ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
March 4, 2019
A bill has been introduced in the California Assembly that would help protect children and support survivors by amending the state’s statutes of limitations on felony child sex crimes.
AB-218, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, is a great step forward for survivors and advocates in California. Among others, the most critical reforms in AB-218 will allow survivors of sexual violence to bring their cases forward until they are 40 years old, a massive increase from the current age of 26 and a serious help to survivors who have been suffering silence. The bill will also open a three-year “window” that would allow claims that have been previously barred by statutes of limitation to be heard.
These are major steps forward that reflect the realities of sexual violence. Survivors often take decades to come forward about their abuse – the average age of a survivor coming forward is 52 – and are often barred from seeking justice by statutes like those that AB 218 seeks to amend.
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