UNITED STATES
NPR
April 26, 2019
By Wade Goodwyn
The Boy Scouts of America’s own records show that more than 12,000 children have been sexually assaulted while participating in the organization’s programs. The documents came to light through court testimony given by a researcher whom the Scouts had hired to do an internal review. The records reveal allegations against thousands of Scout leaders — allegations that date from the 1940s.
With such a huge number of victims, the organization could be facing multiple lawsuits and, as a result, bankruptcy.
The research also revealed significantly more abusers than previously thought. The names of Scout leaders deemed ineligible because of “reasonable allegations of child sexual abuse” were entered into the Boy Scouts of America’s files, and those leaders were subsequently excluded from working with children.
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