GEORGIA
Online Athens
By WALTER C. JONESMORRIS NEWS SERVICE – updated Tuesday, February 3, 2015
ATLANTA | Justin Conway testified that he didn’t realize until age 35 that the sexual abuse he suffered as a boy was still affecting him, and when he reached that realization it was too late to prosecute or sue, which is why he told legislators Monday the law should be changed.
“This is what I thought: People who do these things go to jail. But that’s not true,” he said.
Conway was among the male and female victims and their family members who testified before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, along with legal and psychological experts. One witness said she was in the place of her son, who didn’t wish to come to the Capitol for fear of encountering the lobbyist who had abused him. All supported House Bill 17, the Hidden Predator Act, sponsored by Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine.
The mental and emotional development of child-sexual-abuse victims is often delayed because the perpetrator is usually a trusted, “institutional figure” like a parent, coach or preacher, leaving victims confused until middle age when they have children of their own or even later, according to Dr. Carlene Taylor, a psychologist in St. Marys, Ga., specializing in cases of sexual abuse. She said one in four girls and every fifth boy is a victim, but the frequency of the crime isn’t commonly accepted because victims are reluctant to confront abusers who are respected community members.
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