David Pittman, and other survivors like him, are frustrated with how sexual predators have been getting away with the murder of the innocence of childhood.
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When I originally came forward about my childhood minister, Frankie Wiley, sexually abusing, molesting and raping me, I titled the article “Pedophiles Are Like Serial Killers.”
I did this because what they do is like murdering the soul of a child. Over the last 8 years I have grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of action being taken by lawmakers to protect children from sexual predators like Frankie Wiley.
For far too long pedophiles/sexual predators have been getting away with the murder of the innocence of childhood. What has enabled this, is the inability of a child to speak out against their abusers in the “time allotted” by outdated laws that exist in almost every state in the Union. In most cases, a victim of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has only a few years to come forward and these pedophiles/sexual predators/monsters know and count on the fact that most children are either too scared or think no one will believe them. By the time they are able to say something, if they ever get to that point, it’s too late legally to prosecute them.
It is beyond the pale that we have sat back and done nothing to protect those that cannot defend themselves. There are just a handful of states with the courage to do just that. It’s called “window legislation” and it allows an additional measure of time to bring justice to those that deserve and for those that are in need. Window Legislation has to become a MUST for ALL STATES if we ever hope to give victims a chance at the justice they deserve. Even more needed is the total elimination of the statute of limitation laws regarding CSA.
As it stands now, most states only give about 5 years either from the time of the incident(s) or from the time the victim turns 18. So at “best case” they have until they are 23 to come forward, or less if it happened younger. Most children do not have the ability to even realize the harm that has befallen them, much less say something about it. Sexual predators know this and it’s why the average offender, if not caught, has approximately 117 victims over the course of their life. (National Crime Statistics).
Together We Heal (TWH) has partnered with Marci A. Hamilton, who is leading the charge to eliminate statute of limitation laws regarding CSA. I would ask of all of you that you do the same. Go to her site: sol-reform.com and find out what the law is in your state, then go to your legislature and demand these archaic laws that only protect predators be squashed and laws be put into place that defend those who actually deserve it, our children.
I know that most people, because I was one of them for a long time, believe it’s not their representative standing in the way. “My” local Rep/Sen. is a good person and looks out for their constituents. If this were really true, would these laws still be on the books? I know it’s hard to hear, but the truth usually is. Most all of the current people in Congress are doing little to nothing. And the only thing that will cause them to take action is if we all let them know, either they make the changes needed or we will put in office someone who will. This is the message we must send and it’s the only one they will understand.
Please help us to make the necessary changes needed. We cannot do it without your help. And we cannot allow these sexual predators to keep getting away with murder. It’s in your hands now…what will you do?
Copyright © 2014 Together We Heal
Originally appeared at Together We Heal
Photo: Flickr/combustionchamber
“Most children do not have the ability to realize the harm that has befallen them….” You speak the truth….even harder is to put into words what has occurred and who to tell…or even how….exposing an abuser can come at a great cost to the the victim….it has taken me a long time to figure out the best way to tackle this issue…but I figured out a way to whisper discreetly into the right ears to indicate who has been causing me grief without endangering my privacy or the privacy of my family….I felt I had to finally say something because… Read more »
David L. Your last sentence: True. Now what? Do you want a quarter century old accusation to be dispositive–I think they say that a lot in Law and Order–and trump an equally unsupported denial? If that happens to be the standard, there’s no reason to think you wouldn’t be the accused next time somebody got mixed up one way or another. Doing away with due process, the presumption of innocence for the defendant, and the necessity for evidence could come back to bite you–or other people. It’s possible that in these issues, there is no hope of closure. Personally, I… Read more »
I face the same issue now. I was strangled by my school principal when I was twelve, I’m 39 now, suffering PTSD from that event and others like it and only now mourning the life I lost because of it. Because of time and laws I will most likely never see him suffer the consequences of his actions.
Richard Aubrey – All I had 5 minutes after the event was an accusation, it does not make it less real nor does it mean they should not pay for their actions.
Sexual predators deserve considerably more punishment than they get. See Amirault. Um. No. McMartin Daycare…… Seeing a theme here. See The Crucible. Problem with the actual issue is lack of evidence after a certain time. “repressed memories” might come back into favor. Some time ago, in Flint, MI, a woman got 90 days for putting her daughter up to accusing a teacher of molesting her. Guy lost his job and had to move, anyway. Ninety days was, imo, grossly insufficient. Bad as the situation is, criminal procedings based in uncorroboratable–my construction–accusations are a pretty dodgy proposition. If you can find… Read more »