Silence is its own violence.

My name is Arty. I am a survivor of child sexual assault at four years old.

I am speaking under a pseudonym, and the image you see is my silhouette. I use it because my story is real, but I also represent the many survivors who remain in the shadows.

When survivors of violent crime come forward, we expect the system to protect us. Too often, what we get instead is silence. Months pass with no updates. Investigators are reassigned without notice. Families are left in the dark about whether justice is moving or dying on a desk. That silence is not neutral. It is its own violence.

I know this firsthand. In 1995, the Army CID investigated my case. Other children corroborated my story. There was probable cause. But instead of justice, the case was quietly buried. My perpetrator was discharged but free to start over with no label of danger, no accountability. Nearly thirty years later, my case was reopened — and again, I found myself waiting in silence, learning about changes only after pressing for answers.

Silence retraumatizes survivors. It breaks us down, kills cases, and protects predators. Survivors lose trust, withdraw from the process, or are blindsided in court. Meanwhile, predators move on with their lives, living near schools, working in positions of power, carrying no warning signs.

That is why we need Arty’s Law. This reform is simple. Survivors, or parents of child survivors, can sign a strict confidentiality agreement. In return, we receive scheduled, meaningful updates. Nothing that risks the investigation, just enough to stop the silence. Survivors become invisible spectators of our own cases. We see the small wins, brace for setbacks, and stay connected instead of being abandoned. That makes survivors stronger, cases stronger, and justice stronger.

Doctors do not leave patients in the dark. They explain treatment plans even when patients are not holding the scalpel. Silence in medicine would be malpractice. Silence in justice is retraumatization.

Justice should not deepen the wound. It should be part of the healing.

Please join me in calling on Congress to pass Arty’s Law: stop retraumatizing survivors with silence.