Networks can vary in size from a small, ad-hoc gang of teenagers to an entire bureau of a nation’s government. Networks can also be intra-familiar, as seen in cases of transgenerational organized violence.
Victims of organized abuse may be forced to participate in sexual acts, unpaid labor, drug running, military combat, and more. Some may be transported against their will to unfamiliar places to serve multiple abusers within an organization. Those who attempt to leave their group are often threatened with violence or death.
Victims in institutions (hospitals, factories, daycares, etc.) may be trapped and isolated from outside help. Leaders within these institutions are often aware of repeat abusers, especially those that have been reported. But as complicit bystanders, they take little to no measures to stop the abuse. They may even try to silence victims, immediately dismissing them or otherwise punishing them for speaking out.
Survivors may have been trapped in familial networks, where OEA is normalized and promoted within cult-like families. In what is often an extreme form of generational trauma, parents and caregivers who were abused themselves torture the children in their care. Victims may be trafficked by their parents, ritually abused by various family members, and raised to perpetrate abuse on their siblings and cousins. Familial OA also occurs in families with no known history of generational trauma, especially in the case of sadistic caregivers who may torture their children for entertainment or money.
Traffickers, gang leaders, and abusive institution owners derive significant profit from OA. Child labor and the sexual exploitation of children are especially lucrative. Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and pictures/videos of children engaging in violent acts are often sold and distributed within networks. These pictures and videos may be used to blackmail victims into staying with their abusers and maintaining the secrecy of their abuse.
Many cases of ritual abuse would also be considered organized abuse. For more information on RA, click the RA button in the sidebar.
Victims are often socialized into environments where extreme abuse and radical ideologies are normalized, so they may have a hard time adjusting to life outside of their group. This is especially true for survivors who remained in their groups for years before escaping, such as children who were raised within a network.
With advances in technology, organized abusers have taken advantage of the Internet to grow their networks both nationally and internationally. This can result in survivors in online spaces feeling uncomfortable with sharing their name, face, or location for fear of being rediscovered by their abusers. This is especially true for survivors who were forced to produce CSAM or snuff films where their faces may have been unblurred. As such, it is important to be discreet with survivors’ personal information.
Survivors of government-based or government-sanctioned organized abuse may be apprehensive around police officers and other officials, preventing them from reaching out for help in emergencies. It should be noted that, even if someone is uncomfortable reaching out to the authorities, there are still plenty of resources available–both nationally and internationally.