Testimony on Behalf of WA SB 5832

Last year, our membership told us that the Statutes of Limitation for Child Sexual Assault was a priority for them. We were told that they (SOL on CSA) were too complicated, they weren’t long enough, they weren’t fair, and they weren’t realistic.

We spent a considerable number of hours over March and April of 2008 learning enough to form a reasonable opinion. We spoke with social workers who work with child victims, memory researchers, psychologist child trauma specialists, law school teachers, police officers, legislators, adult survivors of CSA, and defense lawyers. We went out and learned, and came back and worked through it all, and formed an opinion.

What do we know?

We know that, according to the DOJ, in 2007 67% of all reported sex crimes were committed upon minors. 14% of all reported sex crimes were committed upon children under 6. The Crimes against Children Research Center has stated that the crime is likely very under-reported.

We know that most victims of CSA were abused by their father or a close male authority figure.

We know that victims of CSA are raised in dysfunctional environments, often with more issues than just the CSA.

We know that predators work to create an environment where kids tolerate and/or accept the abuse, because of threats or training.

We know that children who are abused by one person are much more likely to be abused by another person. It’s called polyvictimization, and it’s something dealt with by foster kids, and by children who have been trained to think that sexual exploitation is normal.

We know that these children often feel tremendous shame for what was done to them, and what they want more than anything else is to feel safe and secured from the constant risk that is their life.

We know that these children are likely to have issues with authority, to be self-destructive, to have post traumatic stress disorder, to tolerate abuse because abuse and love aren’t dissimilar to them.

We know that therapy, depending on the age of onset, duration, and extremity of abuse, may take two years or 20 years to achieve a ‘healthy’ emotional balance.

And we expect them to overcome all of this in the three years between 18 and 21?

The Statutes of Limitations, as they stand, are not just. They do not serve justice.

The current SOL on CSA are not reasonable. SB 5832 shows reason. SB 5832 provides more time to achieve economic independence, social independence, and therapy, so that the child may mature and safely report.

For our community, for the children of our community, we ask you to move SB 5832 forward. We ask you to actively support SB 5832 as it makes its way through the house and is signed into law.