The Canadian Boy Scout employee accused of sex crimes was its spokesperson

The Canadian Boy Scout employee accused of sex crimes was its spokesperson

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CBC News has learned that a long-serving employee of the Boy Scouts of Canada is now facing historic child sex crime charges, and he is the spokesperson for the organization’s policy to protect young people from sexual abuse.

Ottawa’s 67-year-old John Rietveld (John Rietveld) Indicted on June 16 There is one crime for sodomy and molestation of men, and two crimes for sexual assault, sexual interference with a person under the age of 16, and sexual contact with a person under the age of 16.

The organization confirmed that Rietveld first joined the Boy Scouts of Canada in 1975 and served as their executive director of national communications from 1987 to 1998.

In the 1990s, his name appeared in Ottawa citizen, Vancouver Sun. with McLean A story about the organization’s efforts to prevent child abuse.

These measures include the introduction of mandatory police background checks and volunteer screening training.

“We rely on a screening program that we consider to be quite progressive, and other organizations are using this program as an example,” Rietveld was quoted in a 1999 report Vancouver Sun. The article details how the Boy Scouts of Canada made every effort to create a safe environment.

Subsequently, Rietveld was transferred to Executive Director of Revenue Development from 1999 to 2001, and then served as President and Executive Director of the Scout Foundation of Canada from 2002 to 2011.

Allegations of sexual assault on boys and girls

The allegations against Rietveld refer to incidents involving a boy in Niagara Falls and Mississauga, Ontario between 1978 and 1980.

The incident involving a girl allegedly occurred between 2004 and 2005 in Perth and Ottawa, Ontario.

None of these allegations have been confirmed in court. The identities of both children are protected by a publication ban.

Following 2011 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Survey The Boy Scouts of Canada, released by the organization Package apology Learn how it handles sexual assault.

This The results of the independent review in 2012, An investigation conducted by the auditing company KPMG found that there were 65 incidents in which Scouts Canada failed to inform the police of the allegations, and there were 64 incidents in which it was not clear whether to inform the police.

Rietveld was not flagged in the 2012 review

audit Covering 486 records from 1947 to 2011 Adult Boy Scout leaders have been suspended or terminated due to allegations of sexual misconduct against children and youth.

The Boy Scouts of Canada stated that all documents were shared with the police after the review.

“I can confirm that Mr. Rietveld’s name was not marked in the KPMG review,” Kayleigh Kanoza of the Boy Scouts of Canada said in a statement.

“The first time we learned about Mr. Rietveld’s concerns was in 2018, when the Ottawa Police Department informed us that he was under investigation. The Boy Scouts of Canada are deeply concerned about Mr. Rietveld’s allegations and we will support the police investigation, no matter what We will all be able to.”

Canoza added that Rietveld “never during his tenure” was responsible for screening and security matters, and was unable to access documents related to the protection of youth.

The Boy Scouts of Canada implemented mandatory police record checks on staff and volunteers in 1997. It also requires vulnerable sector inspections specifically for child-related crimes.

The organization stated that it has a central team of security professionals responsible for resolving security issues across Canada and ensuring immediate reporting to the authorities.



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