The Record: Closure for victims

The Record
October 7, 2015

http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/closure-for-victims-1.1426822

WHEN POPE Francis came to the United States, there was talk about a "Francis effect." Perhaps such an effect will light a fire under state senators who, so far, have failed to take action on a bill that would offer justice and closure to adults who were sexually abused as children.

A bill sponsored by Sens. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, and co-sponsored by Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, among others, would do just that. It would remove the statute of limitations on many civil cases of sexual abuse. As it stands now, someone who was abused as a minor has only two years after turning 18 to bring a civil suit.

The proposed bill, which appears to be going nowhere in the Legislature, would make it possible for someone to file a civil suit at any age. While the removal of all restrictions may be hard to sell to legislators, the current two-year time limit is woefully inadequate. If legislators want to get serious about a serious issue — and at the moment they are putting their energies behind a bill unofficially named for Britney Spears — this is the bill that should demand their immediate attention.

For many sexually abused children, there is a long road before closure. Memories are repressed, and often too much time passes from when the abuse occurred to bring criminal charges. And sadly, there are some in our society who see civil suits by victims as a ploy for money rather than a necessary public validation that something horrible was done to them as children.

In Philadelphia last month, the pope met with victims of sexual abuse. "I am profoundly sorry that your innocence was violated by those who you trusted," he said. "In some cases the trust was betrayed by members of your own family, in other cases by priests who carry a sacred responsibility for the care of soul. In all circumstances, the betrayal was a terrible violation of human dignity."

We can only guess why the bill in the Senate has stalled; there is a similar one in the Assembly. There can only be one reason why these bills have not moved, and that would involve forces outside of the State House trying to prevent a flood of lawsuits.

Since there is no higher-ranking Catholic than the pope, we would hope that anyone lobbying against this bill in New Jersey — whether in the public or private sector — ceases these efforts, and that legislators have the backbone to pass a meaningful law. As we noted, perhaps an outright removal of any statute of limitations is a step too far; a 30-year window would be a good compromise.

Removing the statute of limitations does not guarantee winning a financial settlement. The judicial system is designed to protect everyone, and if charges are unmerited, no awards will be forthcoming. But damage done to children for decades went unnoticed by too many people in positions of authority. According to a 2006 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated one in four women and one in six men were sexually abused by the age of 18. These are sobering statistics.

State legislators should not be afraid to act. The pope's meeting with victims of sexual abuse and his comments on this subject later to U.S. bishops were signs that the head of an institution with a shameful history of shielding abusive priests and ignoring their victims wants change, reform and accountability.

The pope told bishops he was ashamed by what some priests and adults did in the past. He said, "God weeps."

So should we all. Including members of the Legislature.