Boy Scouts of America Shows No Honor By Misleading Public About Covering Up Sex Crimes

Faced with revelations this week about the shocking numbers of scout leaders accused of sexual abuse, and of victims, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) responded by lying to the public in a pathetic attempt to preserve its image. In doing so, BSA continues to misdirect and cover up.

BSA responded to allegations that it has hidden Ineligible Volunteer (IV) files for Boy Scout leaders accused of sexually abusing minors and refused to inform authorities and the public about the alleged offenders by stating that every name has been turned over to law enforcement.

This is a factual distortion if not an outright lie. BSA says it turned over the names of IV file offenders to law enforcement but it is important to note that they did not do so – if they in fact did – until many years, if not decades, after the perpetrators abused children and were banned from scouting. In this way, BSA covered up the crimes so that they couldn’t be prosecuted. By the time victims reported to authorities, the criminal statutes of limitations had expired on virtually all of the cases.

And, remember, BSA has released IV files to victims only when forced to by courts. A number of those files have been made public. But BSA has maintained IV files since the 1920s and many IV files remain hidden from the public by BSA. That means the names and information of many child sexual abusers are not known to the public

The Boy Scouts Oath stresses honor. We see no honor here.