Summer & Youth Camp Sexual Abuse: How to Get Help
Camp sexual abuse is an ongoing issue that impacts hundreds of children every year - and they deserve to understand their rights and options to seek justice and healing.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
Key Takeaways
- Camp sexual abuse can be perpetrated by other attendees, camp staff, or volunteers and can include anything from grooming and inappropriate touching to physical sexual assault.
- If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse at a camp or youth program, you have rights and options, including reporting the abuse to the camp and reporting the incident to law enforcement.
- You may also be eligible to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator and the camp for the sexual abuse to seek monetary compensation for the harm and help prevent future harm from occurring to others.
Summer & Youth Camp Sexual Abuse: An Overview
Children who attend summer or youth camp programs hope to have fun with other campers while learning new skills. However, rather than having these enjoyable experiences, many campers are harmed by camp counselors, summer camp employees, and other youths attending the camps.
Some youth and summer camps are sleepaway camps, meaning the campers are often gone for days to weeks, while other programs only operate during the daytime. Harm can happen regardless of the type of summer or youth camp a child attends. Moreover, it’s often underreported by those who experience it.
Other campers can perpetrate camp sexual abuse, but more often, camp employees or volunteers commit it. Some of these employees or volunteers may be under the age of 18, while others may be adult predators who purposefully find employment or opportunities at camps to have easy access to potential victims.
Sexual abuse at youth camps includes the following behavior:
- Grooming
- Inappropriate comments or jokes
- Inappropriate touching
- Voyeurism, or watching or recording bathing, changing, or other activities without consent
- Indecent exposure
- Molestation, such as touching private areas
- Sexual assault
- Rape
Those harmed by sexual abuse, especially minors, often exhibit changes in behavior and actions following the abuse.
Some warning signs or behaviors of youth camp sexual abuse may include:
- An overall change in disposition
- Avoidance of people or specific individuals
- Bedwetting or soiling
- Trouble walking, sitting, or standing
- Comments or concerns about their or another’s genitalia
- Comments or awareness of sexual topics that are not age-appropriate
- Sleep disturbances
- Reluctance to go back to camp
- Depression and anxiety
If you or a loved one has experienced any form of sexual abuse at a camp, help and healing is available. Depending on the circumstances, the options may vary. However, the survivor should have control over how to proceed. It is not the child’s fault, and they need support in whatever choices are made moving forward.
Summer & Youth Camp Sexual Abuse: Legal Rights and Options
In general, those who experience sexual abuse as children often do not tell anyone for years due to a variety of factors, including shame, guilt, and fear. Creating an environment where children feel safe to tell an adult about any inappropriate conduct by an adult or other camper is crucially important.
If something happens and an adult is notified, the child must feel protected, supported, and believed immediately. It’s important to ensure the child impacted feels listened to not only during the reporting process but also throughout the actions taken afterward. Children can freeze up or shut down when forced to report to law enforcement, undergo medical exams, or participate in other processes. Such a response is common when the processes are not explained, or they feel they lack control. Make sure that the child understands that they won’t get in trouble and that you will be there to support them. Ask them what they need throughout the process.
Before officially reporting the incident, you may want to have the child visit a medical provider or a counselor to ensure they feel supported and get medical treatment. Their needs may vary depending on the facts and circumstances, including age, gender, and what happened to the child. These visits will document that you reported the matter and sought medical assistance.
There are three main options for reporting camp sexual abuse: report the matter to the camp, report the incident to law enforcement, and file a civil lawsuit against the camp and perpetrator.
If you or a loved one has experienced camp sexual abuse and are thinking about any of these options, reaching out to an advocacy organization like Helping Survivors before taking action can be immensely helpful. We can help you understand the processes involved, explain how to preserve your rights when reporting the matter, and connect you with an experienced camp sexual abuse attorney who can answer your questions.
Report Sexual Abuse to Camp
Whether the individual is still in camp or has already ended the program, reporting to the camp can create a valuable paper trail documenting the harm. Depending on the size of the camp, it may have its own reporting process. However, there may not be any “official” process.
First, we recommend reporting everything in writing to the highest official or board member via email or another written form of communication rather than over the phone or in person. This ensures that your communications and their responses are captured in writing for future use if needed.
