MARYLAND
The Baltimore Sun
By C.T. Wilson
Maryland General Assembly
Senate Bill 668 would extend the statute of limitations for bringing a civil suit against a child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime. Maryland law, as is, protects those who destroy lives, families, and whole communities. It is a crime that will forever change and affect the lives of children who have been subjected to it.
Statistics show one in five girls, as well as one in 20 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18, according to data from the Crimes Against Children Research Center. Nearly three quarters of victims do not tell anyone about the abuse for at least a year, 45 percent of victims do not tell anyone for at least five years, and some never disclose it. In 56 percent of the cases the victim is abused by someone familiar to them, such as a family member or an acquaintance. This fact makes it difficult for the victim to come forward.
Many victims who have suffered through child sexual abuse experience long-term emotional and psychological effects. Many children who continuously endure extreme trauma in their childhood years struggle in certain areas of brain development and live with the weight of their trauma every single day. As time goes on, and life continues to move forward, many victims find it more and more challenging to cope with these issues. It is extremely difficult to say how much time victims will need to assimilate and work through these effects. Some may need a few years, while others may need an entire lifetime.
One thing is certain: In many cases, victims will need therapy, likely for the rest of their lives. A civil action against their abuser, if won, may help to lighten the economic burden of therapy and other necessary treatments to work through the issues they may be suffering through.
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