by Sol Reform 8 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
Can you help Jehovah Witness child sex abuse victims and Non Jehovah Witness child sex abuse victims in the State of Massachusetts ?
Provide justice to child sex abuse survivors. Hold accountable the public and private institutions that enable, hide or abet child sexual abuse.
Support H4326!
http://www.mass.gov/legis/journal/desktop/Current%20Agenda%202011/H4326.pdf
http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H04326
Find your Representative here; to call and email.
Legislature postpones extending #SOL for child sex abuse.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/08/01/legislature-postpones-measure-extending-statute-limitations-for-child-sex-abuse-claims/vBYOt8ZUzURvK4tVLJB3OM/story.html?s_campaign=sm_twe.
Massachusetts should follow Maine's example: the Secretary of State should ensure that we have the disclosure laws we need to keep pace with developments in political donations. Donors to PAC's and social advocacy groups are allowed to remain quietly anonymous, and yet money talks - sometimes very loudly.
This secrecy, whether it is practiced for so-called religious or other reasons, undermines the democratic process. On the state level, for the last eight years all four Bishops of the state have lobbied hard against House Bill 469, which calls for reform of the child abuse laws (statues of limitations). And yet, almost none of this advocacy or cost has been disclosed.
http://sol-reform.com/News/action-alert-massachusetts/
03 Oct 2013/in Massachusetts /by SOL Reform
MA Action Alert: Call (or fax) MA Sen. and House Leaders to Get Window Bill, Bill H. 1455 (& Senate Bill S.633), out of the Joint Judiciary Committee
Hon. Robert A. DeLeo
Speaker of the House
State House, Room 356
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617-722-2500
Fax: 617-722-2008
District Office
220 Beach Street
Revere, MA 02151
Phone: 781-289-8965
Fax: 781-289-0582
Hon. Therese Murray
President of the Senate
State House, Suite 332
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617-722-1500
Fax: 617-248-3840
District Office
10 Cordage Park Circle
Room 229
Plymouth, MA 02360
Phone: 508-746-9332
Fax: 508-746-4910
Urge leadership to protect kids — not the institutions that endanger them! P.S. Do not email.
By SINEAD NI FHEALLAIGH, IrishCentral Staff Writer Published Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 7:40 AM Updated Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 8:59 AM Larger Text Print E-mail Newsletter 8 Comments See more: US Crime
Ruth Moore and Stan Doherty, longstanding members of the group STTOP, outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Photo by Sinéad Ní Fheallaigh
On Sunday, September 29, the annual Red Mass took place at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
This Red Mass celebrates the official start of the new court year and custom lends that the mass is attended by judges, lawyers and court officials. In contrast, outside the Cathedral, protesters demonstrated against the unresolved clerical sex abuse scandal.
In early 2002, revelations of sexual abuse of children and the systematic cover-up in the Archdiocese of Boston were first published in a scandal that rocked the church and shocked a nation.
Since then, members of the protest group, Speak Truth to Power (STTOP), have stood outside the main Cathedral for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston every Sunday in a show of solidarity with abuse survivors as well as to seek full accountability and change from the Catholic Church.
Their weekly Sunday vigil is considered to be one of the oldest protests in the nation now nearing its 12th year.
Irish American Stan Doherty, from Stoneham, is one such protester who makes the weekly pilgrimage to the South End of the city as he feels that someone needs to “bear witness” and that as a Catholic, he was taught that when confronted with injustice he must “stand up to evil”.
The group’s demonstrations are always peaceful with their message clear to all, through use of their powerful banners which include images of the victims at the age they were abused. Initially, the group experienced extreme anger directed towards their protests by churchgoers.
Over the years, as more information becomes public, Doherty, commented he has seen a “change in people’s reaction” with many now receptive to their presence and even telling them to “keep up the good work.”
All the protesters present outside the church vocalized their commitment to the group’s mission and expressed clearly that it will continue until the full truth is exposed and justice is served.
Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Demonstrations-against-unresolved-clerical-sex-abuse-scandal-in-Boston-227044231.html#ixzz2hSG1jcFe
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http://sol-reform.com/News/thank-you-kathy-picard/
Thank you Kathy Picard! 24 Oct 2013/in Massachusetts /by SOL Reform
C I T Y O F S P R I N G F I E L D In the City Council October 21, 2013
WHEREAS, the SOL (Statute of Limitations) is the maximum amount of time a person has to bring a lawsuit from the time of the incident, and
WHEREAS, since civil SOL’s are legislative conveniences which may be changed at the will of the Legislature, this also means that it is constitutional for the Legislature to allow victims who have run out of time under a statute of limitations to later bring suit, and
WHEREAS, Kathy Picard is an award winning child safety advocate and is a survivor of child sexual abuse, and
WHEREAS, Kathy is a speaker and writer that is working to raise awareness in all areas of child safety and has hosted many child safety events in the area, and
WHEREAS Kathy and many other advocates have been working hard to resolve the situation on House Bill 1455 and Senate Bill 633 which is to extend or totally eliminate the time frame for a survivor to be able to go forward for the abuse of a predator for justice,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Springfield City Council strongly urges the State Legislature to pass the SOL’s House Bill 1455 and Senate Bill 633 for the victims who have already suffered enough and give them the opportunity they so deserve to have some kind of closure to the crime that was committed to them against their will.
http://wwlp.com/2014/06/04/house-advances-child-sex-abuse-lawsuit-bill/
House advances child sex abuse lawsuit bill By Matt Murphy Published: June 4, 2014, 11:03 pm | Updated: June 4, 2014, 11:57 pm BOSTON (STATE HOUSE) –
House leaders sprung a proposal on Wednesday to extend the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits brought by victims of alleged child sexual abuse, reengaging with a controversial topic that has been debated for years on Beacon Hill but has eluded compromise. The House gave initial approval to a bill (H 4126) recommended last week by the Committee on the Judiciary, co-chaired by Belmont Sen. William Brownsberger who has taken the lead on this issue in the Senate in recent years.
