

"We’re proud of the culture we’ve built at our school and of our care for students.

The school worked very hard to keep Chessy’s identity as confidential as reasonably possible and did so." In fact, it was Chessy’s parents who chose to advertise the civil lawsuit in the media, which made Chessy’s identity obvious. "After Chessy’s parents sued the school, it explained in a court filing it needed the ability to use Chessy’s name in very limited circumstances specifically in connection with its defense of the now-settled suit. The administration did its best to support Chessy." Chessy bravely stepped forward to address an issue important not just to schools, but to the entire country. "We fully support Chessy’s trailblazing work to give a voice to sexual assault victims.
Chessy prout senior salute how to#
And I felt like Chessy was this incredibly strong voice that could help shatter that silence, that could help people better understand what it means to be a survivor, or how to support them."įollowing our interview, Saint Paul's School sent us this statement: You know, toxic relationships, abuse of alcohol and drugs. But you can be an advocate just by being kind to other people, and helping promote consent education, and just trying to be an everyday activist."Ībelson: "I've talked to hundreds of victims during the course of my investigation - some who have suffered in silence for decades - and seen how damaging it was.
Chessy prout senior salute trial#
I felt like a true survivor after finishing testifying in my trial in 2016, but I do believe I've become an advocate because I choose to be that. Prout: "Through this book, I want to show the humanity behind the words 'victim' and 'survivor.' And show that we have the right to be angry, be sad, be happy, be anything we want to be throughout this process. but it's also been such a positive tool, at least for me, in launching the hashtag #ihavetherightto - and seeing the #MeToo movement take off as well." Social media has been an extremely harmful tool in some ways. Especially in boarding schools - you're in a dorm, and that follows you everywhere You can't just go home and forget about the bullying that happens in the classroom halls. But social media has definitely made it more widespread. Prout: "The fundamental ideas of bullying and shaming people have stayed the same throughout the tale of time. On both the good and bad aspects of social media And that allowed not only horrific abuse of boys but girls as well.Chessy's case is her own story, her own journey, but the idea of boys having sexual conquest games unfortunately is not unique to ." It was a very insular culture, where there was a huge sense of entitlement and sexism. We journeyed into this world of privilege and elitism. Jenn Abelson: "In 2016, I spent a year with my Spotlight team colleagues investigating sexual misconduct at private schools. On the sexual culture of elite private schools And I feel really lucky to be able to have a voice in this arena, because too often I felt helpless." But then again, what is normal these days? We've seen so many youth and kids become activists, in so many different realms.

Prout: "Some days I do wish I could just be a normal kid. So I wanted to reclaim the internet and reclaim my name and story by coming forward.There are so many tried and true tactics that big institutions and perpetrators use to silence victims. Hate sites popped up with my name, my address, photos of my house.People wrote death threats and rape threats online. She tweets Interview HighlightsĬhessy Prout: "My name was already blasted on the darkest parts of the internet. GuestsĬhessy Prout, author of "I Have The Right To: A High School Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, And Hope." She tweets Abelson, investigative reporter for the Boston Globe's Spotlight Team and co-author of Prout's memoir. Labrie was cleared of a felony rape charge, but convicted on three counts of misdemeanor charges, which he's appealing.ĭuring the trial, Prout's name was withheld but she's since come forward, chronicling her journey from anonymous victim in a high profile sexual assault case to outspoken advocate for assault survivors. Paul's rape trial" captured national headlines. She said it was part of a campus ritual called "senior salute," where senior boys would seek out sexual encounters with younger students. In 2014, when Chessy Prout was a freshman at the elite Saint Paul's boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire, she accused senior Owen Labrie of sexually assaulting her. Facebook Email Chessy Prout at WBUR to talk about her memoir "I Have The Right To".
