4 Public Scandals That Sparked and Forced Institutional Overhauls

Summary:

Scandals spark systemic change through public outrage, victim courage, and legal actions that force accountability and overhaul institutions.
Larry Nassar and Boy Scouts of America scandals led to resignations, bankruptcies, and survivor compensation, shifting industries towards safety and justice.
Global Youth Programs and #MeToo Movement exposed systemic failures, leading to new safety protocols, training programs, and legal defense support for survivors.

Something is in the air these days where news becomes viral in minutes, the world catches wind of the scandal, and you have their undivided attention.

The headlines could be empty ‘clickbait’, or ‘fake news’, but there seems to be a point where things become real for the readers, and the public is simply outraged! This usually ends up as the point where public outrage translates into systematic change. It can be a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, it happens when someone’s already victimized. But, from a perspective of hope and justice, it happens.

Public outcry can spur internal investigations, firing of CEO’s and other leadership, and a slew of landmark lawsuits that initiate real change in the systems. Public pressure and threatening a company’s ‘bottom line’ can have magical powers that force accountability to institutions that are systematically broken.

Below, find four scandals that didn’t just ‘trend’, they sparked a change that forced institutions to have a good look at themselves, find the wrongs, and set them right.

And no, it wasn’t ‘just’ 4, there were many, many more, it’s just that these four were most prominent.

Larry Nassar

You might remember this former USA Gymnastics team doctor, who was in the middle of the scandal that was built around victim silence.

For many years, there were accusations that USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee prioritized winning medals over athlete safety. They consistently ignored or explained away complaints while feeding off the dreams of their athlete victims.

Things changed in 2015 when the FBI initiated an investigation into allegations that there had been instances of sexual assault by Nasser. Hundreds of survivors came forth with complaints of abuse of all kinds, and it was the courage of these victims who made these statements that finally got someone to listen.

In fact, these statements were broadcast worldwide, and there was a public reckoning.

Near-total dissolution of the USA Gymnastics board
The resignation of top USOPC officials
$380 million (USD) settlement for survivors

These survivor stories started trending, and the public outcry reached the highest government levels, and the ‘Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act’ of 2020 was born.

The entire system of amateur sports was transformed, and ‘we the people’, realized that even highly respected institutions are not above the law.

Boy Scouts of America

Can you think of anything more wholesome than the Boy Scouts of America(BSA)?

A stellar reputation, a hundred years in the making, enriching the lives of young people who were learning life skills and survival skills, and how to live ‘on their honor’. Parents thought they were sending their little chickadees to learn from adults who were great mentors and safe guardians.

What a falsehood that turned out to be. In the early two thousands, thousands of alleged cases of sexual abuse that had been buried in the organization’s files under ‘perversion file’ were exposed, and the doo-doo hit the fan. The fact that this file existed and the immense cover-up associated with it was so shocking that people had trouble believing it.

Decades of abuse turned into mounting lawsuits, and in the end, the BSA had to claim bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy agreement meant the BSA had to:

Create a compensation fund for victims (to date, the claims add up to 2.4 billion dollars).
Establish the Voluntary Youth Protection Program (mandatory strict safety protocols).

The future of the Boy Scouts of America was forever changed, but by holding the organization accountable, it made it possible for tens of thousands of survivors to receive acknowledgement and compensation for their trauma, and an institutional overhaul was spurred on by the people.

Global Youth Programs

There has been a surge of lawsuits against organizations that facilitate youth services and those that volunteer for them.

On the surface, these programs were developed to help young people learn about the world and encouraged them to travel and do good worldwide by providing a service, giving their time, or friendship.

It all sounded great, but the youth service international sexual abuse lawsuit in Illinois has brought forth the systemic failures that should have protected the participants from sexual abuse. What was actually exposed was the gap of well-meaning volunteers (often teenagers), placed in vulnerable situations abroad with inadequate training or support systems.

Many of these cases were quietly resolved confidentially, but the collective legal action sent shock waves through the entire sector. All the pressures of litigation have forced organizations to implement new standards:

Mandatory background checks for all staff and host families.
Creating comprehensive victim-support protocols.
Providing detailed safety training for participants.

This shift in thinking goes to show how an organization can understand, when the pressure is on their bottom line, that they can willingly look at the system failures and shift an industry to protect future generations of volunteers.

#MeToo Movement

I think it was a long time coming, but the powerful world of Hollywood suddenly decided, ‘we’re not going to take it anymore,’ and a phenomenon like none other began.

The explosion of #MeToo, with the investigative exposure of Harvey Weinstein’s decades of predatory behavior by The New York Times and The New Yorker, a wave of allegations, and the tower of powerful figures began to tumble.

What a wake-up call to the world. Suddenly, those we thought were untouchable to these kinds of abuse impacted careers and made studios revamp the HR protocols, and altered the whole conversation around power dynamics.

Never before had services been set up by studios to help the whole industry through the chaos:

Anonymous reporting hotlines were set up for the first time.
‘Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund’ was launched to support survivors of workplace sexual harassment across all industries.
More inclusive hiring practices.
Greater, though still evolving, emphasis on safety and accountability on set.

The #MeToo movement empowered victims and survivors to be heard and believed, which resulted in change.

A huge, glamorous industry was forced to confront its darkest secrets, and it empowered the world.

Conclusion

What a long and painful journey scandals take us on.

As a society, we hear rumours, but what seems easy to disbelieve might need more light to be sure. The trust we have given people of authority over us is wild, and with fear as a powerful weapon, who wants to rock a boat?

Well, it only takes one persistent person to start a conversation, and younger generations are growing up differently from the older generation; I see a more accountable future for everyone.