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	Eliminate Statue of Limitations on Child Abuse Lawsuits The Star-Ledger December 18, 2011 http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2011/12/eliminate_statue_of_limitation.html When a victim of childhood sexual abuse steps forward in search of justice, the only standard should be truth. Because of the evasive, enduring nature of childhood abuse, the statute of limitations is an artificial hurdle that should be eliminated. Last week, advocates for abuse victims asked top New Jersey lawmakers to move on a stalled bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations entirely for lawsuits alleging childhood sex abuse. New Jersey abolished the statute of limitations on criminal sex abuse cases in 1996. The logic for civil cases should be the same — the doors to justice should remain open as long as necessary. Statutes of limitations are meant to encourage swift justice — to ensure criminal charges or civil suits are filed while evidence and memories are fresh. The current New Jersey limit on child sex abuse is two years after abuse is linked to later problems. That's not enough. Childhood sex abuse creates a different kind of victim. Child victims need time — to remember the crime, connect it to destructive adult behaviors, build courage to act. A child victim still deserves justice 30 years later. Moreover, those who commit sex crimes against children don't stop with age. A man who abused children in the 1970s may be abusing others today. For many childhood sex abuse victims, the civil courts are their only recourse. What most seek is justice, not money. They want their pain acknowledged and their abuser punished — in whatever form that takes. When victims of childhood sexual abuse step forward to tell their stories, they should find the courthouse doors open to them. In the name of acknowledging past abuse and preventing future assaults, eliminate New Jersey's time limits on such lawsuits.
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