Nearly every day, we entrust the safety of our children to certain individuals that we feel will be looking out for them. We believe that their teachers, sports coaches and clergy members will all serve as positive role models in their lives. We trust that the institutions that have hired these individuals have found the best people for the positions.
However, in some situations, these authority figures abuse the power that they have been given. They may demonstrate inappropriate behavior around children, which they conceal when parents or other adults are around. The churches and schools may even have been aware of prior allegations of sexual abuse, and did not do anything to prevent these actions from happening again in the future.
It is important that victims of the abuse or their parents are aware that there are options available to them to help hold these individuals and institutions accountable for their actions. Victims may be able to recover compensation for the sexual abuse they have suffered, as well as damages against those who have committed these acts.
These cases can be extremely complex to resolve. Often, they will require extensive investigations into actions that may have happened a long time ago, and the organizations involved may make it very difficult to obtain access to necessary information. This can be very frustrating to victims, who may feel as though they again have no one on their side.
Many victims carry the hurt of the abuse for their entire lives. They do not want to bring this kind of attention to themselves or their families, and would instead prefer to suffer in silence. They allow these individuals to continue to live as respected members of the community because they feel there is no one there to help them.
You can get help. There are people who will work tirelessly at your side during this difficult time. It takes a lot of courage to come forward, and you need someone who understands how complicated these matters can be, and all of the impact that this will have on your life.
If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by someone in a position of trust, it is important that you speak to an experienced personal injury attorney to learn more about your potential claims. While it can be extremely difficult to take that first step, if you wait too long, you may be unable to pursue compensation against those responsible for these acts.
