PENNSYLVANIA
Reading Eagle
By Liam Migdail-Smith
PHILADELPHIA – National advocates for victims of child sexual abuse don’t find it a coincidence that Pennsylvania has been home to some of the most notorious abuse scandals.
The state’s time limits for victims to pursue lawsuits or criminal charges, known as statutes of limitation, are on the more-restrictive side. And that signals to pedophiles that it’s a safe place to abuse kids, advocates for victims said.
“For pedophiles, we know this is the most important thing in their lives and they use the statute of limitations as a shield,” said Jeff Dion, an abuse survivor and director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association. “They know they don’t have to keep victims quiet forever. They know they just need to keep victims quiet long enough to run out the clock.”
The comments came during a press conference advocates gave while at the Philadelphia Sheraton Tuesday for the National Center for Victims of Crime’s annual conference.
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