For over 100 years, the Girl Scouts of the USA has been a community meant to provide a sense of community and belonging for girls in the United States and abroad. Unfortunately, for too many girls, this was a place of abuse and pain. At the Senator’s Firm, we are passionate about fighting for the rights of those who have been sexually abused. If you have encountered abuse in a California Girl Scout troop, you can contact our California sexual abuse attorney.
Experience with Organizational Sexual Abuse
The Senators Firm has substantial experience working on sexual abuse cases from an organizational level. Recently, this includes giving a voice to the survivors of California Boy Scouts abuse. We are familiar with the complexities and nuance of not only sexual abuse cases but lawsuits against a large organization like the Girl Scouts or even the clergy.
Our Girl Scout abuse lawyers at The Senators Firm know how sexual abuse is pervasively underreported. 11% of girls under the age of 18 will be sexually assaulted or abused. In a 2020 report by the US Department of Justice, they estimate that nearly two-thirds of these assaults go unreported to Child Protective Services or authorities.
How Abuse Happens
The Scouts programs have encountered thousands of lawsuits in recent years, and it makes sense when you consider that they allow extended access to children with minimal supervision from parents because they believe their children to be safe with trusted adults.
Most cases of sexual abuse in children do not happen out of the blue.
The Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that perpetrators are known to the victim more than 90% of the time. This is mainly due to the process of grooming, which requires the abuser to get close to the child and gain the trust of them and their family.
In the Girl Scouts, this may look like a troop leader or parent who takes a special interest in a particular child or children.
Conditions for Abuse
Abuse can happen in many settings, but most often, these are situations in which the abuser can isolate the child. Abuse in Girl Scout cases is most often perpetrated by an adult who has worked their way into the trust of the children and the troop. Abusers will most often take advantage of situations such as:
- Sleepovers
- Camping trips
- Visits to someone’s home for a sanctioned event
Breaking the Silence
The low rate of disclosure among survivors is often due to fear and shame, whether it is due to threats of violence or retaliation, concern that they will not be believed, or worry that they will get in trouble for what happened to them.
When children are abused in the Girl Scouts, it is often perpetrated by a person in authority and may be accompanied by threats to ensure their silence. When we represent survivors of abuse in the Girl Scouts, we offer hope to any others who are still in silence. We offer hope of being believed and of having your voice heard.