美国男童子军性虐档案被曝光

中国日报网 2012-10-22 15:16

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US scout leaders covered up generations of sexual abuse inflicted on its young members.

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.

(Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)

记录美国男童子军儿童性虐案件的上万页“变态文档”近日在网上曝光。受害人的律师称，美国童子军负责人在长达几十年的时间里掩盖了这些儿童性虐案件。

这些文档有1.45万页，其中还包括一些手写的记录。律师上周四在揭露这些文档的细节时说，恋童癖者利用这项青年运动来对未成年人实施性虐，但美国男童子军负责人在根除这种行径方面做得仍然不够。

美国男童子军机构对受害者表示道歉，承认对某些性虐案件的应对“明显不足，做法不当，甚至是错误的”。

之前的一些名为《童子军不合格志愿者档案》的机密文档揭露了在1965年至1985年间，超过1200名童子军负责人和其他成年人性虐男童的细节。

俄勒冈州最高法庭裁定公开这些文档。

律师保罗-莫尼斯在俄勒冈州举行的一次记者招待会上公布了文档细节，他说：“这些文档代表着数千名童子军的痛苦和心酸。”

律师着重强调了2010年的一起案件。上世纪80年代，一名童子军副团长虐待了一名男童，案件发生在摩门教赞助的童子军团队中。

这名副团长先前曾承认虐待了该团队中另外17名男童，但在几个月内就被允许返岗，之后他又对一名男童进行性虐。

针对这次文档公开，美国童子军全国负责人韦恩-佩里再次对受害者道歉。

在发表在官网上的声明中，美国童子军机构还表示，已经改进了规程来确保安全，比如目前要求对负责人进行背景考核和开展培训计划。

尽管美国童子军机构一直试图掩盖这些丑闻，但它将面临大量诉讼，也会声名狼藉。美国童子军目前有近400万名成年和青年成员。

美国童子军机构成立于1910年，因推进7至21岁男生的户外运动和社区服务而著称。

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（中国日报网英语点津 Julie 编辑：陈丹妮）

Vocabulary:

pedophile: 恋童癖者

minor: 未成年人

scoutmaster: 童子军团长

molest: 骚扰，调戏

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