Cork scout leader pleads: Don’t ban camps

The scout leader was responding to comments from the child and family agency Tusla which has questioned the viability of overnight trips because of child predator fears.
Gardaí in Cork have interviewed at least six former scouts who allege that they were abused in scouting circles.
However, the scout leader, who did not want to be named, said: “We do not want to spoil the experience of scouting for the kids, who love going to camps every year. If the overnights have to stop, we are going to be a youth club then. The whole thing about scouting is being outdoors.”
He said that scouting is so popular in his local area in Cork that there is a waiting list to get into the group.
Minister for Children, Katherine Zappone, revealed in the Dáil that Tusla had written to the board of Scouting Ireland raising concerns about child protection measures in the organisation.
The letter questioned the viability of overnight trips. But the Cork leader said such trips are at the heart of what scouting is about.