Markey, others, launch two-day push on child victims act

By Rick Karlin
Times Union
May 3, 2016

http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/248838/markey-others-launch-two-day-push-on-child-victims-act/

Encouraged by a recent series in the NY Daily News and support of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey on Tuesday renewed her decade-long push to remove New York’s statute of limitations for punishing those who sexually abuse children.

“This is the year to change that deplorable legislation,” Markey said, referring to the state’s current statute which requires victims to come forward by age 23.

With many saying that is too soon for victims to come to grips with what had happened to them, Markey and others have called for lifting the statute of limitations. They note that because of the current law, New York is one of the most difficult states for victims to confront their abusers under the legal system.

Markey. of Queens, was joined by fellow Democrats David Weprin and Linda Rosenthal in the Assemby and Senator Brad Hoylman as well as Jewish and other religious groups in what is planned as a two-day series of events.

That includes a roundtable discussion of on “Sports, schools and youth,” and a talk about the award winning film. “Spotlight,” which chronicled the Boston Globe’s expose of abuse coverups among priests.

One of the speakers was Birdie Farrell, a former Saratoga Springs student and Olympic speed skater who three years ago went public with her story of abuse at the hands of her coach and former medalist and US Speedskating President Andy Gabel. He was 33 and she was 15 at the time, she said.

“It all happened so fast,” she said, recounting how he pulled into a dead end street in his car and kissed her, with things escalating from there.

And here are some details of the events:

Supporters of the Child Victims Act (CVA) will be in Albany next week for two days to lobby for the Legislature for passage of reform bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse crimes in New York State.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and Senator Brad Hoylman, the CVA has been adopted in the Assembly four times in various forms since 2006, but has never made it to the floor of the State Senate.
“New York is among the very worst states in America for how it treats victims of childhood sexual abuse,” said Assemblywoman Markey. “We rank right at the very bottom among the 50 states along with Alabama and Mississippi. This is the year to change that deplorable situation. Now, the CVA has more than 60 co-sponsors in the Assembly and visitors are coming to tell legislators in both houses they want to see the law changed this year.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman said: “In his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, the producer of Spotlight expressed hope that his film would “give a voice to survivors” of child abuse and “amplify that voice into a choir.” With a screening of Spotlight for my Albany colleagues, we hope to do just this. It’s time for lawmakers in both houses to pass the CVA and provide justice to survivors and get perpetrators of these heinous crimes off the street and out of contact with kids.”
The current statute of limitations requires an abuse victim to bring criminal or civil charges by the time they turn age 23. But abuse victims are often very slow to come to grips with what happened to them, some not until middle age or even later in life.
“Our current statute of limitations protects the wrong people. It gives a free pass to predators and those who hide them, but most often denies justice to their victims. It victimizes both victims and all of society. Reforming these statutes will help expose predators who remain hidden and continue to abuse new generations of children,” added Assemblywoman Markey.
The Child Victims Act (A2872/S63A) would completely eliminate the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes in the future. It also includes a period during which the statute of limitations is suspended for one year so older victims can get justice during a one-year “window”. A companion bill (A8567/S6436) will eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for child sex abuse in the future.
“Sadly, the issue of childhood sexual abuse exists in so many sectors of our society,” said Assemblywoman Markey, and we have invited many a handful of survivors and advocates for reform to discuss the problem in sports, schools and youth organizations.”
TUESDAY, MAY 3RD ROUNDTABLE – The Tuesday, May 3 forum, starting at 3:00 pm, will be moderated by Professor Marci Hamilton, a national advocate for statute of limitations reform. Participants will include: champion speedskater Bridie Farrell; film-maker Chris Gavagan, whose documentary Coached into Silence explores sex abuse at all levels of youth sports while detailing his own experience of abuse at the hands of a hockey coach; advocate Peter Brooks of the Horace Mann Action Coalition; attorney Kevin Mulhearn, who has represented survivors from Poly Prep and Yeshiva University High School and is author of “Ghosts of October”, describing experiences in state and federal courts; survivor Ronald Savage, author of a recent personal memoir accusing a Hip Hop legend of abuse; Kathryn Robb, a survivor who was instrumental in reform of statute of limitations in Massachusetts; survivor Antuan Raimone; survivor Chaim Levin of Kol v’Oz; and David Shapiro, Jewish Community Watch.
Among the Lobby Day participants expected in Albany on May 3 are members of several Orthodox Jewish organizations, including: Kol v’Oz with Manny Waks; Voice of Justice; The Bridge Muticultural Project; Survivors for Justice; Magenu; Uri L ‘Tzzedek; Tahal; Magen; and Mi Li-Who is for Me.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4TH ROUNDTABLE – On Wednesday, May 4, beginning at 2:00 pm, a second Roundtable hosted by Assemblywoman Markey and Senator Hoylman will put the focus on statute of limitations issues in New York state by looking at chronic of hidden abuse in the Catholic Church as reflected in the Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight”. The program will include Oscar-winning screenwriter Josh Singer. Also present will be survivor Philip Saviano, a key figure in unmasking the Boston scandal, and actor Neal Huff, who portrays Saviano in the film.
Professor Marci Hamilton, noted author and advocate of statute of limitations reform, will moderate the panel that will include: Ann Barrett Doyle, Bishop Accountability; Art McGrath, NY State Call to Action; David Clohessy, SNAP; Francis Piderit, Voice of the Faithful; Robert Hoatson, Road to Recovery; and Mary DeSants, mother of survivor Michael DeSantis.
The roundtable will be followed by a screening of the film itself for advocates and Legislators. “Senator Hoylman and I are sending a personal invitation to every member of the Assembly and the Senate to see this special screening of ‘Spotlight’,” said Assemblywoman Markey.