ALABAMA
AL.com
By John Sharp | jsharp@al.com
on December 12, 2014
Children victimized by sexual abuse can get free services until adulthood.
After age 18, the expenses kick for continued treatment.
In addition, research continues to indicate between 60 to 80 percent of children withhold disclosure of sexual abuse during childhood until they reach an adult age.
It can be a costly and traumatic experience, one that Alabama is ranked as one of the “worst” in the U.S. in terms of aiding victims through the civil court system.
“That cost to the public is enormous, because the victims typically have about $1 million over their lifetime in needed therapy,” Marci Hamilton, professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York and an author on the topic, said.
Hamilton, an expert in the statute of limitation laws throughout the U.S., tracks what each state does in terms of loosening restrictions on when a victim can file civil claims.
The settlements, she says, can help provide financial relief to seek therapy throughout the victim’s lifetime.
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