Considering the immense attraction that youth
camping can have to predators, the Boy Scouts of America should be commended
for its initial efforts to protect boys from abuse. Over the last
two decades the organization has significantly strengthened policies and
procedures to help ensure that boys are safe at camp. Still, more
can be done and the controversy over youth camping continues. This
section provides links to articles, blogs, web sites and documents that
will help interested parents and child advocates explore the issue.
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Parents deciding whether or not a son should
be allowed to go to a scout camp may wish to consider the following questions
(some may not have definitive answers):
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What policies has the Boy Scouts of America instituted
to protect boys from abuse?
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Would those policies be effective in instances
where two or more predators (adults and/or teens) are colluding to access
boy victims (see Predators'
Networks)?
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Could adherence to abuse prevention policies actually
leave younger scouts more vulnerable to abuse from older scouts on overnight
camps (where adults must sleep in separate tents)?
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How effective are scout leader screening practices?
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To what extent can predators be profiled so they
can be identified prior to being reported by a victim?
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To what extent have the safeguards now in place
reduced abuse allegations? abuse?
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How much abuse goes unreported?
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How common are social pressure and threats used
to prevent disclosure of abuse?
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Statistically, how frequently does abuse occur?
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To what extent are Boy Scout Camps that are one
or more weeks long vulnerable to the kinds of abuses recently reported
for wilderness camps?
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How attractive to predators is the opportunity
to build relationships of trust with young boys? To what extent could
predators exploit close man/boy relationships after a scout camp has ended?
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How valid is Charles
Bonner's assertion that the scouting organization is a pedophile magnet?
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