A Philadelphia facilities that helps children with intellectual disabilities, operated by a nonprofit health organization, has been accused of allowing at least 40 children with intellectual disabilities to be sexually abused over a period of 25 years. The Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health facilities allegedly knew about the abuse and did not make any changes to remedy the issue. Devereux, which is headquartered near Philadelphia, treats children with intellectual disabilities, mental disorders and trauma. It has become the nation’s leading nonprofit health organization of its kind.
Philadelphia City Council members have demanded that 62 local children be removed from the care of Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health facilities.
Gov. Tom Wolf, the Governor of Pennsylvania, has initiated an investigation into the conditions of the campuses in the state.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, which discovered in an investigative report that the supervision of the staff at Devereux is inadequate, also uncovered that over 40 intellectually disabled children have reported sexual assaults over the past quarter-century with no course of action to rectify the situation.
The sex assault victims had IQs as low as 50 were as young as 12 when they were allegedly assaulted by staff at Devereux campuses around the country. The abuse was reported to have occurred in the Philadelphia campuses as well as similar facilities in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Arizona.
All contracts with Devereux have been canceled, including the $7.5 million agreement it holds with Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services.
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