Many children go away to camp for part of the year. It might be part of a scouting program or it might be part of some other organization, but it’s a popular way for children to get an opportunity to get away from the home for a while and to have some adventures. Unfortunately, camps have some of the characteristics of facilities that are ideal for predators. If you’re considering taking your child to a camp, take a look around the facility and watch out for the following warning signs.
Not Enough Counselors
It’s much more likely that an abusive situation will unfold if there are fewer authority figures that have a presence at the facility. If it seems like there aren’t enough counselors to watch over the children effectively, you may want to consider going to a different daycare camp or different type of facility altogether. Children need supervision and so do the people who are supervising the children.
Too Many Secret Spaces
One of the things that an abuser will look for in a place to find victims is someplace where they can go without being seen by anybody else at the facility. They will want to take their victims there to abuse them. Take a look around the camp and make certain that it doesn’t have a lot of places where a child could be isolated. There should be a feeling that, no matter where you go on the grounds, there aren’t places to hide. This is also safer for the children in general.
Unsafe Facilities
Some facilities that offer adventures for children have truly lacking equipment. Take a look at the equipment on the playground and in the bunk houses to make certain that it is up to standards. The last thing you want to do is send your child off to a camp where the facilities themselves put the child the in danger.
If your child is the victim of abuse at a camp, contact a daycare abuse attorney. They will handle these cases in the same way that they will handle daycare child abuse cases. If it can be established that the facility was negligent in the care that they gave to your child, you may be able to get an award from a jury or from a settlement that could help you pay for the costs of your child’s recovery from being abused at the facility.