U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced legislation on Oct. 28 that would allow victims of child sex abuse to seek civil damages in federal court without being barred by statutes of limitations.
It is not uncommon for child sex abuse survivors to wait years before disclosing the abuse. Data shows that 86 percent of child sexual abuse goes unreported, according to CHILD USA, the National Think Tank for Child Protection. Another study cited by lawmakers found that the average age of survivors at the time of disclosure was about 52 years old.
Sen. Blackburn signed on as an original cosponsor of the Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2021, S. 3103, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“The statute of limitations for sexual abuse offenses should never prohibit young survivors from getting the justice they deserve,” Blackburn said. “The bipartisan effort to eliminate the civil child sexual abuse statute of limitations is a critical step to guarantee survivors their day in court.”
Current law under the federal civil remedy statute is considered an obstacle for survivors. The statutes of limitations for federal civil child sex abuse claims was extended by Congress in 2018, but it still does not reflect the current state of research on delayed disclosure of abuse, Sen. Blackburn’s office stated. In contrast, 48 states and Washington D.C. have amended their child sex abuse laws to expand or eliminate statutes of limitations.