Rape and Sexual Assault at Summer Camp

Each summer throughout the United States 100,000's of children prepare to attend a summer camp. These camps maybe high end exclusive (expensive) private camps for 2, 4 or even 6 week sessions, or these camps may be church camps, sailing or adventure camps, football camps, overweight camps, Scout Camp or one of the thousands of other camps across the United States.

Experts will tell you that cabin or camp counselors and camp employees need to be screened due to close proximity that person has with a young child in their possession. As such, the camp owners and camp directors must make sure that one on one time or activities between a camp counselor or instructor and the young camper is done in an open and obvious manner with other employees and counsellors always vigilant of any unwanted touching or inappropriate activity between the two of them. If said activity is obversed, then immediate attention needs to be given to any and all in authority to prevent any harm or possible problems form occurring. Even the appearance of possible problem, must be dealt with swiftly.

Private Camps Owe a Duty to Provide a Safe Experience

By the very nature of the way private camps operate, they are in the business to provide a fun experience for the child or teen. Parents entrust the safety of their child to these camps to keep them from physical harm, but also prevent any sort of mental harm including unwanted touching, fondling, sexual assaults or rapes. In order protect these children while in their custody, the owners and directors of theses camps must be proactive and make sure no incident occurs or harm happens while under their control.

Needed measures to prevent such harm from occurring includes:

1. Strict screening of prospective employees and vendors that come into contact with the campers,
2. Yearly re-assessments of current employees and vendor to assure no pattern of behavior has occurred in off season.
3. Screening of all campers to assure no camper on camper attacks or assaults occur.
4. Making sure that in coed camps, that campers are not assaulted or molested by other campers and take measures form experst to mininmize or prevent such incidents from ever occuring.
5. Make sure that co-ed facilities are kept private and that one personal privacy is respected.
6. No voyeuristic pictures, hidden cameras are used and no unwanted pictures including nudity are ever taken or shared via text messages, internet or by emails by anyone, including campers, employe or counselors.
7. Assure that entrances to camps from the outside are secure from strangers or trespassers.
8. Hiring security experts to screen and talk to the employees and counselors about sexual abuse, and assaults and educate them to be vigilant on spotting potential problems or lack adherence to the written procedures.
9. Check out the employees, counsel and instructors criminal history and even have other employees report and suspicious behavior
10. Be willing to report the problem to the police, sheriff or other local authorities, instead of trying to hide the crime and ultimately not taking care and fixing the problem.

Private Camp Injury Injury Lawsuit - Talk to a Lawyer

If your child was raped, sexually assaulted or molested or severely injured at a private camp then you may have a right to bring a lawsuit to recover monetary damages against the negligent camp owner, manager or any negligent entity for their negligence.  Mr. Willis is a Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and licensed in Texas and New York with a National Presence with the Highest Available Peer Review Rating of AV. Attorney David P. Willis has practiced personal injury law, rape lawsuits, premises injury liability and trial law for over 30 years. Let his extensive professional experience help you.

If you would like to have you case or potential lawsuit discussed for free, please use our confidential evaluation form below, or if you prefer, call us at 1-800-883-9858.