Big Brothers Big Sisters Institutional Abuse

Addressing institutional sexual abuse in the Big Brothers of Canada

If you participated in the Big Brothers program as a “little brother” and suffered sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, be aware that you have legal options to hold Big Brothers responsible and pursue damages. You also have legal options if you were abused by a mentor from the similar Big Sisters program for girls.

The most well-known part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters’ mission is likely their one-on-one community mentorship. Adult Big Brothers or Big Sisters are assigned as one-on-one mentors to young people and spend time together in their community, often for children who do not have two parents in the home. The program allows children without a father, for example, to have a male role model in their lives. The goals of the program are important, laudable and needed for children at risk.

In addition, Big Brothers and Big Sisters provide on-site mentoring to boys or girls available at specific locations like schools and community centres. This mentorship may be offered either one-on-one or to a group of youths at the same time.

The first Big Sisters chapter was founded in Canada in 1912, followed by the first Big Brothers chapter in 1913. In its own words, the aim of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is to build positive and supportive mentoring relationships “that ignite the power and potential of young people.”

Sadly, many adults throughout the decades who worked or volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters have violated the trust they were given and abused the youths that were under their charge or that they had contact with.

For many survivors, seeking justice is a key step in regaining a sense of control over their lives. Should you consider taking this step yourself, our firm’s experienced institutional abuse lawyers are ready to listen to your story and guide you through the legal claims process in a sensitive, trauma-informed manner at a pace that you are comfortable with.

What is sexual abuse?

Sexual abuse and sexual assault can include a very wide range of actions in addition to the violent and forced acts that might jump to mind. Any form of unwanted or inappropriate sexual contact may be considered abuse, no matter how severe. Claims may involve incidents such as (but not only):

• Unwanted touching or sexual acts
• Abuse that occurred over or under clothing, in private or public settings
• Single or repeated incidents

We urge you to contact us for a free initial consultation to discuss your specific experiences in detail if you feel you may have been abused while participating in Big Brothers or Big Sisters. Often victims doubt their own memories or perceptions. We are here to make sense of your case and explain your options in the justice system.

Is it too late?

Importantly, British Columbia law allows survivors of sexual abuse or sexual assault to make claims no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. Unlike with most types of legal claims, there is no statute of limitations. You have no obligation to report your abuse to police now or to have done so before, should you choose to file a civil legal claim.

That said, as with your civil claim, there is also no time limit to make a criminal complaint to police. British Columbia law specifically requires police to seriously consider any accusations of sexual abuse or sexual assault, regardless of how severe it was or when it happened.

Very often, survivors do not come forward for many decades after their abuse occurred because they feel overwhelmed by revisiting the past or unfairly feel guilt or shame, as you might. The legal system has worked in recent decades to be more understanding of the challenges people who were abused as minors face if and when deciding to come forward.

Common experiences of survivors

Being abused while participating in the Big Brothers or Big Sisters program may profoundly affect victims. Experiences vary widely. You may recognize some of these effects:

• Emotional struggles like anger, depression, or shame
• Difficulty in relationships or trust issues
• Sleep problems
• Impact on mental and physical health
• Substance abuse
• Difficulty maintaining stable employment
• Distrust in authorities
• Lifelong pain and suffering

We want to emphasize that you are not responsible for what happened to you and its effects. Feelings of shame and self-blaming may have prevented you from reporting your abuse in the past, or you were not believed when you shared with someone else. If you now want to move forward and seek justice, we can take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What compensation do we seek?

Your involvement in the case can be minimal. This is preferable for many of our clients. Claims of institutional abuse rarely go to trial.

More commonly, we have reached settlements with defendants and won compensation for our clients through negotiations. At the fastest, this may take as little as 6 months, but 3 years or even longer is possible. Usually cases will take somewhere in-between to be resolved. Like every survivor, each case is unique and will turn according to its own specific set of facts.

The damages we may pursue as compensation for you could include but are not limited to:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life and dignity
• Losses from having trouble forming healthy relationships
• Rehabilitation costs
• Lost wages both past and future

If you were previously a little brother or little sister, the agency that arranged your mentorship was local to your region. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is the larger organization overseeing the many local groups. In British Columbia, 10 agencies are part of the larger Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada organization. As your counsel, we can identify the appropriate defendants for your case and advise you of any necessary court procedures and deadlines you need to follow.

Is this a class action?

No, we exclusively represent institutional sexual abuse clients individually and seek compensation tailored to your unique losses. We believe survivors deserve to share their own story according to their wishes, have control over their lawsuits, and receive compensation they are owed based on their own losses rather than a group’s losses.

In our view, class-action lawsuits limit the freedoms of class members who want to pursue justice independently. Unless they specifically opt out by a set deadline (which they may not even be aware of), people who members of that lawsuit’s class are automatically subject to the class action’s failure or success and barred from making separate legal claims.

Additionally, negotiated settlements in class-action lawsuits tend to be much lower than those awarded when claims are handled individually.

Call us about your Big Brothers or Big Sisters institutional abuse case

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is a large institution with many resources at its disposal. We are committed to levelling the playing field for our institutional abuse clients by providing professional, well-informed legal advice and support. Call us toll-free at 1-844-373-8202 to discuss how we can do the same for you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Proudly Canadian

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