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Boy Scouts Of America To Compensate Victims Of Sexual Abuse With $2.4 Billion Trust Fund

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The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is set to compensate thousands of sexually abused scouts from a $2.4 billion trust fund, the largest such settlement in history, CNN reported.

After a reorganization of the century-old scouting program following their Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a Victims Compensation Trust was established with the purpose of compensating more than 82,000 victims who were sexually abused during their time with the Boy Scouts, according to CNN.

“This is a significant milestone for the BSA as we emerge from a three-year financial restructuring process with a global resolution approved with overwhelming support of more than 85% of the survivors involved in the case,” Chief Scout Executive, President and CEO Roger Mosby said in a statement, according to CNN.

“Our hope is that our Plan of Reorganization will bring some measure of peace to survivors of past abuse in Scouting, whose bravery, patience and willingness to share their experiences has moved us beyond words,” Mosby continued.

In July 2021, BSA reached an $850 million settlement with tens of thousands of sexual abuse survivors, the litigation of which forced the organization to declare bankruptcy, The Guardian reported. In September 2022, Chief Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein of the Delaware federal bankruptcy court, approved the reorganization plan of the BSA.

“These boys – now men – seek and deserve compensation for the sexual abuse they suffered years ago,” Silverstein wrote at the time, according to CNN. “Abuse which has had a profound effect on their lives and for which no compensation will ever be enough. They also seek to ensure that to the extent BSA survives, there is an environment where sexual abuse can never again thrive or be hidden from view.” (RELATED: Boy Scouts Leader Sentenced To 33 Years In Prison For Pretending To Be Teenage Girl, Receiving Student’s Nude Photos)

Since the explosive revelations detailing widespread abuse, BSA has enacted numerous protocols to “act as barriers to abuse.” These protocols include mandatory training for volunteers and employees of the organization as well as a screening process requiring criminal background checks for adult leaders and staff, CNN reported. Additionally, two adults trained in youth protection must be present at all times during scouting activities.