Californian Jehovah Witnesses - Sexual abuse victims....California Child Victims’ Act Passes Judiciary

by Sol Reform 21 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Sol Reform

  http://www.snapnetwork.org/california_statute_of_limitations_hearing_tomorrow

  California statute of limitations hearing tomorrow Posted by David Clohessy 189.19pc on August 20, 2013 · Flag

  Tomorrow, a California legislative panel will vote on SB 131, a measure that would make it easier for child sex abuse victims to expose child molesters in court.

  Leading the charge against the measure: California's Catholic bishops.

  The highest ranking prelate in the state, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, claims that the bill
  --"fails to protect all victims of childhood sexual abuse" (So if a bill doesn't protect EVERYONE or fix EVERYTHING, it should be defeated?)
  --"discriminates against Catholic schools" (Really? The bill doesn't mention Catholic schools.)
  --"discriminates against other private employers" (No, the bill focuses on private employers because that's where history and common sense tell us abuse is more apt to be covered up. That's not "discrimination," that's smart public policy.)
  --"puts the Church's social services and educational mission at risk" (Really? That's what virtually every bishop says every time anyone proposes reforming the archaic, arbitrary, predator-friendly statute of limitations.)
  Gomez isn't the only Catholic official who's wrong about this. The bishops' lead public relations guy, Kevin Eckery, claims "Nobody who may have been abused in a public daycare will have any rights under this law whatsoever."
  So ask yourself: Where's the evidence that Catholic officials have ever cared about or tried to protect kids in public day cares or public schools or anywhere in California? Ever seen or heard of California bishops lobbying for ANY measure that would help safeguard kids and expose predators? So how can anyone believe that suddenly now they're deeply worried about the well-being of kids at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Oakland or Wee Ones Day Care in San Diego?
  Pandering to the most selfish lowest common denominator, Eckery went further, saying "If you are like most people and went to public school or public day care, there is nothing in here for you. Nothing."
  That's right folks. If you're reading this, you're an adult. So by definition, you won't be molested as a child. So Gomez and Eckery are right. There's "nothing in here for you."
  Let those kids fend for themselves.
  (By the way, this bill is a "first step" in the LONG battle to hold all groups accountable for concealing child sex abuse. If it doesn't pass, it will only be harder to hold other institutions accountable later.)
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  Sol Reform

  http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-sex-abuse-bill-assembly-20130821,0,1933661.story

  PolitiCalOn politics in the Golden StateBill to give sex-abuse victims more time to sue advances on second tryComments1

  Quilts depicting victims of sexual abuse by priests are held up by victims and their supporters at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times / February 1, 2013) By Melanie Mason

  August 21, 2013, 12:09 p.m.

  SACRAMENTO -- After failing to muster enough support last week, a bill that would give some sex-abuse victims more time to file lawsuits advanced in an Assembly committee Wednesday.

  SB 131, sponsored by Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), would lift the statute of limitations for one year to enable some victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue private or nonprofit employers that failed to protect them from known molesters.
  The Catholic Church has fiercely lobbied against the measure, saying a flood of new suits could cripple the church economically, forcing parochial schools to close.

  At an emotional hearing of the Assembly Appropriations committee last week, victims told stories of grappling with their abuse for decades after it occurred. Supporters of the measure say that because some victims can take years to acknowledge they were molested, they need more time to file lawsuits.

  The church and other opponents, including private-school consortiums and organizations such as the YMCA, argued that the bill unfairly targets private and nonprofit employers.

  Last week, with seven committee members abstaining, the bill failed to garner enough votes to pass. The panel considered the bill for a second time Wednesday, passing it on a 12-4 vote with one Democrat abstaining.

  The bill now heads to the Assembly floor.