CHAPMAN LAW REVIEW Citation: Emily C. Hoskins, Actions Speak Louder Than Words: When Should Courts Find that Institutions have a Duty to Protect Minor Children from Sexual Abuse?, 24 CHAP. L. REV. 487 (2021). --For copyright information, please contact
[email protected]. CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY | FOWLER SCHOOL OF LAW | ONE UNIVERSITY DRIVE | ORANGE, CALIFORNIA 92866 WWW.CHAPMANLAWREVIEW.COM Do Not Delete 5/17/2021 12:13 PM Actions Speak Louder Than Words: When Should Courts Find that Institutions have a Duty to Protect Minor Children from Sexual Abuse? Emily C. Hoskins INTRODUCTION “Our greatest responsibility as members of a civilized society is our common goal of safeguarding our children, our chief legacy, so they may grow to their full potential and can, in time, take our places in the community at large.”1 It is hard to disagree with this statement, and rightfully so. Minor children are one of the most vulnerable classes of people, yet when it comes to ensuring their safety against sexual abuse, the courts, the legislature, and society as a whole, have utterly failed them. Nearly sixty years ago, the court acknowledged sexual molestation and assault by third parties was a foreseeable crime for which children involved in youth programs should be protected.2 Yet here we are as a society, decades later, still dealing with continuous allegations of sexual abuse, like those lodged against USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar. The stories of abuse are horrifying, and the lifelong effects on the young children who suffered the abuse are even worse. Instead of working to solve the problem on an institutional level, these youth programs are spending countless hours and millions of dollars attempting to dodge all responsibility.