Today’s youth are expected to participate in extracurricular activities. Parents need a break, schools can’t teach everything, and colleges want applicants who are “well-rounded.” But pushing kids into activities could be dangerous. Even well-respected youth organizations are full of volunteers and staff members who are child predators.
Attorney Paul Mones and his team are dedicated to helping victims of childhood sexual abuse bring their abusers and the organization that harbored them, to justice.
Youth Organizations: A Breeding Ground For Sexual Abuse
In any institution that facilitates interaction between children and adults, there is a risk that at least some adults who volunteer or work there have less than good intentions.
Abusers gravitate toward youth organizations because they know if they get their foot in the door they will have unfettered access to children who have been told they are in a safe place and everyone in the organization is a friend who can be trusted. This puts abusers in a position to groom potential victims and get victims alone.
For a variety of reasons, including the fact that these organizations are often blinded by the belief that everyone who believes in their mission is pure of heart, that they neglect to fully vet or properly supervise their staff and volunteers. It is critical that these organizations be held accountable for the severe harm their poor management causes. Attorney Paul Mones and his team have aggressively gone after many such organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, the Boy Scouts of America, religious institutions, youth sports organizations, camps, and schools.
Abuse In The Big Brothers Big Sisters Program
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network. It pairs adult volunteers (“Bigs”) with children (“Littles”) who need a mentor and friend to support them.
The number of Littles in the program far outstrips the number of available Bigs. Child predators have been able to worm their way into positions as Bigs who then exploit their Littles.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been previously sued by Paul Mones for not properly supervising and training its volunteers and protect the children in its care.
Boys & Girls Club Abuse
The Boys & Girls Club of America has been around since 1860. Its mission is to provide programming on character development and workforce readiness for girls and boys across the country through recreational and after-school programming at local “Clubs.”
The organization’s noble mission has been tarnished by allegations of abuse. More than 200 people from over 30 states have come forward to say they were abused as a “Club kid.” Attorney Mones is assisting several victims who were abused while participating in Boys and Girls Club programming.
Boy Scout Abuse
Boy Scouts are taught to obey, respect, and admire their scoutmaster. They are told that he is someone they can count on. Someone they can trust. Too often that trust has been broken.
Over the years, hundreds of scoutmasters and other BSA volunteers got away with sexually abusing boys who were too shocked, scared, or embarrassed to speak up, or who were groomed to believe that what happened to them was just part of the scouting experience. Now the Boy Scouts of America as a result of years of having to defend itself against sexual abuse lawsuits has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Boy Scout victims need to act immediately to protect their rights during the bankruptcy proceeding.
Abuse By Religious Leaders
All sexual abuse is abhorrent, but there is something particularly vile about abuse at the hands of a religious leader or within a religious institution. It is sickening that men, women, and organizations who are relied on for spiritual guidance would take advantage of the trust that is placed in them. Unfortunately, it happens far more often than religious institutions admit.
Sexual Abuse In Youth Sports Organizations
Sexual abuse occurs at all levels of sports from the introductory levels all the way through the traveling all-star teams for older players. Attorney Paul Mones and his team have the experience to assist those who have been sexually abused by a coach, regardless of the sport.
Campers Abused
Day camps and summer camps can teach children valuable skills, but the staff and volunteers that work at them sometimes take advantage of the fact that the children under their care are away from their families and eager for new experiences. Too many children have been abused by staff members, teen or college-aged counselors, and other campers.
Abuse In Our Schools
Teachers are perhaps the most trusted adult figures in a child’s life. Sexual abuse by educators is, unfortunately, an all-too-common problem throughout the nation. Attorney Paul Mones and his team have the experience and knowledge needed to assist these students.
You Are Not Alone
It is time to break the silence that surrounds abuse in youth organizations. It is not an isolated problem that only impacts the Catholic Church or the Boy Scouts; it is widespread, and it has been going on for years.
One of the most heart-breaking things we hear from our clients is that they thought they were alone. Until they saw a story on the news about others who were abused, or something in their mind clicked, they thought they were the only one who went through what they did. They lived for years trying to push memories of the abuse to the back of their mind. They spent years thinking they did something wrong instead of blaming the predator that hurt them, or the organization that failed them.
We are here to say that nobody is alone. We are here to stand with you. We are here to spread the word that victims are not to blame. Abusers and the organizations that shelter them are the villains in this story.
New Statute of Limitations Law Opens a Window of Opportunity
No matter when the abuse occurred, even if it was decades ago, those responsible deserve to be held accountable.
Scientific research has revealed that victims of childhood sexual abuse often need years or decades to come to terms with what happened to them, and our laws are finally recognizing this. On October 13, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 218 into law. This new law gives past victims of sexual abuse more time to pursue justice, even if their claims were previously time-barred.
California victim-survivors now whose cases were previously time-barred are being given a three-year period in which they may file suit. From January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022, anyone who was previously stopped from suing because their case was deemed too old has a second chance to seek justice. Victims may be eligible for compensation, but they will also get the satisfaction of knowing they are part of a movement that will hold enabling institutions accountable and ensure that kids today will not suffer a similar fate.
Contact an Experienced Youth Organizations Sexual Abuse Attorney Today
Attorney Paul Mones urges anyone who was sexually abused while participating in a youth organization or religious institution to contact his office to find out her or his options to obtain justice for the wrongs done to them.