NEWARK (NJ)
Star-Ledger
September 7, 2018
By Patricia Teffenhart
The formation of a task force this week by the Attorney General’s Office to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by members of the clergy is an important step in the right direction for New Jersey.
But we cannot stop here.
As the #MeToo movement converges with continued reports of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, it’s time for us to acknowledge that some of New Jersey’s outdated laws ensure many survivors still won’t be able to pursue justice — making it impossible to hold those who have committed such heinous acts accountable.
New Jersey is an ugly outlier in the nation — since 2002, when the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” series shone a light on institutional child sexual abuse, 80 percent of states have made changes to their statutes of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse.
The Garden State has made no changes.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.