Big Brothers, Big Sisters Sexual Abuse Lawyers Helping Victims Ensure Sexual Predators Are Held Accountable for Abuse

Youth mentoring programs can be a great way to show children they’re not alone and have caring people beside them to help guide them. One of the oldest and most well-known programs of this kind is Big Brothers Big Sisters, which allows adults to mentor children as young as five and stay in contact with them as they age. While this program has benefitted thousands of children for over 100 years, it has also created an opportunity for sexual predators to abuse the children and teens they agreed to mentor sexually.

If you or your child endured childhood sexual abuse while participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters, you should talk to a lawyer about how to seek justice through the legal system. At Andreozzi + Foote. We understand the importance of ensuring sexual predators and their enablers are held accountable for the devastating effects of child sexual abuse.

What Should You Know About Sexual Abuse in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program?

Big Brothers Big Sisters was created in 1904 to mentor and protect children as they grew. This was meant to be especially helpful for youth at high risk of breaking the law and ending up in jail after having no one to guide them as they got older.

When the program began, local volunteers each selected a child to mentor. The point was for the adult volunteers to get to know their Little Brother or Little Sister while advising on friendships and relationships, helping with homework, and developing their interests in sports or hobbies as they grew. While this type of mentoring worked for many children, it unfortunately turned into years of sexual abuse for others.

After all, many sexual predators who can get away with abuse for a long time typically spend months or years grooming children first, such as by paying attention to them and giving them gifts. Once they’ve gained the trust of their victim, they take advantage of it by touching them inappropriately.

This was the case for many Big Brothers Big Sisters participants, especially those who had unsupervised visits and even sleepovers with each other. When children and parents started to report sexual abuse to the leaders of the organization, the concerns were dismissed and nothing was done.

It was determined that one of the main issues that allowed sexual abuse to run rampant was the lack of background checks for Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentoring children. A simple solution would have been implementing background checks to protect children, but that didn’t happen immediately. This meant years went by with more children being sexually abused within the Big Brothers Big Sisters program until the organization finally began conducting comprehensive background checks on volunteers.

How Can Youth-Serving Organizations Prevent Child Sex Abuse?

Youth organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters have a lot of benefits to offer children, but they must find ways to protect them from childhood sexual abuse first. Fortunately, many groups of this kind have taken steps in the right direction in recent years after multiple reports of child abuse led to thorough investigations and consequences for leadership.

One of the most effective ways of reducing the widespread problem of sexual misconduct between Big and Little Sisters and Brothers is screening all adult volunteers who will have contact with children. More specifically, conducting comprehensive background checks that look at criminal records before allowing adults to become mentors is critical.
Another way to foster positive relationships without allowing children to be sexually abused is to create rules regarding interactions between Big Brothers and Little Brothers, as well as Big Sisters and Little Sisters.

These rules might state that meetings between adults and children must be in public places, such as at a community center where there are other adults, so the volunteers are never alone with the children. If they must meet in a room together, the door should remain open, and there should be video cameras or bright lighting to keep all interactions out in the open, not hidden from view.

Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters should also have clear rules against sleepovers, gifts, surprise visits, alcohol use, drug use, and other actions that could create an environment that allows child sexual abuse. They should ensure all staff members and volunteers know and agree to the rules. If they witness anyone breaking these rules, they should know precisely how to report it to ensure proper disciplinary action is taken.

In general, for youth organizations to be successful in assisting participants from childhood to young adulthood, they must take sexual abuse seriously. This requires them to be on the same page when it comes to preventing, identifying, and reporting any possible child abuse within the organization. If you’re worried that the youth organization that you or your child took part in allowed sexual abuse to occur, contact our legal team for a chance to pursue justice. Our lawyers have handled cases involving Big Brothers Big Sisters sexual abuse over the years, so we’re confident we can work toward the outcome you desire for your family when you initiate a legal claim.

What Should You Do After Identifying Child Sexual Abuse?

If you or your child were sexually abused while participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters or other youth organizations in Maryland, you’re not alone, as we’re here to help. We understand that it can be challenging to take the first step toward getting assistance, especially when you’re still trying to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. Child sexual abuse is devastating and can change your life, so we encourage you to get help handling it as soon as possible.

You should first report the crime to local law enforcement to ensure the sexual predator is held liable, along with the organization that enabled the abuse. Then, contact our Maryland law office for legal support for your civil claim. After all, any victim targeted by an abuser as a youth deserves to be compensated. No amount of money can remove the long-term effects that experiencing sexual battery, sexual violence, or abuse can have on you, but compensation can help in other ways.

For example, when you seek economic damages, you’ll get money to pay for your medical treatment if years of sexual abuse left you with physical injuries. You can also use the money from your sexual abuse lawsuit to pay for mental health counseling and time away from work as you try to come to terms with the consequences that abuse has had on your life.

Your lawyer can also seek non-economic damages for you, which will get you compensation to make up for mental anguish, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Finally, punitive damages will financially punish the sexual predator and the youth organization that failed to protect you or your child from sexual abuse. Contact us for legal guidance if you want compensation to help your family heal.

How Can Maryland Big Brothers, Big Sisters Sexual Abuse Lawyers Help You Pursue Justice?

At Andreozzi + Foote, we’re committed to helping child sexual abuse victims seek justice from anyone who abused them or covered up the abuse. When you hire our team, we’ll explain your legal options so you can seek compensation from the adult who harmed you and the youth program that enabled them.

We’ll also put you in touch with resources for Maryland survivors, such as HopeWorks of Howard County, Heartly House, Inc., and Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County. Reaching out to this type of organization can help you find therapists in your community who are experienced at counseling child victims and their family members who have suffered due to abuse. You deserve to get the assistance you need to begin recovering from child sexual abuse, and we’re here to provide you with the resources to get started.

If you’re ready to get a skilled lawyer’s guidance, contact us at 866-311-8640 to speak with a caring legal team. We’ll offer you a free initial consultation, and if you decide to initiate your case with us, you won’t pay any legal fees until we win a settlement for you. We look forward to helping you work toward justice through your civil lawsuit.