The Raleigh News & Observer has run an article about cover-ups by the Boy Scouts of America of sex abuse committed by volunteer scoutmasters in North Carolina. In “The Nightmare of Troop 39,” reporter Bruce Siceloff describes numerous scout leaders who were labeled “ineligible volunteers” by the Boy Scouts. Although the Boy Scouts prevented those pedophiles from abusing other boy scouts, they did not inform parents that their sons had been abused. Nor did they report their findings to law enforcement. Indeed, according to Siceloff, the Boy Scouts actively discouraged some families from going to the police themselves. This conduct prevented families from obtaining help for their children and prevented law enforcement officers from prosecuting the abusers for their crimes. It also raises questions about whether claims may be brought for victims who are just now discovering that the Boy Scouts failed to act to protect them from harm.
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