The Buried Truth

By Maryam Abdella

In fall of 2018, more than 600 cases of sexual abuse were reported to Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Of those allegations, nearly 500 involved student-on-student abuse. 

In an investigation series called "Betrayed," the Chicago Tribune draws upon both public and confidential records and includes interviews with teens and young adults who spoke out, revealing the stories of sexual assault victims attending Chicago Public Schools. 

The Tribune’s series contains an investigative report on predatory adults—employees of CPS—who violated students both on and off school premises. This resulted in a change to the  “CPS child-safety programs as well as bipartisan state legislative support for new laws to protect the students.” (“Betrayed” series, Chicago Tribune).

However, after examining student-on-student sexual attacks, the Tribune found that students were also violated by classmates and that the schools’ employees had failed to protect them.

Interviews with the victims of these cases reveal how students were attacked by their peers in frequented areas of school—e.g. lunchrooms, stairwells, hallways, bathrooms. 

In a GGM interview, a victim reveals how she was attacked while attending school.

“I was sexually assaulted in the back of a school bus in the 7th grade,” recounts 14-year old female sexual assault victim referred to as T.R. 

T.R had just gotten into the “popular kids’ group” at school. 

 “The kids I used to hang out with were interested in doing a math club because you didn’t really have to do that much. Just some worksheets, so it was an opportunity to hang out. I joined because of that.”

While the kids in her group of friends were picked up by their parents, the school provided a school bus for her and one other boy to drop them off at their homes. 

“I remember it was a Monday. We finished math club, we ran down the stairs, we went into the bus,” T.R recalls. “It was...normal in the beginning. The only thing was that he wanted to sit next to me that day.”

Since the entire school bus was reserved for just the two of them, they would usually sit in different seats. That day, it was clear to T.R. that something was amiss. However, she paid no heed to the warning signs. After all, he was her friend—as are most perpetrators.

That’s when the attack began.


       “He went in for a kiss and I wasn’t expecting it, so I

       didn’t have enough time to react and that was my first kiss … He

       started to touch me in places … he started to touch me under my

       clothes … He took my hand and like, you know, placed it on his areas,

       and that wasn’t under my consent. I just didn’t, I was really confused

       as to what was going on.”


The first thought that went through T.R’s head wasn’t that she was sexually assaulted. It was, “what [would] other people would think about me, and if I would keep my group of friends and what would happen the next day.”

She went home and attended school the next day. She didn’t tell anyone for 3 weeks.

       “I didn’t say anything for about 3 weeks, and I didn’t-I didn’t know who

       to trust even if I was to say anything”


In the cases revealed in the “Betrayed” series, teachers and principals failed to immediately alert child welfare investigators or police when students mustered up the courage to report the abuse. 

In some cases, school employees acted promptly. However, according to the investigation, "in the aftermath of attacks, the Tribune found, principals sometimes cast doubt upon victims' stories and subjected them to callous interrogations." 

T.R recounts her experience after the incident had taken place. “The school I was going to at that time tried to lie about me, slut shame me, and cover it all up. They tried to…  say it was my fault, all in efforts to protect their reputation and protect the guy who did this to me.”

Without consideration towards the victim’s traumatic experience, the school “interrogated” T.R without alerting child welfare investigators.

       “During that whole interrogation, I just remembered sitting there

       just... frozen … I didn't know what I was saying, I don’t even remember

       what I said. I just remember […] question after question, for at least

       an hour...”


"Child-welfare experts say that repeatedly questioning students who are already traumatized by sexual abuse can inflict additional damage and that these sensitive interviews should always be handled by specialists in law enforcement and child welfare," ("Betrayed" series, Chicago Tribune)

Instead of comforting her and assuring her that justice would be brought, the school’s administration turned the blame towards the victim. When T.R’s “friends” found out what had happened, they started to blame her too.

“I walked in and they’re just like ‘how could you do that?’... ‘he could go to jail for this’ … ‘what are you thinking’ …  ‘you’re such a slut.’ All these things, blaming me saying that it was-it was my fault, for everything that happened, and that, you know, he was just a good kid, a good friend, and I honestly started to believe that it was my fault. ”

Even in cases where the schools’ administrations acted promptly, they subjected the young victims to repeated interrogation, imposing more psychological pain on them.

Since the incident, T.R developed PTSD. 

“Only 12% of child sexual abuse is ever reported to the authorities” (National Sexual Violence Resource Center )

We need to change that.

Hotline

You're not alone. Confidential help is available for free.

National Sexual Assault Hotline

Call 1-800-656-4673

Available 24 hours everyday

References:



Project Credits

Interviewing

Camila Castellanos

Tara Delaputi

Nailah Hamel

Abril Alvarez

Research                   Editing

Anika Exum                     Maya Parekh

Nailah Hamel



GlobalGirl Media Chicago