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The release of a documentary on Netflix has prompted renewed scrutiny of the historical records of sexual abuse kept by the Boy Scouts of America.
These alleged pedophile files, a list of “red flags” known as “perversion files”, were kept confidential by the Boy Scouts until they were made public in 2012. They detail the accusations of child abuse by Scout leaders between 1947 and 2005.
Their release sparked a deluge of lawsuits – an astonishing 82,000 complaints – from victims who claim they were assaulted as scouts, leading the organization to file for bankruptcy in 2020.
Netflix documentary, Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America, reveals the role of the internal hotline and how the largest youth organization in the United States covered up sexual abuse, failing to report numerous allegations to the police.
The Boy Scouts began collecting the records soon after they were formed in 1910. But what were the “Perversion Records” for, why are they called that, and who is on the list?
The Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910 and soon after began compiling an alert list detailing accusations of child abuse against Scout leaders.
Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America is a Netflix documentary that explores the stories of the victims and the impact of the “perversion files.”
What are the Boy Scouts of America’s “perversion records”?
“Perversion Files” are internal records that have been kept by the Boy Scouts of America to monitor volunteer Scout leaders and the “red flags” that have been raised about them.
Thousands of these documents, listing charges of child abuse by Scout leaders between 1947 and 2005, were released in 2012 after a court battle.
The Boy Scouts of America championed them as a way to get rid of bad leaders and prevent abuse, while saying their confidentiality was necessary.
But the primary purpose of these archives – to protect children from pedophiles – has failed.
The Boy Scouts of America is accused of covering up decades of allegations, failing to report the majority of victims’ complaints to parents, the public or even the police.
These cases have long been at the center of legal battles, some of which have been settled out of court.
There were more than 82,000 sexual abuse complaints against the Boy Scouts in 2020, when the organization filed for bankruptcy.
Scout’s Honor is available to stream on Netflix. It features survivors, whistleblowers and experts discussing the impact of abuse in Scouting.
A registration certificate issued to a Boy Scout by the organization in 1959
Michael Johnson, former director of the Boy Scouts of America, talks about his attempts to reform the system in Netflix’s Scout’s Honor
Why are the recordings known as “perversion files”?
“Perversion files” have become shorthand for the red flag list.
New York Times writer calling for Boy Scouts to be disbanded described the name as “grotesque” in 2020.
The term was used internally by the Boy Scouts of America itself to describe the documents, although earlier in its history it was described as a “red flag list”.
A 1935 New York Times article describes the list of hundreds of “degenerates” who had been Scout leaders.
A 1935 New York Times article describes how that name came to describe the organization’s list of hundreds of “degenerates” who had been Scout leaders.
Former Director General of Scouting, Dr James E West, explained that in the organization’s first 15 years, maps and alphabets were created for every man with a commission in the Boy Scouts.
He said: “We noted on the card that we had to refer to a confidential file to see if there was anything important to note.”
“We put a red tag, or a red sticker, on top of the card for the man we wanted to be careful about – that is, to be sure and carefully review his file.”
He concluded: “That’s where the so-called alert list came from.”
The Los Angeles Times plotted all the records on an interactive map and created a searchable database of the allegations.
Tom Krumins is among the victims who share their story in the Netflix documentary Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America
Who is accused of sexual abuse in the “perversion files” and who are the victims?
In 2012, 14,500 pages of “perversion files” were leaked online, causing the website hosting them to crash in the early hours.
Shortly after, the Los Angeles Times plotted all cases on an interactive map and created a searchable database of allegations.
He analyzed court records to provide information on nearly 5,000 cases from 1947 to 2004 that can still be viewed in the database. About 1,900 of them have detailed reports, in which any means of identifying the victims has been redacted.
An unknown number of records have been purged.
Netflix documentary Scout’s Honor features survivors, whistleblowers and experts discussing the impact of abuse in Scouting.
It also focuses on cases such as the historic one against troop leader Timur Dykes.
Dykes remained in the Boy Scouts of America even after the organization was made aware of abuse charges.
He admitted to a bishop in the early 1980s that he molested 17 boys and was arrested for some of those crimes.
The bishop, official representative of the Boy Scouts, did not tell anyone about this admission.
A court found the Boy Scouts of America liable for the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy and awarded them $18.5 million in damages.
The outcome of the trial eventually led to the release of the records.
The identities of most of the victims have remained confidential, but some have made their claims public.
In the documentary Tom Krumins, a survivor says, “We want to feel like our voices are heard. We want to feel that there is an opportunity for healing.
A $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan went into effect in April, allowing the Texas-based Boy Scouts to continue operating while compensating over 80,000 victims.