Res. No. 243
Title
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass and Governor Cuomo to sign the Child Victims Act.
Body
By Council Members Rosenthal and Levin
Whereas, According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday, and nearly three-quarters of all reported sexual assault victims are children; and
Whereas, In 2015, New York State had nearly 2,000 reported cases of child sexual abuse, according to the latest data by the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and
Whereas, Numerous studies have shown that rape and sexual assault are under-reported and that most victims of child sexual abuse do not report their abuse until adulthood; and
Whereas, The National Sexual Violence Resource Center indicated that 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police, and only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities; and
Whereas, Victims of child sexual abuse may pursue justice through both the criminal and civil justice systems, but in many cases, by the time that victims recognize that they have been abused and are able to tell someone about it, the statute of limitations has already expired; and
Whereas, According to advocates, New York is one considered one of the worst states in the nation for child sexual abuse statutes of limitation; and
Whereas, Under current New York State law, victims of childhood sexual abuse have until age 21 to sue institutions where the abuse took place, such as a church or a school; and
Whereas, In addition, survivors of child sexual abuse have until age 23 to file a civil case against their abuser, and criminal charges, with the exception of rape, must also be filed before a survivor turns 23; and
Whereas, Conversely, nationwide the median age of reporting child sexual abuse is 48, according to the national think tank organization Child USA, the...
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