It may seem implausible that an “institution” or “organization” can abuse people.
But the truth is that it can and does happen.
In this article, you’re going to learn:
What Is Institutional Abuse and What Does It Look Like?
We see it in the news—multiple universities and higher education systems have hidden sexual assault or harassment claims, the USA Gymnastics scandal with Larry Nasser, the Harvey Weinstein cover-ups, and many more.
So, what is institutional abuse?
Institutional abuse occurs when a person is mistreated by a system of power, such as a corporation, hospital, nursing facility, school, or religious organization. It can even happen within sports organizations, fraternities, sororities, or extracurricular clubs and groups.
It also happens in the form of institutional elder abuse, financial exploitation, or child abuse.
One of the biggest challenges in addressing this issue is that the term itself can make it feel daunting to take on, and it can dehumanize the reality of the abuse and separate us from those responsible—the humans who make up the institution.
It is a layered and powerful form of abuse—and it’s extremely damaging to those who experience it.
Institutional abuse can show up in various forms, including:
- Coercion
- Neglect
- Physical abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Verbal abuse
- Spiritual abuse
- Financial exploitation
- Sexual abuse
- Discriminatory abuse based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or religion
An institution might be responsible for the Original Abuse, for example, when a nursing care facility fails to train staff properly or enforces policies that neglect proper hygiene and care for its residents, resulting in increased illness and infection.
Institutions may also be guilty of Double Abuse®. This occurs when the institution responds to an individual's complaint of abuse by covering it up, silencing the one who was harmed, disparaging them, or retaliating against the survivor rather than believing the experience to be true and taking it seriously by addressing the complaint and holding the perpetrator accountable.
For example, when an employee reports emotional abuse or sexual harassment, leadership may respond by minimizing, disbelieving, and dismissing the disclosures, leaving the survivor unsupported.
In such cases, the institution at fault may refuse to investigate or conduct a superficial investigation—ensuring no wrongdoing will be found.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator faces no consequences, no corrective action is taken, and no effort is made to hold the perpetrator accountable.
What Are the Effects of Institutional Abuse on Survivors and Their Loved Ones?
Institutions are seen as professional, influential, and authoritative and are often perceived as entities of high integrity.
Therefore, when a survivor finds the courage to report abuse, they expect management to stop the harmful behavior or practice and take disciplinary action against the one causing harm.
When institutions respond by minimizing, rejecting, retaliating, or disbelieving the survivor, the trauma from the original abuse can worsen, contributing to the development of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), which can take significantly longer to heal than PTSD.
The disavowal of the survivor's story can lead to emotional and physical decline, illness, depression, and increased isolation.
In addition to emotional and physical impacts, there is also the risk of harm to the survivor’s career and reputation. Will their career be threatened if their allegations become public?
This threat is often used by organizations to compel the survivor to sign non-disclosure agreements, keeping the abuse private while protecting the abuser and the institution from public accountability.
In such cases, loved ones who witness the abuse and trauma may also experience secondary trauma or vicarious PTSD.
Access Free Resources to Aid Your Healing Journey
Take the next steps to clarity and healing from unhealthy relationship patterns with our exclusive printables and free trainings. As you explore these resources, you’ll also receive updates on our free monthly workshops for ongoing support and encouragement.
Why Do Institutions Abuse, and How Can We Prevent It?
Institutional abuse happens when there’s an imbalance of power or systems are weak or poorly managed.
An institution without proper structure or oversight—or where staff are not trained, supervised, or resourced adequately—is vulnerable to institutional abuse.
When leadership teams are closely aligned, resist transparency, or are unwilling to accept outside critique, the risk of abuse increases—especially when a valued employee is accused of harmful behavior.
In the following sections, we will explore strategies for reducing the risk of institutional abuse. While these strategies may not prevent abuse in every case, they can help significantly.
1. Independent Investigations for Abuse Claims
It’s essential to have an outside individual or agency act as an independent investigator for complaints within an institution.
This investigator can protect survivors, hold abusers accountable, and highlight organizational cultural issues that need improvement. Independent investigators may recommend new policies to prevent future incidents.
Handling investigations in-house can be problematic, especially when those investigating are close to the accused.
An independent investigator alleviates pressure from leaders who might feel conflicted about resolving the matter fairly.
