• USA More than 81,000 people say they have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America organization reached an 850 million dollar (about 720 million euros) settlement with groups representing thousands of men who accuse the organization of sexual abuse.

It is an important step in the midst of an avalanche of accusations that ended up leading the organization to bankruptcy, due to the inability to face the lawsuits.

Before the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, the Boy Scouts (BSA) said that the settlement with the "Coalition for Justice for Abused Scouts" and two other groups covers the claims of about

60,000 whistleblowers.

The agreement provides a framework for a global resolution of complaints.

"Bringing these groups together marks an important milestone as the BSA works toward our dual imperative of compensating survivors of abuse equitably while preserving the mission of Scouts," the 111-year-old nonprofit said in a community statement. story.

The plaintiff groups separately called the settlement a "significant consensus-building achievement" among the majority of the plaintiffs, the Boy Scouts, and more than 250 local groups.

Ken Rothweiler, one of the top three negotiators on behalf of the men who say they were

raped, abused or

sexually

harassed

as children, called it "historic," speaking to National Public Radio.

He called the settlement "the largest sexual abuse allegation settlement in the history of the United States."

In addition, the agreement also provides for the implementation of measures to protect young people, a complaint system, the formation of a Child Protection Committee and the exchange of information related to complaints of abuse.

"A very important part of our mission is to do everything we can to make sure this does not continue to occur," Douglas Kennedy, co-chair of the survivor committee, told USA Today.

Kennedy, who was sexually abused on a camping trip as a teenager, said that access to complaint records will also be beneficial to the public, so that "anyone who has been an abuser cannot go around working in other organizations ".

Insurer reviews

The deal still requires a judge's approval and could face

opposition from insurers

, who would be compromised by outstanding payments.

In a court docket, affiliates of American International Group Inc, Chubb Ltd, Travelers Cos and other insurers said the Boy Scouts excluded them from negotiations and gave victims' attorneys too much voice in crafting a settlement. "With only the fox guarding the chicken coop, the result is totally at odds with what the BSA itself claimed was necessary for a confirmable (bankrupt) plan," the insurance companies said.

Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts filed for Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Law after receiving hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits.

These lawsuits were filed after several US states, including New York, began allowing

people to sue for alleged sexual abuse that occurred decades earlier.

The bankruptcy filing covered the national organization, not the local councils.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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