I am a survivor of long-term sexual abuse, afflicted by a youth minister under the guise of religious trust when I was between 8 to 10 years old. As I grew, the trauma of those years developed into several mental disorders, a lifetime of invisible injuries becoming apparent only in my adulthood. I am not an isolated case. Daily, adults throughout our country realize similar shadows from their past, shadows that have shaped their lives in unimaginably damaging ways.

In Alabama, where my suffering took roots, the law fails victims like me. The statute of limitations cuts off at too early an age, leaving no legal recourse for those who may only comprehend the impact of their trauma later in life. I want to change that. I want the statutes extended to the survivor's age of 55.

In the United States, nearly one in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse before their 18th birthdays, yet only five states do not have a statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes (RAINN, 2021). Let's give the sexual assault survivors the time they need to process their trauma and seek justice.

Extend the statutes of limitations for historic childhood sexual assault cases to 55 years of age from the time the assault occurred. Please sign this petition and help protect the rights of past, present, and future survivors.