NEW YORK
Saratogian
By Joseph Phelan, jphelan@digitalfirstmedia.com,, @jphelan13 on Twitter
POSTED: 06/19/17
ALBANY, N.Y.>> On Wednesday, the state Legislature is scheduled to end its annual session, and survivors of childhood sexual abuse, along with public officials, urged the Senate GOP to allow a discussion and vote on the Child Victims Act Monday morning.
“This is an issue that’s crying out for justice. People who have committed criminal acts, particularly heinous criminal acts against children, need to be held accountable,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “And we know if they are not, they continue to abuse, so simply because an individual reaches a certain age it’s not acceptable. It doesn’t give justice to the victim and it doesn’t keep the rest of us safe. It doesn’t protect the children of today, while it’s punishing the children of yesterday.”
Desirae Brown and her sisters were sexually abused by their father in different states. Brown and one of her sisters were abused in Utah and successfully prosecuted their father. He’s serving a 10 year to life prison sentence. Desirae’s sister Melody, however, was abused in New York. The statute of limitations for the crimes committed against her ran out by the time she was ready to prosecute. She was only 24.
Presently, current law allows adults, who suffered sexual abuse as children, up to the age of 23 to file a lawsuit against their sexual abuser. Earlier this month, a bill in the state assembly passed, allowing people up to the age of 50 to bring a lawsuit. The senate bill would eliminate the statute of limitations for prosecuting child sexual abuse crimes and filing civil lawsuits for damages against individuals, public institutions and private institutions related to child sexual abuse. It would also create a one-year revival period for previously time-barred civil actions, which alleged conduct representing the commission of certain sexual offenses committed against a child less than 18 years of age.
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