Camp abuse by another child.

[kn60]

My 11 year old daughter went away for the weekend with our church youth group.  She told me that on the second night she was to share a bed with one of the other girls.  After the counselor and the other girls were asleep the bed mate put her hand down my daughters underpants. She also tried to snuggle up to her.  My daughter told her to get her hands off of her and go to sleep.  That was the end of it.  I am going to go to the councelor and report this but I don't know what else to do.  Is this normal? Is this child being abused? I had a similar thing happen to me when I was a child at camp. I just pretended nothing happened. I never saw the girl again.
Unfortuntaly this child attends church regularly and my daughter will see her every week.  This is a new chuch for my family and I am afraid that if I report it it will hurt my daughter socially.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

No, this is not normal. Regardless of the possible consequences it is your obligation to inform the counselor. You would want to know if your daughter were to engage in this type of behavior ,and the other parent is entitled to know as well. Otherwise you are colluding in keeping it a secret.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Be sure to follow up on this and see to it that the people in charge do something about it. It's often inviting, becauseof the discomfort, to hear about such a complaint and then leave it alone.

[kn60]

Thanks for your answer. I did go to the councelor and the youth pastor.  the councelor was upset that my daughter didn't wake her at the time and tell her but I think that is a normal reaction for an 11yrold.  She was scared and upset and with people she had only just met so she waited to text me in the morning.  I assured her she did the right thing when she demanded to be left alone and it worked but if there ever is a next time to wake the councelor.  I believe they plan to speak to the child's parents.  They did seem at a loss as to what to do.  I did ask them to try not to identify my daughter because as I said I don't want her to have trouble socially in a new place.  We will see what happens in the future.  Thanks again for your response.