The YMCA has a long history of providing activities for children all across the U.S., particularly boys and young men. But part of that history is troubling and only now is it coming to light.

A growing number of people are coming forward with allegations of YMCA sexual assault claims dating back decades, alleging the organization allowed abuse to occur on its premises.

When did the YMCA start?

The YMCA has been around for nearly two centuries, founded in London as the Young Men’s Christian Association in 1844 by George Williams, a 22-year-old department store worker and farmer. Williams and nearly a dozen of his friends organized the YCMA for Bible study and prayer, intending it to be a safe haven for boys and young men who had a difficult life.

Soon after, in 1851, the YMCA was introduced to the U.S. by Thomas Valentine Sullivan, a retired Boston sea captain seeking to offer a similar safe haven for sailors and merchants. Today, the YMCA boasts more than 10,000 locations, 19,000 staff members, and 600,000 volunteers in the U.S. alone.

YMCA sexual abuse allegations

Despite the YMCA’s founding as a “safe haven” for young people, it may have since become a place of nightmares for some because of child predators within its ranks. The organization has been hit with a number of lawsuits filed over YMCA sexual abuse for failing to protect victims, failing to supervise children (leading to abuse), and actively covering up abuse.

According to a YMCA lawsuit filed by a man referred to by the initials “P.N.,” he is the victim of a YMCA sexual assault allegedly committed by a counselor at Camp Seymour in the 1970s. Camp Seymour is run by the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties in Washington state.

Now 49 years old, the man alleges that in 1976, the summer he was between first and second grades, a Camp Seymour counselor sexually assaulted him. Moreover, he alleged, the YMCA knew that children were being abused at the camp, but failed to put a stop to it.

According to the lawsuit and other court documents, two counselors sexually abused young boys in their care, and even though the YMCA was aware of what was going on, the camp director continued to recommend that the counselors be rehired.

Additionally, the camp director at the time was also “taking advantage of the camp to groom teenaged female campers for sex and was having sex simultaneously with junior counselors as young as 13 and 14, and counselors between the ages of 15 and 17,” the YMCA lawsuit alleges.

“Put simply, Camp Seymour was a sexual cauldron where camp counselors and the camp director were using their positions and the camp facilities to prey on young children and young teenagers,” the plaintiff alleges.

According to another YMCA sexual abuse lawsuit, a high school student working as a YMCA teacher’s aide sexually abused a first-grade girl and continued to do so for nearly two months after he was first accused and police began investigating him.

Michael Begin, now 21 years old, was accused of inappropriately touching 20 children between the ages of 3 and 8 during his time at the Jeffersonville, Ind. YMCA and a local elementary school. According to the lawsuit, the YMCA failed to properly supervise Begin, allowing for this abuse to occur. Begin has been sentenced to 120 years in prison for child molestation.

More than 10 civil cases have been filed involving Begin since early 2018.

Another YMCA lawsuit alleges that a former North Carolina YMCA counselor sexually assaulted boys in his care. The alleged abuse occurred decades ago, in the 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, the former counselor, Michael Todd Pegram, now middle-aged, has pleaded guilty to a first-degree sex offense and is currently serving out a 30-year prison sentence.

This lawsuit was filed not just against Pegram, but also the YMCA on behalf of eight victims who were between the ages of 9 and 15 when the alleged abuse took place. The lawsuit claims that the YMCA “knew, or should have known” about the abuse.

Pegram’s lawsuit is heading to the N.C. Court of Appeals, challenging whether a state sexual assault reporting law violated the YMCA’s constitutional rights. The YMCA reportedly continues to deny any wrongdoing in the case. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that a decision from the Court of Appeals could take months.

The YMCA is one of many youth organizations with a troubled history of sexual abuse.

YMCA settles sex abuse lawsuits

The YMCA has also settled various sexual abuse lawsuits. Two other YMCA sexual abuse lawsuits filed by plaintiffs who alleged Begin sexually assaulted them have been settled, though terms of the settlement are confidential, according to Wave 3 News. A total of nine civil lawsuits have been filed against Begin and the YMCA, as well as some schools and Begin’s parents, over allegations that Begin sexually assaulted children enrolled in the programs.

A settlement was reached in a York, Penn. YMCA sexual abuse lawsuit brought by the mother of a six-year-old who was allegedly abused at the YMCA run Camp Spirit by an older camper, according to the York Daily Record. The complaint alleges that YMCA administrators were aware of a report that the older camper had engaged in the same conduct the year before, but failed to enact measures to protect the children in their care.

The settlement agreement in the York YMCA case is also confidential.

Is YMCA sexual assault preventable?

While sexual assault can occur anywhere and be perpetrated by anybody, including (and especially) by authority figures, family members, and other trusted acquaintances, there are steps organizations can take to reduce the incidence of sexual abuse such as proper education, training, and supervision tactics.

Preventing child sexual assault in youth organizations should include:

• Properly screening and selecting employees and volunteers
• Providing strict guidelines on interactions between individuals
• Monitoring behavior of employees, volunteers, and children
• Ensuring safe environments
• Responding to any issues (behavior, policy breaches, allegations, or suspicions)
• Proper training on child sexual abuse prevention for employees/volunteers, caregivers, and youth

The YMCA has child abuse prevention policies, though they may not have been sufficient to protect children from abuse.

YMCA Five Days of Action to prevent sex abuse

Reportedly, YMCAs across the country pledged five days of action in late October 2020 to prevent the sexual abuse of children. The organization partnered with child advocacy groups to design a week of activities that help inform parents and caregivers about how they can prevent child sex abuse.

According to the Five Days of Action website, the program has offers resources based on the following categories:

• Online safety
• Keeping children busy and safe
• Creating healthy and safe family rules
• Becoming a safe adult for children
• Helping kids talk about safe and unsafe situations
• Education about what to do if a child reports abuse
• How to help kids during the COVID-19 pandemic

“Protecting children from sexual abuse must be the number one goal of every person who cares about the health and well-being of kids,” one local YMCA director told the Corvallis Gazette Times about the program. “Together, we can stand up to demand that children are protected and encourage adults to make it happen in our community. It takes us all.”

Unfortunately, cases of YMCA sexual abuse are still being reported, with a childcare worker employed as a tutor at the YMCA arrested for the sexual abuse of a minor in September 2020, according to local ABC news source KEZI 9.

The YMCA’s program reports that 10% of children are sexually abused before they turn 18. They usually know their abuser, say program materials. Children often don’t speak of their abuse — indeed, 60% of children who survive sex abuse will not tell anyone. Further, false reports of child sex abuse are rare.

How can survivors get help filing a YMCA lawsuit?

If you or someone you love was the victim of a YMCA sexual assault, even if the assault occurred years or even decades ago, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.

A number of states have recently made changes to their childhood sexual abuse laws, allowing survivors more time to come forward. Some states have instituted a lookback window making it possible to bring forward previously expired claims.

Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering, but it can at least help provide monetary compensation, as well as hold those responsible — including organizations that may have ignored or even covered up the abuse — accountable for their actions.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork 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.

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