MaleSurvivor supports Fred’s historic walk to end NJ SOLs
August 18, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
MaleSurvivor stands with Fred Marigliano and supports his Walk to End SOL events in New Jersey planned for September 2015. I know Fred personally and his passion and drive to reform the Statute of Limitation in New Jersey and elsewhere is remarkable. Currently in NJ there are thousands of victims of sexual abuse that the law bars from gaining access to justice and shield perpetrators and the institutions that protect them from being held accountable. Fred’s tireless advocacy efforts to raise awareness and to demand change is empowering survivors and educating the public at large.
As a survivor who grew up in Mahwah, NJ Fred’s work has a special meaning for me. Even if I had conclusive proof and a confession from the man who raped me as a child, I would not be able to have him held accountable for his crimes against me because the statute of limitations has long passed. As the leader of MaleSurvivor, the nation’s pre-eminent advocacy organization for male survivors of sexual abuse I have heard from countless survivors how needlessly harmful restrictive SOL’s are. I have also spoken with many prosecutors and child abuse prevention professionals who find their ability to investigate and prosecute serial perpetrators hampered by these SOL’s.
The time to eliminate the Statute of Limitations in New Jersey is now. This vital reform is long overdue. Even today there are perpetrators stalking and harming countless children in New Jersey and elsewhere. SOL reform is a critical step that the public needs in order to better protect children from being harmed. It will also empower survivors to come forward, break their silence, and get the support they so desperately need.
I hope you will join Fred and his other partners in this vitally important event.
Sincerely,
Christopher Anderson, Executive Director