Kim Gale  |  March 4, 2022

Category: Sexual Assault - Abuse

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Young person hiding their face holds their palm up toward the camera - ymca

The YMCA and YWCA offer a variety of adult and youth programs to foster healthy minds and healthy bodies, but allegations of sexual abuse committed by employees and volunteers have tarnished the associations’ reputations in recent years. 

The YMCA and YWCA are separate entities, but both strive to improve the lives of the populations they serve. Unfortunately, not all volunteers and employees have purely altruistic intentions. 

Statistics show children are more vulnerable to being abused by those known to them than by strangers.

Non-profit association Darkness to Light is one of several child abuse prevention organizations working with local YMCAs.

Ninety percent of child sexual abuse victims know the person who has abused them, and 60% of child sexual abuse victims never reveal to another person that the abuse occurred, according to Darkness to Light.

YMCA Employees Charged With Sexual Abuse

In September 2020, 24-year-old Eugene, Oregon, YMCA employee Christian Camilo Galindo was arrested on child sexual abuse charges, according to local ABC affiliate KEZI.

Galindo had been working as a tutor, but the YMCA said he had not been left alone with any children. The child sexual abuse charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred in the summer prior to his employment with the YMCA. 

A sad boy sits next to a backpack, hiding his face in his arms on top of his knees pulled to his chest - ymcaEugene police said the alleged victim was a minor and that they are worried other children may have been abused by Galindo, who had been a babysitter. 

Eugene YMCA management wrote an email to families expressing sorrow over the allegations and insisting child safety is its top priority. All employees are subject to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check prior to being hired, and employees are subject to an FBI fingerprint-based background check every five years, according to the email. 

Galindo, now 26, has pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree sexual abuse. There were reportedly four victims under the age of 10 years old. Galindo has been sentenced to 15 years and 3 months in prison, as well as three years and nine months of post-prison supervision, and the requirement that he register as a sex offender.

In Madison, Wisconsin, a 53-year-old man who drove a van for the local YMCA was charged with sexually abusing a woman who had the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, according to the woman’s mother, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. 

Dwain Sykes faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of second-degree sexual assault, which is a felony.

Surveillance video from inside the van allegedly showed Sykes grope the woman on three occasions in September 2019. Sykes also purportedly admitted to detectives he had inappropriately touched the woman, who he knew was developmentally impaired.

Child Sexual Abuse Statistics

Evidence is found that substantiates a claim of child sexual abuse every nine minutes, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).One of every nine girls and one of every 53 boys will be sexually abused or assaulted by the time they turn 18 years old, and just 25 of every 1,000 perpetrators will serve time for the crime, per statistics provided by RAINN.

RAINN is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States and helps provide programs to prevent sexual violence, assists survivors, and works to hold perpetrators accountable through the justice system.

Long-term mental-health issues plague survivors of childhood sexual abuse. By surviving such a personal betrayal, survivors of childhood sexual trauma are four times more likely than those who have not endured such trauma to abuse drugs or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and three times more apt to endure a major episode of depression in adulthood.

Even though a class action lawsuit cannot erase the history of abuse, compensation may be available by holding accountable both the perpetrator and any organization, such as the YMCA or YWCA, if it helped enable or hide the abuse.

A growing number of survivors are coming forward with allegations of sexual abuse against the perpetrators and any organizations that may have allowed the abuse to take place through their actions or inactions.

Some states have begun updating their sexual abuse laws to give survivors more time to come forward with their allegations.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

Join a Free YMCA and YWCA Sexual Assault Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or someone you love suffered from sexual assault at the hands of a volunteer, employee, or member of the YMCA or YWCA—even if the assault occurred years or decades ago—you may qualify to join a class action lawsuit investigation and pursue a monetary recovery.

See if you qualify by filling out the free form on this page.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.

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