美國男童子軍性虐檔案被曝光大綱
US scout leaders covered up generations of sexual abuse inflicted on its young members, victims' lawyers say, as thousands of pages of so-called "perversion files" were published online.
Unveiling details from the 14,500 pages of documents, including handwritten notes, the lawyers said on Thursday Boy Scouts of America (BSA) still had not done enough to root out pedophiles using the youth movement to prey on minors.
In response, the US scouting body's head apologised to victims, and admitted that its response had in some cases been "plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong".
The previously confidential files, officially called the "Boy Scouts Ineligible Volunteer Files", reveal details of alleged abuses by more than 1200 scout leaders and other adults between 1965 and 1985.
They were released in response to an order by the Oregon Supreme Court.
"What these files represent is ... the pain and the anguish of thousands" of scouts, said lawyer Paul Mones, while presenting details of the files at a press conference in the northwestern US state.
The lawyers highlighted a 2010 court case, in which an assistant scoutmaster in a Mormon Church-sponsored troop sexually molested a boy in the 1980s.
The abuser involved had previously confessed to molesting 17 other boys in the troop, but was allowed to return to scouting within a few months and then found a new victim.
Responding to the release, Boy Scouts of America national leader Wayne Perry reiterated an apology to the victims.
In a statement on its website, the organisation also said it has improved its procedures to ensure safety, including now requiring background checks and training programs of its leaders.
Although the US scouting organisation, which counts nearly four million adult and youth members, has long sought to keep the files out of public view, it could face a damning wave of lawsuits and bad publicity.
The organisation, founded in 1910, is best-known for promoting outdoor activities and community service for boys aged seven to 21.記錄美國男童子軍兒童性虐案件的上萬頁“變態文檔”近日在網上曝光。受害人的律師稱，美國童子軍負責人在長達幾十年的時間裏掩蓋了這些兒童性虐案件。
這些文檔有1.45萬頁，其中還包括一些手寫的記錄。律師上週四在揭露這些文檔的細節時說，戀童癖者利用這項青年運動來對未成年人實施性虐，但美國男童子軍負責人在根除這種行徑方面做得仍然不夠。
美國男童子軍機構對受害者表示道歉，承認對某些性虐案件的應對“明顯不足，做法不當，甚至是錯誤的”。
之前的一些名爲《童子軍不合格志願者檔案》的機密文檔揭露了在1965年至1985年間，超過1200名童子軍負責人和其他成年人性虐男童的細節。
俄勒岡州最高法庭裁定公開這些文檔。
律師保羅-莫尼斯在俄勒岡州舉行的一次記者招待會上公佈了文檔細節，他說：“這些文檔代表着數千名童子軍的痛苦和心酸。”
律師着重強調了2010年的一起案件。上世紀80年代，一名童子軍副團長虐待了一名男童，案件發生在摩門教贊助的童子軍團隊中。
這名副團長先前曾承認虐待了該團隊中另外17名男童，但在幾個月內就被允許返崗，之後他又對一名男童進行性虐。
針對這次文檔公開，美國童子軍全國負責人韋恩-佩裏再次對受害者道歉。
在發表在官網上的聲明中，美國童子軍機構還表示，已經改進了規程來確保安全，比如目前要求對負責人進行背景考覈和開展培訓計劃。
儘管美國童子軍機構一直試圖掩蓋這些醜聞，但它將面臨大量訴訟，也會聲名狼藉。美國童子軍目前有近400萬名成年和青年成員。
美國童子軍機構成立於1910年，因推進7至21歲男生的戶外運動和社區服務而著稱。
