Foster Care Sex Abuse

A Nationwide Problem

Children in the care of the juvenile court system are vulnerable to sexual predation. Nearly 10 percent of youths in juvenile facilities have experienced one or more incidents of sexual abuse by another youth or facility staff member, according to a report entitled Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2012. This Bureau of Justice Statistic survey found that foster care sex abuse was distressingly rampant in our juvenile court system.

A child in foster care is 28 times more likely to experience foster care sex abuse, emotional deprivation, and physical neglect, according to Johns Hopkins University. According to LiftingTheVeil, over 28% of children in the California state foster care system are abused in some fashion. Furthermore, an Indiana study found that foster care children suffer three times as much physical abuse and twice as much sexual abuse as other children. Also, one third of foster children in Oregon and Washington State reported abuse at the hands of their foster parents.

Arrow Child and Family Ministries, an international child-placement agency, released a report. This report claimed that 40-50% of foster children never complete high school. Furthermore, 66% of them will be homeless, arrested, or dead within one year of leaving foster care at age 18. Arrow calls it a “national foster care crisis”.

Take Action to Stop Foster Care Sex Abuse

Social workers need to be vigilant for signs of sexual abuse. Anyone who suspects that child sex abuse has taken place should contact our law firm to represent their legal needs. Just because a child is a ward of the state doesn’t mean they lack rights. Like any child, foster children have a right to a safe and secure environment.

If you are the parent or guardian of a "system" child that has been sexually abused, call the law firm of Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard. We can give the child a chance to collect fair compensation, which will assist them with education and therapy. If you or someone you love was a victim of foster care sex abuse, you have the right to pursue a civil lawsuit against the abuser, as well as the agency responsible for placing you in a dangerous environment.