Mary, now a mother of two, is one of more than 150 sexual abuse survivors who have filed a civil lawsuit against the city of New York.
“I was there because of bad decisions, bad friendships, with the concept that they were going to rehabilitate me there to make me a better person in the city, sadly that was not what happened, many bad things happened to me and my body,” he says.
Soto, now 30 years old, alleges that an employee at the Horizon Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx began abusing her when she was 14 years old.
They accuse the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and the NYC Department of Corrections of failing to take adequate measures to protect them.
“Because many people tried to talk and I saw how they were treated afterwards, they called them a liar, they told them that no one was going to believe them because they were there for their positions, which were not the best positions,” explains one of those affected.
The lawsuits, filed by law firm Levy Konigsberg, indicate that the victims were between 11 and 17 years old.
“I want to be the voice for women of color and more Latinas as well, and break the culture that it is okay for an older person to disrespect your body,” she explains.
The lawsuit indicates that the sexual abuse cases occurred under the supervision of the Administration for Children’s Services at the Horizon and Rikers Island juvenile detention centers, as well as at Spofford, which closed in 2011.
Jerome details: “The sexual predators in these cases were not other minors. They were juvenile detention center staff, correctional officers, counselors, nurses and even supervisors.”
This is made possible by a City Council law that establishes a two-year period for survivors to file civil lawsuits against their abusers regardless of when it happened.
This window will be open until March 1, 2025.
“It was not controversial, there were no problems, it was approved because we understand the importance of things like this and we understand that there are many people fighting,” says the councilor.
They highlighted that despite several investigations and campaigns to close or reform juvenile detention centers, New York City has failed to end a culture of sexual abuse.
For its part, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office sent us a statement saying:
“Sexual abuse and harassment are abhorrent and unacceptable, and we take these allegations very seriously. Although these cases predate this administration, the Legal Department will review them once received and respond appropriately.”
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