The committee does not currently have a House chair, but Rep. John Lawn, of Watertown, has taken the lead on the issue for House leadership. “We think we’ve crafted a bill that we can put forward that people feel comfortable with that gives people who’ve been abused a chance to face their accusers in a timeline that they’re able to.
It’s complicated,” Lawn told the News Service. Lawn said he became involved with the issue after he was approached by a constituent from Waltham who had been repeatedly raped, and impregnated, by her godfather over the span of a decade from the time she was 5 years old until she turned 15.
Unlike many other crime victims, Lawn said those who are sexually abused as children may need years to understand and come to terms with the abuse, but sometimes when that happens it’s too late to pursue legal action. That was the case with his constituent.
The bill would extend the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits to be brought against the perpetrator of abuse or any person or institution who failed to prevent the abuse from three years after the alleged victim turns 18 to 35 years, or until the victim turns 53. The new statute of limitations would be applied retroactively to cases against the alleged perpetrator of the abuse, but not for defendants who may have “negligently supervised” the abuser.
The bill would also extend from three years to seven years the limit for a civil lawsuit to be brought against either class of defendant from the time the victim “discovered or reasonably should have discovered that an emotional or psychological injury or condition was caused” by the sexual abuse.
Both the House and Senate advanced bills late in 2012 to a conference committee, but lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise before the legislative session ended. Until today, the bill had not moved in their branch during the 2013-2014 session. Much of the controversy in the 2012 debate centered around proposed changes to the legal standard of negligence and a House proposal to open up a one-year window for a victim of any age to file a civil claim of abuse, regardless of the person’s age. The new bill does not address either issue.
Several House lawmakers said Wednesday that their renewed hope in the prospects for the bill stems, in part, from a “change of attitude” from the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston toward the legislation. The Roman Catholic Church has fought similar legislative efforts in other states around the country, arguing that an extension or elimination of the statute of limitations could expose the church to enormous liabilities that force the institution to defend itself against claims that might be decades old instead of focusing on how to protect children.
Lawn said after the 2012 defeat he went “back to the drawing board,” and has worked with lawyers and stakeholders, including Massachusetts bishops, to refine the proposal that he is “hopeful” will pass this year. “With this crime and as more states around the country and around the world deal with this issue it’s major progress and I think it’s a good step. Because this is such a complicated crime, it needs to be looked at differently,” Lawn said.
House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, has filed versions of the statute of limitations bill in the past before turning the reins over to Lawn, and feels the timing this year might be right. “I will say there has been a change of attitude from the Church and a sense of cooperation, which is good to see,” Mariano said. Pope Francis, elected in March 2013, recently declared a “zero tolerance” approach to dealing with sexual abuse within the church as he announced plans to meet at the Vatican as soon as this month with eight victims of clergy abuse.
Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who is the head of a commission set up by the Pope to study ways of dealing with sexual abuse cases in the Catholic church, is helping to organize the meeting. O’Malley last year met with dozens of Beacon Hill lawmakers at the Union Club in Boston during a gathering that church officials said was intended to reopen communications.
Massachusetts bishops endorse statute of limitations extension Cardinal Sean O'Malley (CNS/The Pilot/Gregory L. Tracy) by Nicholas Sciarappa
| Jun. 27, 2014 Massachusetts' Catholic bishops have endorsed a bill that would extend by 32 years the statute of limitations for filing civil suits against alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors.
The bill, approved by the state's House of Representatives June 18 and passed by the Senate with unanimous support June 19, would give child victims of sexual abuse until age 53 to sue their alleged abusers.
Bill Extending Statute of Limitations for Sex Abuse Victims Becomes Law June 27th, 2014 REGION (WGGB) —
A new bill has been signed into law by Governor Deval patrick that extends the statute of limitations for sex abuse victims to file lawsuits against their abusers.
A local woman, Kathy Picard, has been fighting for the change for over a decade. For Picard, this pen used by Governor Patrick, signifies 12 years of hard nosed work. “It’s been emotionally up and down, but now it’s awesome. It’s just truly amazing,” Picard explains. The new statute of limitations law was signed after it unanimously passed the House and Senate.
It allows any sex abuse victim up to the age of 53 to file civil charges against their alleged abuser.
“There are people that say that a survivor is not going to get day in court, let perpetrator prove that they did not do what they did.” A victim herself from ages 7 to 17, Picard filed suit against her stepfather Thursday. Picard’s attorney, John Stuart, adds, “Hopefully she will be an example to show people that that avenue, for people that have been locked out, can now come forward and seek remedy from the court.”
Picard says now that the bill is on the books, there’s one that she wants all other survivors and victims out there to know. “What happened to you is not your fault. If you were told that you can not go forward with the case, you now have an additional ten years.
Please go forward to stop these perpetrators from harming other children,” Picard says. Picard plans to celebrate the new law with a reception on August 23 at Samuel’s Sports Bar at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
For more information or if you would like to attend, you can e-mail Kathy Picard. [email protected]
