The Los Angeles Times reviewed 1,600 confidential Boy Scout files from 1970 to 1991. In many cases, the newspaper says, the organization covered up reports of abuse.
Read Boy Scouts helped alleged molesters cover tracks, files show, on LATimes.com.
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Donna Andersen
Boy Scouts of America responds to the LA Times article.
Read “Boy Scouts admit response to sex abuse was ‘insufficient’ on NBCNews.com.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/27/14127464-boy-scouts-admit-response-to-sex-abuse-was-insufficient?lite
Ox Drover
While I am well acquainted with the protection that the BSA affords children, I know it is not perfect….but I do think that over all it is better than many programs.
The regulations/policy in scouting is that NO adult leader is ever alone with the scouts. There is supposed to ALWAYS be another adult in visual at least contact with the leader and the scouts. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen, but the POLICY is that no scout is alone with a leader. Each year the leaders at the camps are given repeat training in these policies.
That being said, Charles “Jackie” Walls III over a 20 year period molested about 1,500 scouts and was responsible for one of them murdering his family to try to hush it up. Walls is in the Arkansas department of prisons doing life without parole….
After he was kicked out of scouting for suspicions, he went back to a jamboree under a fake name (his photo was taken there) so just kicking him out didn’t stop him from trying to approach kids.
There are more and more reports in the news of teachers, preachers, coaches etc. molesting children….and I think actually that is a good thing, it has always happened, but now it is being reported more. There will ALWAYS be pedophiles, and I think it is important that they be outed, and PROSECUTED.
The Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn state may make the people who think they can cover things up sit up and take notice and get off the fence and do what is right!
The latest scandal about rapes of women (and even some men) in the military is a good thing I think becaue it is bringing to light what has been going on since women were allowed into the military in the first place.
Scouting is a good program and I think over all it is probably one of the safer venues for our youth.