Access to Justice: Abolishing the Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse Crimes
Devyne Byrd, Esq. | September 21 | 9:45-10:45 am
Topic: Legal | Knowledge Level: Beginner
Statutes of Limitations (SOLs) are currently a significant obstacle that survivors of child sex abuse (CSA) and law enforcement face when trying to bring perpetrators to justice and prevent future crimes (Hamilton, 2012). Due to delayed disclosure, most victims do not come forward for decades during which time the SOLs have expired, and charges and convictions are precluded (O’Leary & Barber, 2008). However, due to pushback and lobbying from entrenched cultural organizations such as the Catholic Church, the SOLs have been intentionally kept short (Collin-Vézina et al., 2015). The presenter will argue that abolishing the SOLs for all CSA crimes is the best legal practice available to ensure victims have access to justice and perpetrators are prevented from reoffending. CHILD Global, in conjunction with the Brave Movement, has created a Global Task Force to address this issue by researching current SOLs and lobbying national governments to extend or abolish them completely. Through partnering with grassroots organizations and on-the-ground lobbying, members of the task force have successfully fought to abolish the SOLs in Chile. The Global Task Force combines research on the reasons for disclosure, organizations and laws that systematically intervene in prosecution, the rates of recidivism in aging perpetrators, and the economic costs to society. This presentation goes through the research on global SOLs and how they have blocked victims from pursuing justice and provides an overview of the legal best practice of the SOLs for CSA victims. Attendees will gain comprehensive knowledge of the current shortcomings of the law in this area that have created a child protection crisis, and the steps necessary to overcome it.
Presentation Objectives:
· Provide an overview of the current global statutes of limitations trends for child sexual abuse crimes
· Discuss the research and data that support abolishing SOLs for CSA
· Explain the societal benefits of abolishing SOLs