Institutional Abuse Lawyers Camrose

Sexual predators often hold positions of authority. They are also trusted figures in the lives of their targets, or people upon whom their victim is somehow dependent. They abuse their position of power, exploit the trust placed in them, or manipulate their target’s sense of dependence upon them in order to engage in non-consensual sexual activity. To do so, institutional abusers may use threats, blackmail, violence, emotional manipulation, or other forms of coercion.

Due to the fact that the nature of institutional abuse involved an inherent power imbalance, sexual predators often seek out job or volunteer opportunities that put them in close relation to potential targets. That is why institutional abusers often hold positions of authority, trust, or dependency, such as:

• Teachers
• Religious leaders
• Sports coaches
• Scout leaders
• Camp counselors
• Extra curricular programme administrators
• Caregivers
• Foster parents
• Juvenile detention centre guards
• Psychiatric hospital employees
• And more

In certain instances, the organization that employs or supervises the actions of a sexual predator may fail to do due diligence to ensure that their behaviour is above board. They may ignore complaints about the abuser’s actions, disregard previous records of abuse, provide inadequate oversight, or otherwise fail to protect the young or vulnerable people in the institution’s care.

Some organizations even try to silence people who complain about an abuser’s criminal actions or to bury evidence of past wrongdoings as a way of saving their own reputation. If an organization fails to take swift, decisive actions against a institutional abuser in their ranks, they essentially give them free reign to continue terrorizing future targets in a consequence-free environment. This is known as “systemic” or “institutional” institutional abuse.

Therefore, organizations that employed a sexual predator might be liable for damages incurred by survivors of their criminal actions. And the economic damages incurred by survivors of institutional abuse can be substantial, particularly if their abuse occurred when they were children or adolescents.

Throughout the province, an estimated 1.8 million people have been victims of sexual violence. Nearly one in two Alberta residents have suffered the consequences of a institutional abuser’s criminal actions. However, institutional abuse is still an underreported crime.

There are many deeply personal reasons as to why a survivor of institutional abuse may choose not to come forward and speak out about their experience. However, in accordance with the In accordance with the province’s Limitations Act, it is never too late for institutional abuse survivors to pursue justice.

No matter how far in the past your abuse occurred, our Camrose institutional abuse lawyers may be able to help you recover compensation by pursuing legal action against your abuser and/or other contributorily negligent parties (such as their employer). Our institutional abuse lawyers serving Camrose offer all prospective clients a free initial consultation. To schedule yours, contact us today.

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Our Camrose institutional abuse lawyers are committed to helping survivors in the local community on their journeys towards compassion, closure, and compensation. To learn how our institutional abuse lawyers serving Camrose may be able to provide you with crucial legal assistance, book your free initial consultation today.