NEW YORK
Forward
Sam Kestenbaum
May 11, 2016
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has dodged repeated entreaties from advocates against child sexual abuse to support legislation that would enable many victims of this crime to seek justice from their abusers.
In a May 9 statement, Cuomo sidestepped pointed questions from the advocates, and from the press, about his willingness to push the state Senate to pass the Child Victims Act before the current legislative session ends June 16. The bill would eliminate New York’s statute of limitations for sexual abuse, which is one of the shortest in the nation.
“Those guilty of sexual abuse need to be held accountable,” a spokesman from Cuomo’s office wrote in an email to the Forward. “We would support changes to help ensure victims have their day in court and maintain due process.”
The Cuomo spokesman declined to clarify what kind of changes the governor supported or to state where he stood on the only bill now being considered, which is currently stalled in the state Senate.
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