“While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process – with the proposed Trust structure – will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission.” 'We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children. More than 12,000 boys have been molested by 7,800 abusers since the 1920s, according to Boy Scout files revealed in court papers. Many of the new lawsuits date back to the 1960s, '70s and '80s, and accuse the BSA of negligence and cover-ups. Today, the organisation has expert-informed policies to 'keep kids safe', including mandatory background checks and a ban on one-on-one interactions between children and adults. It was only when Mary was six that the abuse ended, when her family moved out of the area. Yet for the next decade, she says she suffered in silence, battling suicidal thoughts aged 12 and pushing away any teenage crushes who tried to be physically intimate with her.
'I was lucky to have a school counsellor who really helped me not to take my life,' she recalls.
