Our partner, Justice4PAkids.com, has created an online petition. It takes your name, address, and zip. Petition to the PA Assembly and Senate leadership AND your legislators.
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Download our charts to learn about the Statutes of Limitations for child sexual abuse in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, both civil and criminal.
Learn more about statues of limitations by visting our "What is a statute of limitations?" page.
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Why Must We Reform the SOLs?
Child sexual abuse is a larger national problem than we, as a society, anticipated. Research has shown that as many as one in four women and one in five men suffered abuse as a child and that almost 90% of abuse never gets reported.
Those that do come forward find themselves barred by the legal technicality of a statute of limitation. Considering how long victims often take to find the courage to speak out, the statute of limitations are woefully short and act as an arbitrary barrier to justice.
Find out how your state fares with regards to its SOLs in comparison to others by clicking the "What is a Statute of Limitation" link above and selecting your state.
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Help the Current Effort in New York!
Efforts are moving forward in New York where the Child Victims Act has been introduced to the New York State Assembly as Assembly Bill A2596B/Senate Bill S5893.
Read about the details of the bill by clicking here. Much like California's legislation in 2003, the Child Victims' Act will expand the statute of limitation for child sexual abuse and open a window for victims who are currently barred from justice to get their day in court.
Also see the discussions at the recent "The Evolving Balance" conference sponsored by the Cardozo Advocates for Kids by going to our Resources page here.
Click the link on the header bar above to contact your elected representative and lobby for change. You can find a few talking points about the bill by viewing the postcard sent to NY legislators to remind them of this important reform. Access it here.
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How Can Legislators Help?
We encourage legislators from all states and federal elected officials in joining the movement to bring real change for victims of child sexual abuse. This site contains the information you need to get started in finding out why this reform is so crucial to the interests of society.
For a quick look at the situation and the solution, view our "Reforming Statutes of Limitations on Child Sex Abuse" one-pager by clicking here.
Also, legislators can familiarize themselves with the challenges and necessity of reform in this simple yet important area of the law by reading Marci Hamilton's book "Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children" (see below). The book was designed to be a roadmap or how-to guide for lawmakers in effecting SOL reform.
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Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children
(Cambridge University Press 2008)
(click the cover to go to Amazon.com and purchase "Justice Denied.")
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The information contained on this site is not to be construed as legal advice and is provided for informational purposes only. While the information is intended to be accurate and up-to-date, SOL-Reform.com does not provide any warranty as to the accuracy of the contents of this site. SOL-Reform.com does not assume responsibility for actions of those in reliance on this information either implied or expressed. If you are seeking legal advice, we recommend you contact a competent, independent attorney.
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AZ Senate Introduces Window Legislation
The Arizona Senate has introduced legislation to open a window for child sex abuse prosecutions otherwise time-barred by a statute of limitations. Read the text of the bill. For more information about the bill and its status, visit the bill's page at the AZ legislature's website.
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OR Governor Signs HB 2827
Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski signed House Bill 2827 into law on August 4, 2009. HB 2827 extends the civil statute of limitations until the victim reaches the age of 40, OR, until 5 years after the discovery of a connection between injury and abuse, whichever period is longer. Full text HERE.
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