BishopAccountability.org

Give sex abuse victims their day in court

By Ken Tingley
Post-Star
June 18, 2017

http://poststar.com/opinion/columnists/give-sex-abuse-victims-their-day-in-court/article_c456dac5-8c89-5577-b4b5-9a7a8ece7036.html

The stories are horrific.

I know, I’ve heard quite a few of them. Each time I write about the sexual abuse of children, I get another email or phone call from someone wanting to tell their story.

The victims are decades removed from the abuse — many at the hands of the clergy — and are still searching for what has so far been elusive: justice.

In New York, victims of child sexual abuse cannot bring charges after the age of 23. Considering what we know today about victims repressing these crimes, blaming themselves and fearing no one will believe them, the law is a travesty.

What is an equal travesty is that the Legislature in Albany has been unable to deliver that justice for more than a decade, and with time running out in the legislative session, the chances don’t look much better.

The Child Victim’s Act, which extends the statute of limitations to the age of 28 and allows victims to file lawsuits up until age 50, passed the Assembly 139-7 with both Dan Stec and Carrie Woerner voting for it. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also endorsed the bill this past week, leaving it in the hands of Republicans in the state Senate.

It is up to them to deliver justice.

So far, that appears unlikely.

What they are reluctant to do is to provide past victims with their day in court.

The bill provides a one-year window for victims to file a lawsuit against their abusers, regardless of when the abuse took place.

It allows the victims their day in court.

It allows them closure.

Last month, the director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference told the Legislative Gazette, “People today cannot be held responsible for the atrocities committed by people of the past.”

While I agree the people can’t, the institutions they represent should.

That’s justice.

That’s the right thing to do.

State Sen. Elizabeth Little does not support the Child Victim’s Act because of the one-year look back. She has chosen to protect the financial concerns of institutions like the Catholic Church over victims.

On Friday, she met with two victims who were sexually abused as children and still did not change her mind.

I don’t see how she can look the other way.

I don’t know how you cannot be morally outraged.

The victims should be allowed to have their day in court. If you believe in justice, you must support that.

There was a headline earlier this week that shocked this community: “Sex sting busts 12.”

Police advertised online for men wanting to have sex with underage girls.

According to police, 12 pursued the offer. They included a downstate corrections officer, a radio personality and a school bus driver.

More than half of the accused lived locally.

We like to believe these crimes are isolated incidents that cannot happen to our children, but this sting suggests otherwise. The sins of the past are still with us today.

But what should be more shocking is the state Senate’s inaction in addressing this issue and its choice to support powerful institutions.

These were children who were terrorized.

It is time to do the right thing.

Give these victims their day in court.

They have until Wednesday.

 

Contact: tingley@poststar.com




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