January 11, 2019

CHILD USAdvocacy and New Yorkers Against

Hidden Predators Thank Governor Andrew

Cuomo, Sen. Brad Hoylman, and

Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal for their

leadership in making 2019 the year of the

Child Victims Act

Press Advisory

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that the Child Victims Act will be a part of his Annual Budget and reaffirmed his promise to enact the CVA within the first 100 days of 2019. University of Pennsylvania Professor,Marci A. Hamilton, interim CEO of CHILD USAdvocacy, and co-founder of New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators, has been working tirelessly for access to justice for New York’s child sex abuse victims for over 15 years, working with lawmakers, advocates, and survivors to open a window to justice for survivors in New York. She states:

“Thank you Governor Cuomo for your leadership and devotion to the child sex abuse survivors of the state of New York! The Child Victims Act could not happen without your determination and vision. Your efforts, combined with the determination and vision of Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, mean that New York will be choosing justice over suffering, and joining the nine other states to revive expired civil statutes of limitations for the child sex abuse victims who have been denied justice by shockingly short SOLs. I would also like to thank former Assemblywoman Marge Markey who started this movement in the New York legislature. It has been a long and difficult 15 years as victims have had to come forward to make this happen, whether ready or not. Some did not survive the rigors of the political battle and many have suffered. For those who have survived, this new law will shift the cost of the abuse from their shoulders to the ones who caused it, identify the predators hidden in our midst, and further reveal to the public the ways in which child abusers and enabling institutions endanger New York’s children.”

For more information on the child sex abuse SOLs across the United States, see www.childusa.org/law.

Kathryn Robb, a familysurvivor and co-founder of New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators and Board member of CHILD USAdvocacy, has been devoted to these issues for well over a decade and is thrilled that the CVA is now inevitable in her home state of New York. She says,

“For too long victims of child sexual abuse fought the powerful in Albany, a place that allowed truth to be buried, healing denied, and justice forsaken in the darkness of greed, power and cover-up. For too long so many did so little. Until now. Governor Cuomo has kept his promise of justice; the Governor, along with the fearless leadership of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie, have cleared the path for truth, a path that will allow so many to finally reach the doors to justice. Thank you for justice, thank you for making our children safer.”

Stephen Jimenez, award-winning journalist, co-founder of New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators, board member of CHILD USAdvocacy, and a survivor of several years of child sex abuse at a Catholic elementary school, has also been a longtime leader in the fight for access to justice for survivors in New York and nationally. He says,

“The struggle for justice and transparency on behalf of child sex abuse victims in New York State has been long and arduous. For more than a dozen years, powerful institutions have repeatedly placed impossible obstacles in the path of those who have sought to protect children instead of sexual predators. But thanks to the brave leadership of public servants who are truly committed to New York’s children and families — Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senator Brad Hoylman, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, and their dedicated staffs — the tide of justice is finally turning. Once again, New York’s leaders are showing by their example what it means to stand for child protection and justice for all. Thank you, Governor Cuomo for your unflinching leadership!”

About CHILD USAdvocacy

CHILD USAdvocacy is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization affiliated with CHILD USA.Drawing on the combined expertise of the nation’s leading child advocates, CHILD USAdvocacy is committed to protecting children’s civil liberties and keeping children safe from abuse.For more information, email info@childusadvocacy.org, visit www.childusadvocacy.org.

About New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators

New Yorkers Against Hidden Predators (“NYAHP”) is committed to passing the Child Victims Act in New York and holding legislators accountable for failure to act. It is a founding member of United to Pass the Child Victims Act (“UPCVA”) – an umbrella coalition of survivors and advocates fighting to see the bill become law. NYAHP is seeking to reform New York State’s antiquated child sexual abuse laws and bring to justice the hidden sexual predators that live in our communities today.www.stophiddenpredators.org