2. Do Not Maintain Secrecy of the Offender
Institutions often prioritize the privacy of the perpetrator over the interests of the survivor, which prevents accountability and allows further harm.
Holding abusers accountable requires serious consequences. Institutions are wise to work to prevent perpetrators from holding positions of power within their organization or others.
Survivors are wise to be careful when presented with non-disclosure agreements, as they may prevent them from sharing their experiences or warning others.
Making abuse public can deter future abuse and hold leaders accountable for creating safe environments.
3. Training, Training, Training
A lack of training is one of the biggest reasons for Double Abuse.
Comprehensive resources, including those from nonprofits like ours, are available to equip organizations to prevent and address abuse.
Training protects both the institution and potential survivors, increasing the likelihood that the organization will be the safe space it claims to be.
How Can You Identify Institutional Abuse, and What Can You Do if You Suspect Someone Is a Survivor?
The signs of institutional abuse vary by setting. For instance, the signs in elder care facilities differ from those in corporate environments dealing with harassment claims.
Both institutions may employ structures designed to protect employees or individuals in high positions by reversing blame, justifying harmful actions, or offering weak apologies while avoiding accountability.
If an organization lacks a process for protecting the individual who reports abuse, proceed with caution. It may be best to consult legal counsel to explore the best steps for reporting abuse and seeking justice.
How Can Survivors Get Help and Rebuild Their Lives After Institutional Abuse?
Leaving a toxic environment is one of a survivor's healthiest and most empowering steps!
Consider reporting the abuse to outside agencies with the help of skilled legal counsel when necessary.
Know that the abuse is not your fault. And most importantly, take good care of yourself.
My name is Adama Sammah and I experienced institutional abuses at both my longtime places of employment: Patton State Hospital and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Behavioral Health, when my private life areas were brought into my jobs by abusive employees. Sexual harassment exposure that was done to me against my will and resulted in discrimination when I reported the uninvited harassment that turned violent. I was pushed out and victim blamed and discredited with being mental.
I am so sorry to hear this, Adama. It’s incredibly difficult to address institutional abuse as well as to heal from it. Thank you for your bravery in standing up for yourself, reporting the harassment and remembering your own worth notwithstanding the destructive choices others made to harm you. Hoping you are in a healthy work environment now.
I suffered (and am still struggling with the trauma) due to institutional abuse from my NHS mental health WORKER (I live in the UK). This includes a secondary abuse scenario, as they also began to echo the narrative of another organisation (my social housing provider, to which they have connections), in an attempt to gaslight me. After many months I realised they were deflecting responsibility, shifting blame onto me, minimising my concerns, ignoring my protected characteristics and treating me with disrespect. They pressured me into completing a mental health assessment in 15 minutes when I was in extreme distress and struggling to focus due to having ADHD. This was immediately prior to them taking 3 weeks absence and was clearly a risk management exercise to cover themself, due to my mental health increasingly declining towards crisis. I eventually went to a mental health charity for support, as the mental health worker was promoted to a senior role and I knew the abuse would escalate. Their bullying and abusive behaviour has left me feeling worthless, anxious and traumatised. I’m in the process of making a formal complaint, but have little faith in the outcome (I accessed my medical records and there are many omissions and inaccuracies). What really worries me is that this happened in a mental health care setting.
This is horrible and I am so sorry this took place. Unfortunately, I understand the hesitation about filing a formal complaint when there are so many inaccuracies in the medical reports and it could be traumatizing for you to go through the process by itself. It could cause triggers to your mental health and well being. Please take good care of yourself and make sure you have a good support group as you go through these – even just one other person. Good luck and please let us know if we can support you in any way by emailing us at info@themendproject.com.
Thank you so much, it helps to simply feel heard and validated. I’m trying my best to not come unravelled, remember “who” I am and that this doesn’t define me – their behaviour is on them. Also using music and singing to help express how I feel, including changing lyrics to describe what’s happened.
Love that!! Singing aloud is a fabulous way to mitigate anxiety and calm trauma brain. 🙂 Dance (also very therapeutic and can feel quite silly to be doing when you’re have a tough time, but it’s so helpful)! THIS DOES NOT DEFINE YOU!! Well said. Cheers to you. 🙂