Boy Scouts Release So-Called Perversion Files

A judge has released the names of suspected child abusers this week in files kept secret by the Boy Scouts of America. The files include names and incidents spanning some twenty years. The so-called files of perversion release the names of more than 1200 suspected child abusers who were either Boy Scout leaders or volunteers. “One hundred years of enhancing efforts to protect youth” so says a news release from the Boy Scouts of America but a judge’s order forcing the BSA to release the names of more than 1200 suspected child abusers tells another story. Attorneys representing the victims say many of the men listed were single males, many were unmarried and had no children of their own or have any children involved in scouting for that matter. They say it was a warning sign that should have been recognized. Now as victims come forward to prosecute their perpetrators they say it’s part of the healing process. Santa Barbara attorney Tim Hale says victims don’t have to suffer in silence, they are not alone and they are not to blame for the crimes committed against them. Hale says more names of suspected pedophiles may be released from a file dating from 1971 to 1991. That file is in question, and any day the Second District Court of Appeals could release the information. The Boy Scouts of America filed an appeal to stop the names from being released.