Boy Scouts Hid Sexual Abuse

By KSEE News

October 18, 2012 Updated Oct 18, 2012 at 6:47 PM PDT

The Boy Scouts of America is under fire again. Their falling victim to the same scandal that's embroiled other organizations.

New documents show institutional awareness of child sex abuse, but inconsistent reporting to authorities.

The Boy Scouts kept files on all pedophilia cases dating back to 1919. Thousands of children have been sexually abused.

About two-thirds of those cases were reported to police. For the other third, scout leaders were asked to resign or simply seek psychological treatment.

The Boy Scouts' National President says he's "profoundly sorry" for the mistakes of the past. Reporting sexual abuse to authorities is now mandatory, and he maintains scouting is safe.

An Oregon jury awarded $20 million to a former scout who sued the organization for not protecting him from sexual abuse. A similar case in Texas is just getting underway.