December 29, 2007
Why Parents Need to be Involved
I found this article today and it made me so angry. A 39 year old karate school owner took sexual advantage of a 15-year old female student at his karate school. If you read the article, you’ll see that the girl was made to sign an "oath of obedience" for her training. What I want to know is this? Where were the girls parents when she was being asked to sign such a document? No daughter of mine would ever be allowed to sign such a document; and I would NEVER allow my kids to train at a place where I wasn’t allowed to watch every second.
If there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s martial artists who proclaim to uphold the values of the martial arts when their intentions are completely classless. Any adult who takes advantage of a child should rot as far as I’m concerned. This is just one of many incidents like this, where young impressionable students are taken advantage of under the guise of martial arts training. It really is a shame that there is no governing board to take care of disgusting people like this, because this certainly isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.
As a former teacher in a public school, I had to submit to background checks and finger-printing. I’m starting to think that any type of teacher, including karate teachers, should have to undergo these types of screenings. Anyone can start up a karate school, put up inflated claims about who they are and what they know, and use it as a base for seedy behavior.
How do people like that live with themselves? I hope they throw the book at this guy, teaching others like him a much needed lesson.
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I am also concerned at the number of clubs that don’t have proper procedures. Our instructors have now undergone enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks and we actively encouage parental attendance. No instructor is EVER in a one to one situation with the student. This acts as a protection for instructor and student alike. I am lucky that we have encouraged a few mums to become members, which I hope gives the club a far more rounded and welcoming atmosphere for children to train in. Parents you MUST ask lots of questions when enrolling your child, if there are no ladies training at all I would ask the instructor why?
Hmmmm . . . I KNOW I am going to run into all types of child abuse as a pedatrics nurse. And it is going to take all my restraint to not throw abusers out the window. I guess I will just have to report to police and social services for the poor kids who are abused. That karate teacher is just creepy! An “oath of obedience” so he can molest his students? I wonder if he could block my ‘chucks of fury?
This is terrible and unfortunately its not the first time I’ve heard about a martial arts “teacher” sexually abusing their students. There are a lot of idiots, jerks, and evil people who open up their own schools, so parents really need to research before they send their kids to a dojo and ask around for a good place.
That is absolutely terrible!! We actively encourage our parents to stay for the classes and watch. They are a vital part of our school and we wouldn’t have it any other way. I cannot fathom how anyone would allow their child to sign a document like that. To hear that someone willingly abuses the privilege they have been entrusted with just makes me want to scream.
I agree with you totally on this. IN fact, I can tell you that through my organization, no adult is allowed to even just join up as an instructor trainee in the leadership program unless they’ve had a background check done. It’s required EVERYWHERE they are. And it’s also an organization that really promotes family and parent involvement, and has programs to teach kids “stranger danger”, including stuff on sexual predators in a way that won’t scare the kids.
We really need a governing board of some kind to detect these vermin. They screen martial arts club owners in other countries, why not here? Here, anyone can open a dojo no questions asked. I don’t get it.
Personally, I see this as strictly a parenting issue where martial arts is an incidental detail. You mention a governing board. I don’t see a need, as this is criminal. The governing board is parents paying attention and involving the police if necessary.
As for background checks, I think it’s great if schools volunteer to do this, but I really see it as parents needing to be involved and teaching their kids how to identify when something is up. Seriously.
All a background check will accomplish is to identify the ones who already have a criminal record of some kind. In other words, there is no one who can tell you for sure that there isn’t a child molester in their organization. All they can tell you is that no one in the organization has ever been caught. I’m not trying to be alarmist or suggest that we have to go overboard in protecting our kids. I’m suggesting that common sense, active parenting and cultivating trust and good communication with our kids is enough. Unless you plan on sequestering the kids forever in a locked room, keeping them from coaches, teachers, priests, scout leaders, martial arts instructors, cops, firemen and any other adult in a position of authority.
Bravo for bringing people’s attention to this incident, BBM, if you get even one parent to get more involved and prevent some tragedy like this, you will earn your wings.
Nasty! Nasty!!
It’s so wrong.. but then so is ANY form of this abuse no matter where it stems from: father, scout leader, priest, teacher.
I’m glad that the victims are speaking out, and that society is responding!