Breaking the Boy Scout Tradition | Video

Sarahbeth Ackerman | 10/25/2012

Documentation of sexual abuse cases involving the Boy Scouts of America that go all the way back to the 1960s and 70s have been released from the Supreme Court in Oregon.

The Boy Scout law say that a scout is trustworthy, and these badges symbolize hard work and honor, but that may have not been the case for some Boy Scout Officials in the 1960s and 70s.

More than 1,400 pages on alleged sexual abuse cases were released by an Oregon attorney involving the Boy Scouts of America, from one source. Of those alleged cases, 14 were in North Dakota with one case in Surrey, one in Souris and two cases in Minot.

"I`m living in 2012, and I`ve known about the Oregon cases for a couple of years now and am I shocked that there were youth involved in abuse situation, absolutely. I`m shocked every time I hear about a youth with being involved or being subject to abuse and it shouldn`t happen. One time happening is more than what it should, in terms of those cases being shocking, absolutely, but I don`t know the details of those cases," said Jeff Ottosen, the Director of Field Service of Boy Scouts

These reports of absuse were very shocking to the Boy Scouts officials, but they`re using this information to not only to protect their youth but their also trying to protect their volunteers.

"The youth protection program really works both ways, it`s designed primarily to protect the youth, but one of the of the key components in the protection program is, there`s got to be two adults involved in any interaction with the youth. That two adult rule does protect the youth but it also protects the adults," said John MacMartin, Tamahawk District Chair.

This protection plan was put in place to create barriers to any forms of a child abuse within the scouting program.

COMMENT ON THIS STORY