Maryland sexual assault survivor tells story about abuse inside juvenile facility
A growing number of alleged victims are coming forward saying they were abused in Maryland juvenile facilities over several decades, and some are suing for compensation.
Their advocates say the abuse scandal could rival that facing the
Catholic church
.
The flood of lawsuits started when Maryland removed the statute of limitations on
filing these cases
.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke to an alleged victim who is set to address a rally near Baltimore City Hall on Wednesday.
"At 14 years old, all you want to do is go home, so what do you do? You stay quiet and you shut up," abuse survivor Nalisha Gibbs told WJZ Investigates.
Gibbs is done being quiet, opening up about repeated sexual abuse she says she suffered as a child in 1989 and 1990 at the state-run Thomas
Waxter Children's Center in Laurel
, which has since closed.
Investigator Mike Hellgren asked Gibbs about her message to other survivors.
"That it's OK to come forward," Gibbs said. "It's OK to scream until you are heard. You deserve to be heard and you deserve your story to be told, and you deserve the healing that comes from it as well."
According to her complaint against the state, Gibbs was sexually assaulted daily by a female staff member, then threatened that she would never go home if she reported the abuse.
"She called me a throwaway," Gibbs said. "They wouldn't believe me because I'm a 'throwaway.' That's what she referred to children like me. We were throwaways to society pretty much."
Jubi Williams, the victim advocate with the law firm Levy Konigsberg representing Gibbs said her client "was physically confined, abused and then these threats confined her even more—so she was too scared. She didn't trust anybody."
Gibbs is one of 24 victims listed in just one lawsuit.
Since the Maryland Child Victims Act lifted time limits on legal claims, more than 3,500 victims have sued Maryland.
Some in the General Assembly are pushing this session for caps on damages.
"The attorney general has gone so far as to dismiss some of these cases," said Jerry Block, also with the law firm who represents Gibbs.
Block told WJZ the volume of abuse could dwarf that within the
Archdiocese of Baltimore
.
"This sexual abuse goes beyond what the attorney general uncovered with the Catholic church in Maryland," Block said. "The children were sexually abused while they were in custody. These children had nowhere to run to. They had nowhere to hide. The perpetrators had the keys to their rooms."
Gibbs hopes sharing her story stops the stigma.
"Even when you're shaken and you think nobody else is really listening to you, still say something—say something because we're going to listen to you and we believe in you, and your voice is important," Gibbs said.
The Department of Juvenile Services issued the following statement to WJZ Investigates:
"DJS takes allegations of sexual abuse of children in our care with utmost seriousness and we are working hard to provide decent, humane and rehabilitative environments for youth committed to the Department. DJS notes that all the claims brought under the Maryland Child Victims Act involve allegations from many decades ago. Beyond that, DJS will not comment on this pending litigation."
A rally is set for at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at War Memorial Plaza near Baltimore City Hall.
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