Take Action: End Statutes of Limitations

Child sex abuse survivor Fred Marigliano holds a sign supporting the CVA at a rally near City Hall in June 2017. The new bill would reportedly raise the top age that a child sex abuse survivor can bring a civil lawsuit to 55, up from the current 23. (Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News)
Child sex abuse survivor Fred Marigliano holds a sign supporting the CVA at a rally near City Hall in June 2017. The new bill would reportedly raise the top age that a child sex abuse survivor can bring a civil lawsuit to 55, up from the current 23. (Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News)

Research shows that survivors typically take years to disclose their abuse, and some never do at all. The reasons are complex: fear, shame, trauma, threats, and disbelief from those who should have protected them. 

Yet in many states and countries, statutes of limitation still set an arbitrary deadline on when survivors can seek justice. These legal time limits fail to recognize the lifelong impact of trauma and protect institutions instead of people.

SNAP calls for the full elimination of statutes of limitation for sexual abuse crimes. Every survivor deserves a chance to be heard, to hold abusers and enablers accountable, and to seek healing without fear of running out of time.

Justice has no expiration date. It’s time the law reflected that truth.