In your report, you should include the following:
- Dates and times of important incidents
- Date and time you learned about the matter
- Who was involved
- What happened, including the child’s description and an adult’s interpretation of what happened
- Names and contact information of any potential witnesses
- Any potential evidence
In your report, you may also want to ask explicit questions regarding how the camp will handle the sexual abuse report. Important information to solicit includes the following:
- What actions will immediately be taken by the camp
- Whether the alleged perpetrator will be suspended from all camp-related activities until an investigation is complete
- Their process for investigating sexual abuse allegations
- Whether the staff member or volunteer underwent a background check and what types of background checks were performed
- How they plan to proceed in general
If the camp asks to speak to you in person or over the phone, you should tell them you will record the meeting for the child’s safety. If they request a call or meeting, you should consult an experienced camp sexual abuse lawyer as soon as possible. Ideally, you should do this before the meeting.
Helping Survivors works with a network of law firms nationwide and can connect you with someone who can help today.
Report Camp Sexual Abuse to Law Enforcement
While reporting to the camp itself will trigger an internal investigation, this may only result in the individual’s discharge from the camp. The camp will likely not report the incident to law enforcement to avoid jeopardizing its operating license.
Reporting to law enforcement will trigger an investigation to determine whether prosecutors will press criminal charges against the perpetrator.
There are misconceptions about reporting to law enforcement. For example, an individual cannot press charges against another individual. You have a right to file a report with law enforcement, and they will investigate it based on the applicable laws and available resources. This information is then provided to prosecutors, who decide whether to file criminal charges and determine what charges to bring.
You can prepare the child for reporting to law enforcement by letting them know what will happen, practicing the report by writing down everything they remember about the experience, and explaining in age-appropriate ways what may happen. If a child is scared or does not tell everything to law enforcement, this could jeopardize the investigation and the ability of prosecutors to press charges.
Additionally, reporting to law enforcement should only be done with the knowledge and consent of the child. While a variety of factors impact the state’s ability to press charges, law enforcement tends to take reports of child sexual abuse seriously and investigate them vigorously.
Explore Filing a Civil Lawsuit for Youth Camp Sexual Abuse
Survivors of youth camp sexual abuse are entitled to file a civil lawsuit against those who caused their harm. This includes both the perpetrator and any organizations that enabled the abuse.
The camp program’s own misconduct or negligence may have facilitated the sexual abuse by giving the perpetrator access to the child. The camp may have ignored warning signs that the abuse was possible. Negligent supervision and hiring practices could provide grounds for filing a lawsuit against the camp.
Moreover, the camp may be liable for its actions following a report of abuse. For instance, you may have reported the sexual abuse allegations to the camp program, and it did not investigate, did not take appropriate action against the alleged perpetrator, or retaliated against you or the child for reporting.
Eligibility to file a civil lawsuit for youth camp sexual abuse depends on numerous factors. One key factor is the civil statute of limitations for the jurisdiction where the harm occurred.
The statute of limitations is a law that imposes a deadline for taking legal action. Criminal statutes of limitation govern the time for law enforcement to press charges and civil statutes of limitation set the deadline for filing a lawsuit. In many states, the statute of limitations for a sexual abuse lawsuit is only one year from the date of the incident. Therefore, speaking to an experienced attorney as soon as possible is critical.
In a civil youth camp sexual abuse lawsuit, the survivor seeks monetary compensation for their harm. The compensation may cover the expense of mental health support, medical support, and other healing. Survivors may also seek non-economic damages that cover the impacts of the harm on their lives, such as loss of quality of life, pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
Depending on state law, you may also be able to seek punitive damages that punish wrongdoers and prevent future harm.
Youth camp sexual abuse lawsuits can often be filed under seal or anonymously as a “Jane Doe” or “John Doe,” protecting the victim’s identity.
Helping Survivors works with law firms nationwide that offer free consultations for camp sexual abuse cases. These firms only take these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront costs, and the firm only gets paid if and when you win.
Please contact us today if you have any questions about reporting youth camp sexual abuse or filing a civil lawsuit.
We are here to listen and advocate for you.
Camp Sexual Abuse Cases in the Media
Over the last decade, we have seen a rise in the media reporting youth camp sexual abuse cases. They help shine a light on this disturbing issue and the individuals and organizations who are behind the harm.
