Note - Some visitors may be visiting here for another post I made a few
days ago.
That one is two posts down.
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Yesterday, (10/18/2012) the Boy Scouts of America released their
"Ineligible Volunteers" list, or what the media have been calling "Perversion
Files." I'm surprised that didn't run with "PEDI-FILES." The intent of the list was to document suspected and perpetrators of abuse and prevent them from serving as leaders. While I believe that abusing any child is a tragedy, people must
understand that those who prey upon children lurk just about anywhere in every
society. This includes clergymen, teachers, etc... There is no "one group has
all" molesters.
Honestly speaking, one of the reasons that I registered and became a Boy Scout Leader was to ensure that I could do all that I personally could to A) protect my son and B) protect other boys from potential lurkers. Most parents see Scouting as a "drop off" activity which is unfortunate.
The Boy Scouts of America do background checks on people wishing to become leaders in their "traditional" programs, but here's the problem. Unless you have been CAUGHT being a molester, there is nothing out there to indicate if you are a molester or not.
While I can sympathize with the boys that were abused, and detest those who used their positions of trust to inflict their deeds, and again stating for the record so there is no confusion that I deplore this conduct, I decided to go beyond the hype in the media and look at some numbers.
Unfortunately, I could not find specific numbers regarding the 20 year period between 1965 and 1985 which is when these so called "perversion files" were amassed, so the figures used here are simply totals divided by 100 years (1910-2010) of Boy Scout history.
I hope that someone at BSA National can do actual research using this model and provide "actual" figures and data regarding this issue. Now, let me do my best to tackle this with the resources at my finger tips. I did make attempts using Internet resources, but could not find anything that was helpful in my quest.
According to media reports, there were a total of 1,248 names in the "Ineligible Volunteers" files.
Honestly speaking, one of the reasons that I registered and became a Boy Scout Leader was to ensure that I could do all that I personally could to A) protect my son and B) protect other boys from potential lurkers. Most parents see Scouting as a "drop off" activity which is unfortunate.
The Boy Scouts of America do background checks on people wishing to become leaders in their "traditional" programs, but here's the problem. Unless you have been CAUGHT being a molester, there is nothing out there to indicate if you are a molester or not.
While I can sympathize with the boys that were abused, and detest those who used their positions of trust to inflict their deeds, and again stating for the record so there is no confusion that I deplore this conduct, I decided to go beyond the hype in the media and look at some numbers.
Unfortunately, I could not find specific numbers regarding the 20 year period between 1965 and 1985 which is when these so called "perversion files" were amassed, so the figures used here are simply totals divided by 100 years (1910-2010) of Boy Scout history.
I hope that someone at BSA National can do actual research using this model and provide "actual" figures and data regarding this issue. Now, let me do my best to tackle this with the resources at my finger tips. I did make attempts using Internet resources, but could not find anything that was helpful in my quest.
According to media reports, there were a total of 1,248 names in the "Ineligible Volunteers" files.
Divide the 1,248 by 20 years and it averages to about 62 per year.
Multiply the average by 100 years and you have 6,200 "molesters"
Between 1910 and 2010, there were 114,304,329 registered youth participants in the Scouting program. Divide that by 100 years and it averages out to about 1,143,043 scouts enrolled in the program per year.
Between 1910 and 2010, there were 33,364,261 registered adult leaders in the Scouting program. Divide that by 100 years and it averages out to about 333,643 adult leaders enrolled in the program per year.
Take the 33,643 adult leader total, minus the 62 bad apples and you have 33,581 dedicated leaders who by virtue of this report have just been painted with a broad brush, not to mention tarnished an entire organization because a small number of deviants lurk within it's membership.
Looking at the big picture, the number of people affected by this problem
is minuscule compared to the over all dimensions of the program as a whole. Do
we blame everyone for the actions of a minute few? This is a question that needs
to be asked and answered.
I'm for weeding out potential molesters, and there is another issue lurking
out there where people have picked sides and are demanding that they be allowed
in too. To me, it's a fox in the chicken coop matter. While I am not painting
everyone in that light, somehow I believe that the 62 number would go up because
of the bending over to the whims of people who disagree with your goals as an
organization.
The BSA has what is called by others the premiere youth protection program in the nation and it involves education youth, parents and leaders. The program is designed to protect youth and also to protect adult leaders from doing things that could be seen as questionable, like being alone with a Scout not your son. I have served on our District's training staff, and one thing I emphasized is that every leader take the course for their own protection. It is now a required course for ALL leaders.
The BSA has what is called by others the premiere youth protection program in the nation and it involves education youth, parents and leaders. The program is designed to protect youth and also to protect adult leaders from doing things that could be seen as questionable, like being alone with a Scout not your son. I have served on our District's training staff, and one thing I emphasized is that every leader take the course for their own protection. It is now a required course for ALL leaders.
So now you hopefully have a better understanding of this problem. Incidents
have most likely not ceased, but I suspect that they have been greatly reduced,
and the BSA should consider releasing any data that could back this statement of
mine if for anything to present facts and figures that show progress in this
area.
Vigilance and awareness is everyone's responsibility!
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