Sign the Petition to Protect New York’s Children and Expose Sexual Abusers
August 24, 2009: Sign the Petition to Protect New York’s Children and Expose Sexual Abusers.
By MICHELE BETTI | b&f opinions August 24, 2009, 2009
We Need to Protect New York’s Children and Stop Shielding Sexual Abusers. Please go to nychildvictimsact.org and urge your friends, family and work colleagues to support the Child Victim’s Act of New York in a Special Session of the Legislature this fall (A2596B, Markey / S5893, Ruth Hassell Thompson).
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of unknown sex abusers of children living and working among us — in schools, churches, synagogues, youth groups, and especially in families. Two special grand juries in New York have recommended to legislators to change the New York State statute of limitations.
According to the FBI, 1 in 5 of ALL children is sexually abused before they are 18.
Many predators are life-long abusers, with as many as 100 victims. Yet, only 10% of this abuse is ever reported to authorities.
This epidemic is made worse by those who have criminally covered up for abusers and are themselves shielded by the state’s statute. For example, two special grand juries in NYS — Suffolk and Westchester — have uncovered orchestrated criminal actions by religious institutions using deception and intimidation to delay victims from legal recourse until the statute of limitations expired.
There is one proven way to discover predators and their protectors. “…the NYS legislature should enact a statute similar to the state of California that revives civil actions for damages for a period of one year….” — Suffolk County Special Grand Jury.
New York Should Protect Its Most Precious Citizens
When California enacted a similar law, it discovered more than 300 undetected predators. Delaware, a much smaller state, has discovered more than 60. Given that predators have multiple victims; thousands of children have now been protected in just these two pioneering states.
New York’s children deserve this protection, too.
