![]() ![]() Jim Murphy this session would require camp operators to post information about substantiated cases of abuse on the camp's website, and make a written copy available upon request, making it much easier for parents to find this crucial information. That's an enormous problem."Ī bill proposed by State Rep. ![]() ![]() "It's almost like it was an afterthought or an oversight, but it's not there. "There's very little language about physical safety of the children, sexual assault, potential sexual assault of the children," Mankarious said. "If an individual were convicted of abuse of a camper while at a youth camp, that would be a criminal violation, not a violation of our statute or rules, and it therefore would not appear as an enforcement action on the youth camp webpage." "The DSHS youth camp webpage posts enforcement actions which are violations of the Department's statute and rules, i.e., those violations that are within our jurisdiction to enforce," a DSHS spokesperson said. but for you at home, you cannot get to these records easily. We found 12 cases of alleged abuse at youth camps from 2013 to 2018. We requested abuse cases at summer camps from the state. "I think this is one area where our great, great state failed the victim's family, and really should have every other person that's potentially sending their kids to camp think twice or three times before they go," said Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston. In this case, because of the time that had elapsed, we issued a warning letter to the camp."ĭoe and child advocates are shocked to learn that the state doesn't enforce stronger punishments. Any penalty would depend on the circumstances of the case. When we asked the state about why it sent a warning letter and didn't take further disciplinary action, a spokesperson sent a response saying, "We didn't know about the abuse until we received a complaint last year. The state's recourse for the violation: just a warning letter. In fact, the state didn't learn about it until the child's mother reported it. ![]()
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