Here’s a radical take: charities and support groups are riddled with predators.
As young people are typically vulnerable, pedophiles have worked in boarding schools, youth groups, social clubs, and religious organisations for many years.
However, as some countries are beginning to screen adults who work with kids, clever predators have moved on to situations where there is less scrutiny.
If you want to volunteer with a charity or ask for help, here are some thoughts on how predators think, work, and what you can do to spot and stay safe from them.
Understanding Predators
Predators come in different flavours, but for simplicity’s sake, we can summarise.
Predators seek to control and dominate their targets
Their goal is power, money, to attack them physically or possibly all three
Their tools include charm, intimidation, threats, coercion, manipulation and gaslighting
The Predator’s Ideal Environment
Although predators have different goals and strategies, they all need targets who are vulnerable.
Vulnerable people are those who are disempowered, scared, isolated, sick, or suffering from poor mental health.
Where do you find large groups of vulnerable people? Answer: charities, emergency services, and support groups.
Scope Of Predators In Charities
I hear stories often of a charity worker abusing their position to target colleagues and crisis victims. Typically, these charities are very small, with just a few staff. These stories don’t make the press.
You’d think big organizations would be on top of this. So here are some scary facts:
The United Nations received 758 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by staff in 2023. It’s the tip of the iceberg. Source
It's known to be a huge problem for ages. Back in 1996, a United Nations study reported that in 6 our 12 country studies, the arrival of peacekeeping troops led to a rapid rise in child prostitution. Source
Twenty years later, in 2017, the Associated Press reported that 134 Sri Lankan UN peacekeepers had been running a child sex ring in Haiti since 2007. Source
In 2018, Oxfam/Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, and the United Nations admitted covering up for senior staff who had abused and exploited both crisis victims and their own charity staff for years. Source Source
The World Health Organization was caught covering up for senior staff who were abusing and sexually exploiting aid victims and charity staff during the 2018-2020 Ebola crisis. Source Source
A 2022 special Humanitarian Policy Group report says nothing has changed because nobody is prepared to pay for safety. Source
How To Keep Safe
Charities can offer some excellent services, so the trick is to be careful with your trust.
Strong Boundaries. Whether you volunteer, work there or need help, look for a professional bond, not a friendship.
- No parties
- No suggestion that it's a family
- No getting involved with your social life
- No solo trips or outings
Watch For Mind Games. Tigers have stripes for a reason; you don’t know what they are until they’re eating you. Similarly, predators are very good at hiding their true nature. So what you need to focus on is recognizing a mental environment where predators flourish.
Avoid organisations with:
- Charismatic leaders who are considered perfect or wise
- An emphasis on conformity, groupthink, or loyalty
- Untouchable people or favourites who don’t follow rules
- Intimidation or punishment for disagreeing
- Constantly changing rules
- Being labelled with mental illness (bipolar, autistic, ADD etc) by anyone who is not a licensed medical doctor and psychiatrist
I hope you find this useful. Stay safe and Happy New Year!
