 Sexual
Exploitation
Professional Accountability, Law, and Ethics
 Professionals
enter into a covenant with society. In this covenant, they make a vow to serve
others, upholding a professional standard of conduct. With the role and professional
title they are granted, they assume a position of power in society and receive special
rights corresponding to the responsibilities they assume. In her book "At
Personal Risk : Boundary Violations in Professional-Client Relationships",
Marilyn R. Peterson identifies the importance of this covenant and the faith we place in
professionals:
p. 24-25
"From the client’s perspective, professionals’ authority and
compliance with it are the means to achieving a common purpose. While the arrangement
between professional and client can be viewed as a secular contract, this perspective is
too simplistic and reductionistic. Such a view cancels out the essential, though less
visible, element of faith. Yet, it is our faith in the professional’s abilities to
respond to our needs that enables us to comply automatically and without hesitation.
Before we confer our faith, however, we have to believe that
professionals will place our needs before their own. This inherent ethos of care has the
force of a profound and, in effect, sacred moral authority. For us to follow their lead
into unknown territory assumes and therefore requires a depth of care and commitment from
professionals that raises the relationship to a sacred covenant of fidelity and
obligation. Rooted in biblical and spiritual tradition, the covenant between us is
currently expressed through professional codes and statements of purpose.
Law, therapy, medicine, teaching, and religion are professions that enshrine a
meaningfulness to their calling, an avowal to a higher purpose. Professionals who enter
these fields implicitly take a solemn vow of personal dedication to their social
responsibility. They are granted the rights of power over other people’s lives. In
return for this privilege, they promise to abide by and keep sacrosanct certain practices
and ideals."
All professions have clearly defined codes of ethics, establishing standards of
behavior. Professional adherance to these standards, are reviewed and upheld
by the various licensing agencies and organizations. Civil and criminal
laws exist to further strongly deter professional misconduct or malpractice which causes
harm to individuals. Someone who has been sexually exploited by a professional
has many options to consider, among them
including the filing of a complaint with the appropriate licensing board, or seeking a
legal remedy through the filing of criminal charges or a civil law suit.
Note: Information provided here does not represent legal
advice. If you face a specific legal situation, you should conduct independent
inquiries with legal professionals to determine what your legal rights are in your state
or country.
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