Boys & Girls Club probe uncovers more allegations of abuse
Ten new lawsuits have been filed against the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in the year since a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation uncovered more than 100 cases of abuse tied to local clubs across the country over decades and the youth organization moved to evaluate its safety response and its handling of reports of sexual abuse.
Included are four lawsuits brought by 41 men who say they were sexually abused in the 1960s and 1970s in the pool and showers at the then-Syracuse Boys Club in New York. Syracuse club officials have said they respect the victims who have come forward and aim to work diligently to have the lawsuits resolved in a manner that provides support and comfort to the victims and their families.
With the new filings, Hearst’s investigation has so far uncovered 351 victims in 35 states who are alleged in criminal or civil court documents to have been sexually abused as children by employees, volunteers and other members of the clubs.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America, one of the nation’s largest youth organizations, is currently named as a defendant in 16 pending sexual abuse lawsuits. Some of the lawsuits claim local club leadership knew of the abuse, did not report it to law enforcement and allowed it to continue; that administrators at some clubs did not adhere to Boys & Girls Clubs of America safety guidelines or failed to conduct sufficient background checks.
The youth organization, which oversees about 4,600 affiliates nationwide, said safety is its No. 1 priority, that it takes any reports of child sexual abuse seriously and that it is constantly working on improving its safety programs.
The Hearst investigation was spurred by three lawsuits against the Greenwich Boys & Girls club alleging ongoing sexual abuse there in the 1970s and 1980s. A fourth lawsuit against the Greenwich club was filed July 2; the national organization is not named as a defendant in either of those four cases. In court records, the local club has denied responsibility for any actions related to alleged abuse. The Greenwich club has told Hearst it remains committed to protecting the health and well-being of the children it serves and respects those who have come forward with the abuse allegations.
Six of the 10 new lawsuits against the Boys & Girls Clubs of America were filed in New York court under the Child Victims Act, which temporarily extends the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims to come forward. The lawsuits are all connected to allegations of abuse that happened decades ago and do not mention any recent incidents of abuse.
“We are deeply heartbroken for any pain that was inflicted on victims and their families,” the national organization said in a recent statement. “It is completely unacceptable to us that even one child was hurt at a Club. Safety is Boys & Girls Clubs’ top priority. For years, our focus has been on preventing abuse and creating a safe environment for kids’ physical and emotional well-being.”
There are also 13 pending criminal cases across the country against men who have in some way been affiliated with local clubs and stand accused of sexual misconduct. Several of those cases are set for trial this fall after having court hearings delayed over the summer due to COVID-19. Eight men were arrested in the past year on abuse or child porn-related charges.
While the Boys & Girls Clubs of America has enhanced policies to prevent abuse over the years, local affiliates do not uniformly respond to reports of sexual misconduct, according to a third-party review of the organization’s policies made public earlier this month.
A summary of the review, conducted by law firm Alston & Bird and the nonprofit Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, points out the difficulty for local clubs in accessing resources, limits on the ability to execute programs at individual clubs and a lack of understanding of the purpose of those programs on the part of club staff.
“It is important that BGCA consistently communicate the message that they believe survivors and will support them through a fair and equitable response process,” the report said.
The organization’s National Council voted in July to make some safety measures mandatory for all clubs, such as standardizing all local club safety committees to “ensure that each and every one is being held accountable to the same metrics and responsibilities,” officials said.
The board also voted to strengthen the reference check requirement to clarify that all clubs must receive rehire eligibility information for all prospective staff and volunteers who previously worked at other clubs before being allowed to be employed or volunteer at another one.
The RAINN review found that BGCA “meets or exceeds” current background check best practices.
Existing requirements for what kinds of criminal convictions should prohibit someone from being hired are being enhanced, according to the organization. Since 2005, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has required all staff members and volunteers who have contact with children to undergo criminal background checks annually. Violent felonies, convictions of any charges related to harming a child were already disqualifying.
“We are also in the process of implementing the recommendations RAINN made in their recent review,” the BGCA said in its statement this week. “In taking these steps as part of our continuous safety enhancements, it is our goal to strengthen our culture of safety and increase the physical and emotional safety of our members.”