Samaritans volunteers abused their position of trust by having sex with vulnerable callers, The Telegraph understands, prompting the charity to ‘listen in’ to conversations for the first time.
Who needs premium rate phone lines even?
The “shocking” incidents are believed to include volunteers meeting up with callers for inappropriate relationships.
It is understood that there was a “specific demographic” of some “middle-aged men” who were abusing female callers by meeting up and having sex with them.
Ah, so real world, not just over the wires then.
It’s possible that having a jolly might lift depression in some. It’s also entirely possible that this isn’t quite what we’d like a suicide prevention line to be doing.
But it does still stick more than a little in the craw that sex with a consenting adult female is being defined as abuse.
“…prompting the charity to ‘listen in’ to conversations for the first time.”
Wait, they never did this before? Surely it’s a known training/assurance method for call centres (which is basically what The Samaritans are running here)?
This is appalling if true.
Quite, Julia. I thought listening in at random, and maybe secretly, would be standard and that all the staff would know it.
Echoes of Hugh Grant’s character in About A Boy, where he tries his hand at charity fundraising: https://youtu.be/N_sVsmZfQKE?t=30s
>Surely it’s a known training/assurance method for call centres
Would you expect some third party to “listen in” when you phone up your GP?
BM
Bit if a false comparison there. A GP is a highly paid, highly trained professional who is going to issue you something totally inappropriate for your ailment.
A call centre employee is a random conversation partner chosen by a telephone switch’s software.
I guess the issue has been that most seriously desperate and thus vulnerable calls happen in the middle of the night when actual employees or supervisors are in beddy byes.
‘Would you expect some third party to “listen in” when you phone up your GP?’
I do agree, BM. No doubt this is the start of an unlimited increase in regulations and arse covering that will eventually strangle the organisation.
Surely the question should be what are the suicide rates for these people?
Having something to live for surely gives them the incentive to live and it isn’t like other people don’t pretend to listen to some dozy bint to get in her knickers.
These guys could very well have saved lives.
Will the abusing volunteers play (i) the race card, or (ii) the mental health card? I don’t suppose they can play the female card. Maybe they could play (iii), the “I was abused as a child” card. Though perhaps (iii) is just a special case of (ii).
It’s so tricky, Comparative Victimology.
I’m not mocking the Samaritans: no doubt they do a ton of good work, bless them. The only acquaintance of mine who was a Samaritan, however, was the sort of earnest mutton-head I wouldn’t want dabbling with my soul.
Imagine a world where men only listen to women’s complaints when there’s the faint prospect of a shag in it for them tho.
That’s mental.
Surely it’s a known training/assurance method for call centres (which is basically what The Samaritans are running here)?
Call centres have to tell the caller about the recording. A robotic “your call may be recorded for training and quality purposes” may not be the best response to a desperate cry for help.
.
But it does still stick more than a little in the craw that sex with a consenting adult female is being defined as abuse.
It’s clearly a professional abuse of power. Not saying it should be crime, but there are other definitions.
The Army’s had similar issues. Glenn Haughton, previously Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (SEAC), was meant to be acting as the Armed Forces’ ‘mental health champion’.
Unfortunately, it seems that when a junior soldier went to Haughton for help with mental health issues, Haughton ended up bollocks-deep in the soldier’s wife…
As of last Thursday, Haughton had updated his LinkedIn… he is no longer SEAC or serving in the Army.
Hmm…
In May, the Mail reported how Major* Haughton quit Twitter after abuse by online trolls, many believed to be fellow soldiers. He said the experience had left him ‘suffering poor mental health’.
Mibbe I should start learning Mandarin, Russian, or Farsi in prep for when these suppurating pussies meet the real world.
*The DM thinks senior WO’s are “majors”
[Haughton] said the experience had left him ‘suffering poor mental health’.
Maybe his ex colleagues will check in on his wife.
Samaritans are an org of volunteers not a call centre. Last thing wanted is some mug doing quality control by listening to very intimate calls. And likely recording them because what some “manager” says was said wont cut it in any misconduct hearing. Would you want to be any part of that if you are low enough to be planning to top yourself?
This is one time old fashioned things like trusting your volunteers is all that is any good. Try and screen them better maybe.
Steve,
“Mibbe I should start learning Mandarin, Russian, or Farsi in prep for when these suppurating pussies meet the real world.”
People playing their *mental health card*. We used to call this sort of thing humiliation, embarassment, guilt. You acted like a tool, people gave you a hard time for it. It’s supposed to make you take a look at yourself in the mirror and think about who you are, but instead the narcissistic, pro-fragility culture of Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey encourages people to see this pain as victimhood and to seek means to remain how they are.
sex with a consenting adult female is being defined as abuse.
Correctly. Clearly abuse of power.