NEW YORK
The Buffalo News
By Melanie Blow
I know where a dangerous sex offender lives. He’s not registered under Megan’s Law and can pass a background check. I believe he is still abusing kids. I know where he meets them and where he abuses them. There is nothing I can do to stop him.
I know this man is dangerous because when I was a child he sexually abused me. I didn’t tell anyone, because he’s a relative and I didn’t want to cause family strife.
When I heard he sexually abused another girl, I called the police hoping to protect other kids. However, I learned that at the tender age of 24, I was too old to press charges. New York’s statute of limitations had closed.
I’ve attended hundreds of support groups and met thousands of survivors. My story is common. One in five children are sexually abused. It takes them an average of 21 years to disclose their abuse. By the time most survivors can talk about their abuse, they can’t press charges. That’s wrong, and dangerous to children.
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