A recent court testimony involving the Boy Scouts revealed last month that there have been as many as 7,819 allegedly sexually abusive troop leaders/volunteers in the organization over the course of more than 70 years, ranging from 1944 to 2016. These individuals resulted in the alleged abuse of 13,254 victims in the program, and in many cases, those accused faced no repercussion for their actions.

Dr. Janet Warren is one of the people that filed a testimony against the organization, stating that she has been on “private contract” with the organization for the past five years, and that her and her team worked through many sex abuse files filed against volunteers & members in the organization, referred to as the “perversion files”. As a result of close review, Warren stated in her court appearance in January that her team determined that there were “7,819 perpetrators who [they] believe were involved in sexually abusing a child.”

This scandal has resurfaced as a result of New York lawmakers introducing the Child Victims Act, which allows previous cases of child abuse (including sexual abuse) to be reviewed in court. As a result, according to attorney Jeff Anderson, 130 of said perpetrators are will go through the New York court system where they may face legal charges. The most scandalous part of the case is the fact that many of these “perversion files” continue to remain private and held by the Boy Scout organization, with no change being visible in the near future, even with constant pressure applied by Anderson.

Sadly enough, the Boy Scouts case is not an exclusive situation. Recently, there have been countless accusations reported against the catholic church and other powerful organizations with our most exploitable members of society. As for the perpetrators, they are usually the priests and people to turn to for help and advice in the first place. It seems that an organization with a powerful members in control of easily victimized people is not a good mix.

As a result of this, these organizations must take every single precaution possible to ensure the safety and well-being of their exploitable members. If teachers are required to go through such comprehensive background checks, then the same should be required of other “father figures” expected to take care of who they’re supposed to, whether it be a 7-year-old boy scout or a 94-year-old grandma in a retirement home.