Legislator Says Victims Should Have More Time
Charles County Delegate C.T. Wilson is leading the fight in the Maryland legislature to amend the state’s law governing how much time a victim of child sexual abuse has to sue their abusers. Under current law, victims must file a lawsuit by the time they are 25. Wilson is asking fellow legislators to raise that age to 38.
According to Wilson, denial is the biggest challenge that many victims face. “It takes so many years to even acknowledge that it happened,” he told reporters after he testified before fellow lawmakers in Annapolis. Child welfare advocates have been lobbying the Maryland legislature to change the law for more than 10 years, but have encountered repeated resistance, most notably from the Catholic Church. A representative of the Maryland Catholic Conference expressed concern that allowing victims to come forward “thirty years later” would be extremely difficult, as evidence could be scarce, alleged abusers may be dead, and organizations like the Catholic Church would be unfairly forced to defend themselves.
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