Unfortunately, many institutions are known for systematic sexual abuse. By “systematic abuse,” we mean that sexual predators were at least partially protected by the powerful institutions of which they were a part. For example, many Church clergy were never held accountable by supervisors; instead, their heinous acts were kept quiet while sexual crimes continued to go on again and again.

While widespread, systematic sexual abuse is well-known in the Catholic Church, it is by no means the only institution that chose to protect sexual abusers over their survivors.

Other examples of institutions include:

• Public and private schools
• Universities
• Clubs
• Organizations
• Companies and employers

The nationwide club Boy Scouts of America may be guilty of covering up sexual abuse dating back to 1919. The Los Angeles Times uncovered at least 1,900 files and 3,000 case summaries of sexual abuse between the years of 1947-2005. Dubbed the “perversion files,” this information was kept internal and never made public to law enforcement or federal authorities.

Much like the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America protected child molesters by keeping their despicable acts a secret. Instead of alerting the public, they simply shifted sexual predators to other troops or to different states. As such, Boy Scouts of America allowed the continuation of sexual abuse, destroying thousands of lives along the way.

In some cases, civil suits can be brought against the institutions that protected sexual abusers in addition to the actual perpetrator of sexual abuse. In cases of sexual abuse committed by teachers at school, for instance, a survivor may be able to file a lawsuit against the teacher and his or her school or school district. In these cases, the institution is roped into the lawsuit because it failed to protect the survivors of sexual abuse.

Even in criminal cases where the sexual abuser was found in court to be not guilty, survivors may still be eligible to file sexual abuse lawsuits in civil court for a chance to recover damages for emotional and physical harm.

For many survivors of sexual abuse, one of the hardest things to do is step forward. We understand that this is exceptionally difficult, which is why we take our responsibility to protect survivors and their information incredibly seriously.

We understand that no amount of compensation can change what has happened, but standing up to your abuser is key to preventing similar acts of abuse from happening in the future.