Sexual abuse is a pandemic that should not occur (“Children and …show more content…
He received his degree in osteopathic medicine in 1993 from MSU. He was named the national medical coordinator for USAG from 1996-2014; although, Nassar still treated gymnasts at the ranch until 2015. He was the national team doctor for the Women’s US Olympic gymnastics team (Timeline). Multiple individuals and institutions such as United States Olympic Committee (USOC), Michigan State University (MSU), and USA Gymnastics (USAG) turned a blind eye to Nassar's behavior. Allegations against him concerning sexual abuse and assault span over two decades. However, the reports from his victims were dismissed.
As of today, there are more than 265 individuals that have accused Nassar of sexually abusing them under the guise of medical treatment. These “treatments” often occurred at the Karolyi ranch, at various USAG sanctioned events, Twistars gymnastics in Dimondale, Michigan, multiple Olympic games, inside athlete’s hotel rooms, in Nassar's clinic at MSU, in Nassar’s home; as well as, several other locations (Evans et
Anabolic steroids have become an epidemic amongst athletes since the 1950's when a Swiss company by the name of Ciba Pharmaceuticals introduced what was to become the most popular anabolic drug for athletes called methandrostenolone. “By this time, the era of the steroid athlete was well underway and world records were being shattered and re-shattered with remarkable regularity.” (Oklobdzija & Weyrauch, 1989, para 3) From then on, there have been many cases throughout professional sports where athletes are reported or caught using anabolic steroids.
The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.
The importance of growing up in today’s society and being educated about sexual abuse is an important aspect of knowledge everyone should have. Many parents also do not recognize the warning signs from their children early on to prevent them from turning into something bigger.
The BALCO investigation started with Victor Conte in December, 2004. In an interview on ABC, he told the audience that he supplemented Jones with five varied steroids during and after the Sydney Olympics. Additionally, he got the drugs from a man named Graham, who had connections with a Mexican drug dealer. Conte gave Erythropoietin (EPO) to Jones coach with supposedly BALCO nutritional supplements. In reality, these so-called supplements were actually steroids that went undetected by the drug screening procedures. These drugs were disbursed among Jones and her teammates. After, Jones continued obtaining the drug directly from Conte. This was verified by Jone's ex-husband, C.J. Hunter, Olympic shot-putter and confessed steroid user, who watched Jones inject the ...
Child abuse is a serious issue in today's society. Many people have been victims of child abuse. There are three forms of child abuse: physical, emotional, and sexual. Many researchers believe that sexual abuse is the most detremental of the three. A middle-aged adult who is feeling depressed will probably not relate it back to his childhood, but maybe he should. The short-term effects of childhood sexual abuse have been proven valid, but now the question is, do the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse affect middle-aged adults? Many contradicting views arise from the subject of childhood sexual abuse. Researchers and psychologists argue on this issue. Childhood sexual abuse has the potential to damage a child physically, emotionally, and behaviorally for the rest of his or her childhood, and the effects have been connected to lasting into middle-aged adulthood.
According to Campbell in the article titled, “Dr. Larry Nassar: A history of preying on people,” he states, “A parent of a child raised concerns to Geddert about Nassar early on. Unfortunately, Geddert did not file a police report,” about this causing it to go on for about 13 more years. Also in 1997, he became the Michigan State University team physician. Because of his power and high up status, Nassar started assaulting more and more women. Nassar then went on and became the Olympic trainer for gymnastics. Olympic athletes were being abused by someone they should be able to trust. Some of the Olympians who came forward are Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney & Gabby Douglas to name a few. These are girls that we saw on TV competing for our country, but behind closed doors they were being assaulted. Aly Raisman spoke in court about the abuse she was put through. In a YouTube video titled, “Watch Aly Raisman confront Larry Nassar,” posted by CNN, she states that she and many others put trust in him; she then
The topic that I will explore for this expository essay is Larry Nassar and sexual abuse in gymnastics. My essay will seek to answer how Larry Nassar’s abuse went on for so long, who allowed the abuse to happen, and what effect this scandal will have on the future of gymnastics. As a member of the USA Gymnastics Organization, whose coaches and board members many blame for the abuse, I have a firsthand connection to this scandal. Not only did I attend the Michigan State Gymnastics Camp, the former workplace of Larry Nassar himself and his defender and former head coach of the team, Kathie Klages, but through my eleven years of gymnastics have trained under a coach who was fired for sexual abuse allegations, one who was fired for inappropriate coaching techniques and another who lost his business due to falsified allegations and stigma. I will use these experiences to personalize my essay and compare them to that of those abused by Nassar.
