Christopher King, Survivor of sex abuse unhappy with hidden predator bill, CBS 46
ATLANTA (CBS46) – Angela Williams suffered pain no child should ever have to endure, especially at the hands of the man who is supposed to protect and nurture her.
“I was sexually abused for 14 years by my stepfather,” Williams said.
She tried to tell her teachers and her mother, but she said, they wouldn’t listen. “I was always told to forget about it. It was going to be my word against his and I need to move on,” said Williams, who now heads an advocacy group called Voice Today.
The statute of limitations, the window for Williams to press charges, closed decades ago. “I want the right to justice,” Williams said. “I’ve struggled with addiction. I’ve struggled with eating disorders.”
A proposal introduced at the Georgia State Capitol would have extended the statute by 35 years, letting victims press charges as late as age 53.
“It would be revolutionary in providing justice for survivors,” Williams said.
But, something surprising happened on the way to the state house floor.
“They have removed the 35 year extension,” Williams said. The bill was stripped of its most important part.
“It’s been pushed to where it is not victim friendly. It is predator friendly,” said State Rep. Jason Spencer, the bill’s sponsor.
The bill, in its current form, would only let victims open sealed records on their abuse cases. Spencer said he is trying to win a strategic victory.
“We are fighting for it. If I can push a bill and get it onto the floor of the house, that is a victory and that way it can change the mind of the general assembly down the road,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he is trying to get his bill placed in a House Judiciary Committee on Mar. 2
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