Michael Smida & Star Hill Family Athletic Center
According to new reports, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, or DCF, recently took action against Michael Smida, the director of the Star Hill Family Athletic Center’s day camp.
DCF reportedly learned of the August 2023 incident a day after it occurred when a 12-year-old boy told his mother that “a weird incident occurred in the Rocky Neck bathhouse” with Smida.
The DCF, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, and the Connecticut State Police opened an investigation into the matter. While law enforcement allegedly obtained an email with a confession corroborating the victim’s claims, the New London State’s Attorney’s Office did not press charges.
However, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood cited the Star Hill Family Athletic Center for multiple violations of abuse and neglect and asked the camp to surrender its youth camp license, stating, “The evidence that we currently have raises significant concerns for us.”
The camp did not surrender its license and was then issued a consent order stating: “The licensee shall not permit Michael Smida to provide care or have unsupervised access to a child” and “shall not permit Michael Smida to participate in any direct management, oversight or personnel function related to the operation of the youth camp.”
The managing member of Star Hill signed that consent order in March 2024. However, when news reporters contacted the camp, the person who answered the phone call referred to Michael Smida as one of the people still in charge. He is also still listed as part owner of the Star Hill Family Athletic Center’s LLC, the camp’s operator.
While criminal charges have not yet been brought against Smida, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood’s investigation is ongoing. If you or someone you know has been sexually abused by Michael Smida, please get in touch as soon as possible.
Robert Nault & YMCA of the Pines at Camp Ockanickon
In August 2024, Robert Nault was charged with possessing images and videos of child sexual abuse materials.
Robert Nault is a 23-year-old previously employed by the YMCA of the Pines in Medford, NJ. He worked at the YMCA’s Camp Ockanickon, an overnight camp for boys, and the School’s Out program as a summer counselor. Currently, investigators have said that Nault has not been accused of any offenses related to inappropriate physical contact with minors. However, investigations are still ongoing.
The arrest was made after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children informed the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office that Nault allegedly accessed and stored child sexual abuse materials. He was released after his first hearing on August 21, 2024, and the case will soon be presented to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Anyone with information concerning potentially illegal activities involving Robert Nault should contact the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office at tips@co.burlington.nj.us, the Mount Laurel Police Department at Tips@mountlaurelpd.org, or the Medford Township Police Department at Info@medfordpolice.org.
Lawsuit Filed Against the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City
In June 2024, the family of a 9-year-old boy filed a lawsuit against the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City, alleging that the child was raped by another child at a summer camp in 2023. They also filed a lawsuit against the perpetrator’s family. The complaint includes counts of sexual abuse and battery and childhood sexual abuse against the perpetrator. It also includes three counts of negligence against both the perpetrator and the Boys and Girls Clubs.
The lawsuit alleges that the perpetrator was previously expelled from his school and moved to an alternative school after inappropriately touching other students. The survivor’s family alleges that camp staff allowed the perpetrator to be unsupervised around other campers despite his history. The Boys and Girls Club “knew or should have known about [the perpetrator’s] deviate and dangerous exploitative propensities and/or that he was unfit to be left unsupervised,” the complaint says.
Dylan T. Stolz & Brant Lake Camp
In July 2018, Dylan Stolz, an employee of the elite Brant Lake summer camp in New York’s Adirondacks for over 30 years, was arrested on five counts of sexual abuse for sexual contact with individuals younger than 11 years old. After additional investigations, law enforcement charged him with a total of 27 sexual offenses. He agreed to a plea deal and was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in state prison, followed by 10 years of parole. He also must register as a sex offender.
Before his arrest, Stolz was also a teacher for the Hewlett-Woodmere School District in Long Island, New York.
Founded in 1916, Brant Lake Camp is an all-boys camp that costs upwards of $12,775 per session. The organization reportedly terminated Stolz once they were notified of the abuse allegations. The camp itself notified law enforcement of the alleged abuse.
One of the campers’ families filed suit against Brant Lake Camp over the harm their 11-year-old child suffered. The camp’s insurer settled with the family for $500,000. If Stolz or others sexually abused you or your child, there may still be time to file a lawsuit against Brant Lake Camp.
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