Pedophilia has plagued the Boy Scouts for decades but still there are no indications of a permanent end to the trend. It’s still not known how many people joined organization only for immoral sexual purposes. News organizations and child advocates have set their sight on Oregon court, which is expected to give a ruling on whether thousands of internal files documenting suspected pedophiles in Scouting should be made public. The so-called "ineligible volunteer" files are kept confidential at the Boy Scouts' national headquarters in Irving. The documents made during the course of two decades between 1965 and 1985 have some unspeakable stories.
The files were furnished as evidence during a civil court case, which saw former Boy Scout Kerry Lewis locking horns against the Scouts' national council and its Portland-area branch. Lewis alleged that a Scoutmaster had sexually abused him when he was a Scout during the 1980s. The court announced verdict in favor of Lewis, directing the Scouts to shell out compensation worth USD 18.5 million. Kelly Clark, one of Lewis' attorneys, contended that the BSA hadn’t any documents or evidence to dismiss charges and that it hadn’t taken enough measures to crackdown against pedophiles in its ranks.
Documents revealed that the Scout leaders often didn’t inform the parents that pedophile Scoutmasters had sexually abused their kids. The Oregon jury's verdict is a clear message to Scouting organization, Clark said. "The short version is that you cannot put the mission of the organization above the safety of kids, no matter how divinely inspired you think it is," Clark said.
Virginia Starr, a spokeswoman for the Scouts, disclosed that her organization launched a Youth Protection Program in the late 1980s and has always attempted to lift its standards during the last 20 years. She revealed that Scout leaders weren’t allowed to meet boys alone. Mandatory youth-protection training for all Scoutmasters and other adult volunteers was also incorporated in the program. The criminal background checks were made mandatory. Moreover, Scoutmasters and Scouts were not allowed to sleep in the same tent unless they are father and son. Separate shower arrangements have been made for kids and adults in case of camp outs.