Participating in a sport at an early age can be essential to the overall growth process during a child’s upbringing. Whether the participation is through some sort of organized league or just getting together amongst friends and playing, the lessons learned from this can help teach these kids and provide a positive message to them as they develop. There is a certain point, however, when organized sports can hinder progress, which is when adults get too involved and forget about the underlying reason to why they are helping. While adult involvement is necessary, adult involvement can sometimes send the wrong message to children when they try to make participation become more than just about fun and learning. According to Coakley (2009), “organized sports are worth the effort put forth by adults, as long as they do what is in the best interest of their children and put that thought ahead of their own agenda” (Coakley, p. 151). This is a valid argument because once adults put themselves in front of the children and their values, it needs to be re-evaluated as to why they first got involved in the beginning. Partaking in organized sport and activity from a young age can be beneficial to the overall development of children, as long as decisions actions are made in the best interest of the children and not stemming from ulterior motives of adults.
Pallerino, M.J. (n.d.). Parental violence at youth sporting events in increasing. Retrieved February 10, 2011 from www.collegesportsscholarships.com: http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/youth-sport-violent-ugly-parent.htm
Athletes are always searching for ways to enhance their performance. Recently, beginning in the 1950s, that search has included the use of illegal substances like steroids and growth hormones. Illegal substances have been used widely by athletes in hopes of achieving the desired Olympic gold medal or multi-million dollar contract. Some nations, for example the late East Germany in the 1970s and 1980s, have mandated the use of steroids by their athletes. The downside of using those illegal substances is that because they are illegal, getting caught using them can lead to losing that coveted gold medal, a lifetime ban from sports, and a total loss of honor and dignity.
Through the assessment of data, examiners reached a general conclusion regarding the permanent somatic and emotional effects of CSA. According to Irish et al. (2009), it was proved that victims of sexual assault undergo extreme depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and terror outbreaks. Likewise, the investigation indicated that these persons exhibited a conversion of their psychological trauma into somatic signs since they developed drastic health issues such as body aching, obesity, gastric complications, and heart and lung illnesses; as a result, victims of child sexual abuse usually get sick more often during middle and old age than other individuals.
Child abuse, while having many different forms and levels of severity, can be basically defined as the maltreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. When one thinks of child abuse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is physical harm, but the issue is actually much more complex. The abuse of a child can also be manifested in verbal and emotional forms, as well as in sexual molestation. All forms of child abuse generally result in similar emotional disorders and behavioral issues, but the major consequences of sexual abuse, such as mental or emotional scarring, promiscuity, and the tendency of former victims to become sexual abusers, cause it to be the most severely damaging form of child abuse.
Touching as part of coaching in sport is not prohibited. It’s important to consider that occasionally physical contact is unavoidable, or even essential. Imagine for example, a child that you are coaching is at risk of injuring or causing an accident, it would then be reasonable for the coach to step in and attempt to prevent that from happening. Nevertheless, physical contact in sport should always be proportionate, appropriate, sensitive and respectful, it should never be a surprise. Children should never be subject to any contact which could be interpreted as sexual. Sections 16 to 19 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes it an offence for an individual aged 18 or over to intentionally behave in a sexual manner towards a child aged under 18, where in individual is in a position of trust . This legislation currently only applies to individuals working in the public sector, which could consequently prove problematic. Additionally the government is very reluctant to
To understand how to prevent child sexual abuse, one must begin by understanding what child sex abuse is. When a perpetrator intentionally harms a child physically, psychologically, sexually, or by acts of neglect, this crime is known as child abuse. Child sex abuse consists of any sexual activity that includes a minor. A child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity. More importantly, when a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years. Moreover, child sexual abuse does not need to include physical contact between a perpetrator and child, some forms include but not limited to; fondling, intercourse, sex trafficking, exposing oneself to a minor, masturbation
Understanding the correlation between a child abuse and the possible effects it may have on a growing child is vital. This study suggested that the long-term impacts of child abuse included disease risk factors, adverse quality of life, and mortality. A total of 8,506 participants were utilized ranging from 19-92 years old. Overall, groups were similar in their years of education and gender; however, race was not accounted for evenly. White participants made up about79% of the participant pool while the remainder subjects were of mixed races. The Adverse Childhood Experience Study (ACE) was used to measure the participants. Within this study, three categories of abuse were reviewed: psychological, physical, and contact sexual abuse. The ACE questionnaires were mailed out to all participants, and addressed childhood abuse issues while growing up. The questions were derived from several other screening tests. For example, to identify sexual abuse, questions from the Wyatt Test were used. One question read “As a child were you ever raped or sexually molested?” Results from this study revealed a prevalence and risk increase for those who experienced childhood abuse relating to depression, suicide attempts, poor overall health, and obesity. There was also an indication of increase in the use of illicit drugs and