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Foster care is designed to provide vulnerable children, many of whom have already suffered trauma and painful loss, with safe and loving homes. When children experience sexual abuse in Los Angeles foster care homes, their emotional losses are compounded and can follow them into adulthood.
If you or someone you love was victimized by sexual abuse in the foster care system, help is available, and we can be your advocate. Consult with an experienced child sexual abuse attorney at Boren Law, P.C., today.
In a recent settlement, an unprecedented four billion dollars ($4,000,000,000.00) was tentatively approved to compensate victims of child sexual abuse in the Los Angeles County substitute care programs, including the foster care system (as well as various juvenile detention centers). This profound, historic settlement was made possible, in part, by a recent California state law that extends the time frame for filing child sexual abuse claims. This culture of abuse and neglect dates back decades, resulting in a large number of victims in the foster care system and inadequate oversight regarding those providing care. These collective claims highlight the fact that, when children are at their most vulnerable, LA County has consistently failed them.
While many foster parents provide foster children with excellent care and a safe, loving home, this is not always the case for far too many vulnerable children. The system handles thousands of children and is often described as lacking transparency and inadequately equipped to handle allegations of sexual abuse effectively—even though those who work in the system are technically required to report claims of abuse, including known or suspected dangers to children.
In Los Angeles, child sexual abuse in foster families is often attributed to a serious lack of oversight regarding issues, including:
The emotional scars associated with child sexual abuse can last a lifetime. Survivors of sexual abuse often experience heightened anxiety and must grapple with feelings of betrayal and isolation that can be very difficult to overcome, but an experienced legal advocate can help survivors seek a sense of justice for this unprecedented harm.
Abusive sexual behavior in the Los Angeles foster homes can take a wide range of forms, including the following.
Exposing children to pornography or sexually explicit content of any kind is not only harmful but also a form of sexual abuse. When combined with inappropriate touching, this can constitute child sexual abuse under the law.
Verbal sexual harassment involves sexual comments, propositions, and/or threats and pressure to participate in sexual activities. When combined with inappropriate touching, this can constitute child sexual abuse under the law. Any form of sexual interaction with a child is abuse, and when the abuser is the child’s foster parent or someone within the foster home, the negative impact is immense.
Intentional contact with a child’s body for one’s own or anyone else’s sexual pleasure qualifies as sexual abuse, regardless of whether the touching is over or under the child’s clothing. The same is true when a child is forced to touch an adult inappropriately.
When sexual abuse progresses to the point that rape, attempted rape, or penetration is involved, the sexual abuse can be considerably more severe. Any form and any degree of penetration for sexual pleasure and/or harm suffices under this category.
If you or someone you care about suffered sexual abuse in Los Angeles foster care homes or within group homes for foster children, you can fight for justice and may be able to receive compensation for the harm you or a loved one has suffered. Our legal team will advocate for you every step of the way. We do not receive a fee unless we win a verdict or achieve a successful settlement on your behalf. Do not hesitate to contact Boren Law, P.C., online or call for help today.