SOUTH DAKOTA
The Worthy Adversary
Posted by Joelle Casteix on January 26, 2012
How about a little good news: It looks like South Dakota lawmakers are working to undo a terrible wrong.
The South Dakota House of Representatives is considering a bill that will abolish the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. If passed, the law will be in direct rebuttal to a 2010 law that SHORTENED the civil statute of limitations and was deliberately written to silence Native American victims of abuse.
Testimony is scheduled next week, and lawmakers will hear from dozens of South Dakota victims, many of whom were physically and sexually abused in Church-run “orphanages” for Native American kids. (I put the word “orphanages” in quotes because living at the schools was mandatory for children in many reservations across the state.) You can read more about some of the schools here. According to the church’s own documents, abuse at the schools had been prevalent for decades.
Canada had similar institutions – many run by the same religious orders as the schools in North Dakota – but in response to the horrific abuses, the Canadian Government started a special government commission dedicated to the healing of Indian school victims, shining a light on the crimes that took place, and holding responsible parties accountable.
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