Vote needed on sex abuse laws

There are no other crimes like sexual abuse of children. That is why they have to be treated differently when it comes to the law.

The Legislature has heard testimony on three bills that would remove the statute of limitations and charitable immunity caps for crimes against children. There are more than 70 co-sponsors and, during hearings before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, just a single witness ­ a lawyer for the Springfield Diocese ­ spoke against the bills. So they should pass with no problem ­ shouldn't they?

If only it were that easy. Despite encouraging support in the Legislature, much of the top leadership has not signed on to the bills. There could be a vote as early as next Wednesday, or the bills could be sent to a study committee ­ which means they are essentially dead.

Sen. Robert Creedon, D-Brockton, co-chairman of the committee, should not let that happen. At worst, he should push a vote, up or down, so the public will know where all their legislators stand.

Steve Krueger of the Coalition to Reform Sexual Abuse Laws in Massachusetts said, "Determining the fate of these bills would be a first step to establishing a public policy of zero tolerance for the sexual abuse of children."

We couldn't agree more. Children who are victims of sexual abuse often internalize their guilt and it can take decades for them to come forward, as the church abuse scandal revealed to one and all. The current laws allow for prosecution or recovery of damages within a relatively short period of time. Eliminating or expanding the statute of limitations would go a long way toward leveling the playing field.

Defense attorneys will argue that it is not fair to put someone on trial 20 or 30 years after an alleged crime. But they don't mention that their clients receive every protection under the law and that it is extremely difficult for a prosecutor to prove such an old case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that about 20 percent of all children will be sexually abuse in some manner before they turn 18, and that 80 percent of these incidents are never reported. That is often because they feel victimized a second time by laws that favor attackers over the victims. Passage of these bills is the right thing to do ­ for victimized children and for the rest of society.