Lassa: My Bills Will Help Victims of Sexual Assault Get Justice COLUMN

By Julie Lassa
The Stevens Point Journal
November 3, 2013

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20131104/SPJ06/311040125/Lassa-My-bills-will-help-victims-sexual-assault-get-justice-column-?gcheck=1

Becoming the victim of any crime is enough to change your life forever, but sexual assault victims undergo a unique set of challenges. The shame and stigma of being victimized sexually makes it very difficult to go before strangers in the criminal justice system and relive the details of the crime. Unfortunately, some people are quick to blame the victims, believing that they “brought it on themselves” through their actions.

In most instances, the perpetrators of sexual assault are not strangers to the victim, but someone the victim knows – often authority figures like parents, relatives or coworkers. Reporting this crime means not only reliving one’s own humiliation, but can potentially turn the victim’s world upside down. This is especially true for children, who are the victims of two-thirds of sexual assaults.

For all these reasons, authorities estimate that sexual assault is among the most underreported crimes. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 74 percent of completed and attempted sexual assaults against females were not reported to law enforcement. It can take years for victims to come to terms with what has happened to them and to find the courage to talk about what happened to them.

Through the years, I have advocated for public policy that understands and respects the unique challenges that sexual assault victims face in reporting these horrific crimes. Arbitrary statutes of limitation and other deadlines that unnecessarily penalize victims who, for whatever reason, don’t immediately report these crimes have two negative consequences: They prevent sexual assault victims from obtaining justice and, because they discourage victims from reporting the crime, leave the perpetrator free to victimize others.

Two pieces of legislation I have introduced this session will help sexual assault victims overcome these hurdles. The Child Victims Act removes the civil statute of limitations on child sexual assault entirely, so pedophiles would no longer be protected by a legal “home free” date from facing their victims in court. It would also provide a two-year window in which a person who is currently arbitrarily barred by the statute of limitations from bringing a suit would be allowed to bring their charges forward.

In California, where a similar time window for retroactive suits was enacted, 300 previously unknown child sex abusers were identified as a result. The Child Victims Act will enable victims of sexual abuse to have their day in court and hold more offenders accountable for their actions, preventing them from preying on other innocent children.

I have also introduced Lindsey’s Law, which will provide better access to counseling and mental health treatment for victims of sexual assault and remove the one-year application deadline for access to the Crime Victim Fund for victims seeking mental health services. The bill is named for a sexual assault victim who was denied compensation from the Crime Victims Fund because she did not report the crime until the deadline had expired. Under this bill, a person who is a victim of certain sexual assault crimes, including sexual assault against a child and human trafficking, may apply for an award for compensation from the Department of Justice for the payment of mental health services for as long as the crime committed against him or her is prosecutable under the applicable statutes of limitation.

These bills will help the victims of sexual assault attain justice for the crimes that were committed against them. At the same time, they will aid the process of identifying perpetrators so that they cannot create more victims. Both bills are supported by advocates for sexual assault victims, and I hope they will gain bipartisan support in the Legislature.