Pachappa Little League Child Protection Page

A Parent’s Guide to the Little League Child Protection Program

Introduction

The backbone of Little League Baseball is the adult volunteer. One million strong, it is this corps of dedicated people who coach the teams, umpire the games, work in the concession stands, serve on the local board of directors, and serve at the District level. These people, who live in every U.S. state and more than 100 other countries, make Little League the world’s largest and most respected youth sports organization. We know that the greatest treasure we have is children. As adults, we must ensure that these young people are able to grow up happy, healthy and, above all, safe. Whether they are our children, or the children of others, each of us has a responsibility to protect them.
The Little League Child Protection Program seeks to educate children and volunteers in ways to prevent child abusers from becoming involved in the local league. Part of that education has been to assist local Little League volunteers in finding effective and inexpensive ways to conduct background checks. Little League regulations now say: “No local league shall permit any person to participate in any manner, whose background check reveals a conviction for any crime involving or against a minor.” (Reg. I [c] 9.)
Background checks were optional until the 2003 season. Recent advances in computer technology – allowing greater access to public records – make it possible for background checks (at a minimum, to see if an individual is a registered sex offender in a given state) to be conducted in every U.S. state. Local Little League programs are now required to annually conduct a background check of Managers, Coaches, Board of Directors members and any other persons, volunteers or hired workers, who provide regular service to the league and/or have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams. (Reg. I [b], Reg. I [c] 9.) The purpose of these background checks is, first and foremost, to protect children. Second, they maintain Little League as a hostile environment for those who would seek to harm children. Third, they will help to protect individuals and leagues from possible loss of personal or league assets because of litigation. In more than 40 states, a check of the state’s sex offender registry is free. In others, there is a nominal fee per person. Parents have a right to know that the leadership of their child’s local Little League conducted the mandatory background check on everyone required. Whatever the cost, the local league cannot afford to ignore this new regulation. In fact, compliance is a condition of membership in Little League.

What Can Parents Do?

Most children have been warned about the dangers of talking to strangers. But for many children, sexual molestation is committed by someone they know. In fact, 80 to 85 percent of all sexual abuse cases in the U.S. are committed by an individual familiar to the victim, according to statistics compiled by Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America. The truth is, child sex offenders can come from every background, every occupation, every race, and every level of education. They may be married, and they may have children of their own. It is dangerous to believe that the only threat is the stranger in a long raincoat, lurking behind a tree. In fact, the promotion of this myth may contribute to the problem. Sometimes, a child who is molested by a known and “trusted” person will feel so guilty about not reacting the “right” way that he or she never reports the problem.
Sadly, we have all seen too many reports in which teachers, police officers, clergy, youth sports volunteers, etc., trusted by all, have violated that trust and molested children in their care. Of course, this must never be tolerated in Little League or anywhere else. In many of these situations, the young victims are actually seduced, sometimes over a period of months or even years. The child’s family is lulled into believing the unusual attention being lavished is a bond of friendship between the adult and the child. In fact, the adult abuser often uses gifts, trips, attention and affection as part of a courtship process. Sometimes, the courtship process extends to the child’s parent(s), but the real target is the child. Often, but not always, the victim of this type of child sex offender is the child of a single parent. In these cases, the single parent sees the child’s adult friend as a surrogate parent – a Godsend. The very opposite is true.

Two good rules of thumb for all local Little Leagues and parents

Generally, a person involved in a local Little League program should not put himself or herself in a one-on-one situation involving a child who is not their own. Of course, some isolated situations may arise where one-on-one situations could take place. However, a one-on-one situation should not be actively sought out by the adult, and should not be an ongoing occurrence.
Generally, a person involved in a local Little League program should not provide unwarranted gifts, trips, attention and affection to individual children who are not their own. The key word is unwarranted.

Warning Signs of a Seducer

While it remains important to teach young children about the dangers of accepting items from strangers, or talking to them, we should all beware of the danger posed by the “seducer-type” child sex offender.
Each of the individual signs below means very little. Taken as a group, however, the signs MAY point to this type of child sex offender, and should be applied to anyone who has repetitive access to, or contact with, children.

Provides unwarranted gifts, trips, affection and attention to a specific child or small group of children
Seeks access to children
Gets along with children better than adults
“Hangs around” children more than adults
Has items at home or in vehicle specifically appealing to children of the ages they intend to molest, such as posters, music, videos, toys, and even alcohol or drugs
Displays excessive interest in children (may include inviting children on camping trips or sleepovers)
Single, over 25 years old (but could be married, sometimes as a “cover,” and could be any age)
Photographs or videotapes children specifically
Lives alone, or with parents Refers to children as objects (“angel,” “pure,” “innocent,” etc.)
Manipulates children easily

Again, each of these items, by themselves, is relatively meaningless. Taken together, however, they may indicate a problem.

What to Watch For in Your Child

We’ve seen the signs that could point to a child sex offender, but what about the signs a child might display when he or she has been sexually abused or exploited? Some of these symptoms may be present in a child who has been or is being sexually abused, when such symptoms are not otherwise explainable: sudden mood swings, excessive crying, withdrawal, nightmares, bed-wetting, rebellious behavior, fear of particular people or places, infantile behavior, aggressive behavior, and physical signs such as pain, itch, bleeding, fluid or rawness in private areas.

Getting More Information

These items are meant solely as a general guide, and should not be used as the only means for rooting out child sex offenders. Parents can access more information on child abuse through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (a nonprofit organization founded by John Walsh, http://www.missingkids.com/) and the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (part of a service of the Children’s Bureau, within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.calib.com/nccanch/).

How to Report Suspected Child Maltreatment

The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information advises this: If you suspect a child is being maltreated, or if you are a child who is being maltreated, call the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800- 422-4453; TDD [text telephone] 1-800-2-A-CHILD). This hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Hotline can tell you where to file your report and can help you make the report. Or, for a list of states’ toll-free telephone numbers for reporting suspected child abuse, visit the “Resource Listings” section at this site: http://www.calib.com/nccanch/pubs/prevenres/organizations/tollfree.cfm, or call the Clearinghouse at 1-800-FYI-3366.

Talk to Your Kids; Listen to Your Kids

It is important that you as a parent talk frankly to your children. If a child reports sexual abuse, statistics show he or she is probably telling the truth. Unfortunately, the sexually molested child often sees himself or herself as the one “at fault” for allowing abuse to happen. Your children MUST know that they can come to you with this information, and that you will support them, love them, and believe them. If there is an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, the crime should be reported immediately. These criminals who steal childhood MUST BE STOPPED.

This brochure was produced by Little League Baseball,
Incorporated; P.O. Box 3485; Williamsport, PA 17701
Little League Baseball does not limit participation in its
activities on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, national
origin, gender, sexual preference or religious preference.