RI toughens mandatory reporting law; Victims respond

By David Clohessy
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
July 8, 2016

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ri_toughens_mandatory_reporting_law_victims_respond

We applaud the brave and compassionate Rhode Island abuse victims and children’s advocates who have won reforms in the state’s mandatory reporting law. We hope state lawmakers will now take a crucial next step and relax or repeal Rhode Island’s archaic, predator-friendly statute of limitations, the single biggest obstacle that prevents child sex abuse victims from protecting kids and exposing cover ups.

http://ripr.org/post/governor-signs-bill-closing-st-georges-loophole

Because they’re driven by overwhelming, deeply-rooted compulsions that are very hard to control, few child molesters are deterred by threat of penalty. Their colleagues and supervisors, however, can be deterred from acting timidly, selfishly and irresponsibly, but only if authorities clarify and use mandatory reporting laws and push for severe sentences for those who violate those laws. That’s why yesterday’s progress is so important – it will help stop predators after their second or third victim, not their 22^nd or 33rd victim.

Sometimes, however, those who commit and conceal sexual violence against kids can’t be charged or convicted in court. Usually, the reason is excessively tight criminal and civil statutes of limitations. We hope Rhode Island legislators will now move to reform these arbitrary deadlines that give wrongdoers incentives to intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers, destroy evidence and even flee the country.

No matter what lawmakers or church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in schools, churches or other institutions – especially private ones - to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.