If you just landed here from Mars, you would be convinced that schools have become sheltered workshops for sex offenders. Every day there’s a new story of not just one individual accused of mistreating a child, but of entire schools infested with abusers. “What in the world,” says the Martian, “is going on?”
Twenty or so years ago, these stories were much less frequent. To be fair, we should attribute some portion of the increased reports to awareness on the part of children and the thirst of sprawling media. But surely that can’t account for the ubiquity of these incidents.
Pedophilia is a pretty specific condition. I’m not willing to suggest that every person who has abused a child is in fact a pedophile. But most likely they all do share one very strong trait. They like children. A lot. They are far more comfortable with children than adults. They are uncomfortable with their adult selves. Their social circles (if they exist) are limited and mostly center around child-centric events. It is no wonder that these men and women are attracted to a professional in which children outnumber adults by a wide margin.
Without diminishing for a moment the severe and debilitating effect abuse has on children, I suggest that if there is an increase in child abuse, it is the result of an infantalized society. There are endless degrees of immaturity of course. At its most innocuous, these child/adults are wearing baseball caps as chapeaus. But at its worst…
I’m not sure our entire culture can wake up and smell the (non-whipped cream/foam topped) adult coffee, and embrace what is rightfully and wonderfully theirs. But certainly what we can do is insist that every employee working with children have a psychological test. Schools love tests. A minimum screening is the very least we can do. It does not impinge upon anyone’s civil rights to determine if they are suitable for a job based on their disposition. There is nothing inherently sinister about working with children, but there is something alarming about preferring their company. Wringing our hands and being alarmed is an appropriate first response. But adults step up and take action to protect the most vulnerable members of society.