+
upworthy
More

In New York, child sexual abuse victims can now sue their abusers decades after the abuse.

In New York, child sexual abuse victims can now sue their abusers decades after the abuse.

In a big win for victims of child sex abuse, New York has passed the Child Victims Act.

The state of New York has passed a bill in the legislature that significantly increases the statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims to prosecute their abusers. The Child Victims act changes the age at which people can legally bring their abusers to justice from age 23 to age 55 in civil cases, and to age 28 in criminal cases.

Considering the research that shows 1 in 5 females and 1 in 20 males are victims of child sex abuse, and that the median age for disclosing such abuse is 48, this bill will help many victims seek the justice they deserve.


With the passage of the bill, New York goes from one of the worst states in the nations for child sex abuse statutes of limitations to one of the best. According to the New York Times, many states allow victims to come forward decades after abuse takes place, and nine states have no statute of limitations at all.

The new age limit aligns with what we know about child sex abuse—and the tendency of victims to delay coming forward.

Many child sex abuse victims are reluctant to share their stories with anyone for years, if they ever come forward at all. As the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault indicates on their website, "We know that victims of childhood sexual abuse may not disclose for many years or even decades. They struggle with coming to terms with the fact that a loved one or trusted adult committed such a heinous act against them. It is important to provide these victims with the time they need to disclose and to provide an opportunity for recourse."

This bill provides a more reasonable amount of time for people who were abused as children to come to terms with their experiences and perhaps get the therapy and healing they need in order to publicly accuse their abusers. It also acknowledges that the effects of sex abuse extend far into adulthood—a validation that is too often overlooked.

The bill took more than a decade to pass, having been blocked in the Senate by insurance companies and the Catholic church, among others.

It's hard to imagine anyone taking issue with a law designed to help victims of child sex abuse seek justice, but the Child Victims Act was not a shoe in. In fact, it took 13 years and a great deal of advocacy to push it through New York's legislature.

Powerful opposing interests, including insurance companies, private schools, Catholic leadership, and Orthodox Jewish communities, claimed that allowing victims to prosecute their abusers well into adulthood could spell bankruptcy for schools, churches, and community organizations. For years, under a Republican-led Senate dominated by wealthy, well-connected lawmakers, the bill never made it to the Senate floor.

However, this past November, Democrats took the majority in the Senate. And last month, not only was the bill brought to the floor, but every single Senator, Republican and Democrat, voted to pass it. It also passed the New York Assembly 130-3.

"We apologize for not hearing you soon enough,” Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the new Democratic majority leader, said to victims and advocates on the Senate floor. “We apologize for making you wait so long.”


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






Keep ReadingShow less

Joey Grundl, Milwaukee pizza guy.

Joey Grundl, a pizza delivery driver for a Domino's Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, is being hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman's subtle cry for help.

The delivery man was sent to a woman's house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffman, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffman. She appeared to be mouthing the words: "Call the police."

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Katerina Holmes|Canva

Mom in tears after another parent calls about daughter's lunch


People say having children is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. You send them off to school, practices or playdates and hope that the world treats them kindly because when they hurt, you hurt. Inevitably there will be times when your child's feelings are hurt so you do your best to prepare for that day.

But what prepares you for when the child you love so much winds up accidentally healing your inner child. A mom on TikTok, who goes by Soogia posted a video explaining a phone call she received from a parent in her daughter's classroom. The mom called to inform Soogia that their kids had been sharing lunch with each other.

Soogia wasn't prepared for what came next. The classmate's mother informed her that her son loves the food Soogia's daughter brings to school and wanted to learn how to cook it too.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Listen to this organ in Croatia that uses the sea to make hauntingly beautiful music

It's a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.


In 2005, a Croatian architect designed a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.

Nope, not nonsensical bellows or chaotic tones. Real, actual, music.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modern Families

A comic from The Oatmeal illustrates how we're missing the mark on happiness.

I do the things that are meaningful to me, even if they don't make me "happy."

By Matthew Inman/The Oatmeal. Used with permission.

How to Be Perfectly Happy


Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He's published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as "How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You"and "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances."He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

You can read more of Matthew's comics here.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Sweeping UN study finds that 9 out of 10 people worldwide are biased against women

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways.

Photo by Joe Gardner on Unsplash

As the U.S. ramps into an all-too-familiar presidential election cycle where the only viable candidates left on the ballot are men, the UN announces a study that may—at least partially—explain why.

The Gender Social Norms Index released yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a look at gender equality as measured by people's personal gender bias. The data, which was collected from 75 countries covering 81% of the world's population, found that 91% of men and 86% of women show at least one clear bias against women in the areas of politics, economics, education, and physical integrity.

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways. Splendid.

Keep ReadingShow less