Abuse survivors and their advocates converged on the State Capitol in January when the

Legislature passed the Child Victims Act in a near-unanimous vote

"For too long, we've had one of the most restrictive laws in the nation, and that changes today,"
said Michael Polenberg from the nonprofit Safe Horizons, which provides services for victims
of abuse.

The Child Victims Act expands the statute of limitations on reporting crimes of childhood sexual
abuse for both criminal and civil lawsuits.

It also opened a one-year window, starting in August, for survivors to file claims, no matter how
long ago they say their abuse happened.

Hundreds of lawsuits were filed on the first day alone.

"I think what we see," said Deb Rosen, executive director at Bivona Child Advocacy Center, "is
the standard being set by those who came forward early and others will follow suit if it feels right
to them."

Rosen says the decision of whether to proceed with a lawsuit is intensely personal for each
survivor.

It took Rick Bates 37 years to speak publicly about the sexual abuse he said he endured for
nearly a year from his supervisor at the Democrat and Chronicle when Bates was a paperboy.

Bates filed a lawsuit against the D & C and its parent company, Gannett, claiming they knew or
should have known about district manager Jack Lazeroff's alleged crimes and should have
protected the minor children employed by the newspaper.

After submitting a police report in Brighton in October, Bates said he felt empowered.

"I could just imagine myself at 11 or 12 years old sitting there," he said, "and there was no way I
could tell that story, but being able to do it now....it gave me the ability to sort of see myself then,
and heal."

Hundreds of other lawsuits filed across the state alleged sexual abuse at the hands of priests or
other church employees.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester in September became the first in New York to file for
bankruptcy protection anticipating signifiant legal judgments in favor of abuse survivors.

One of the lawsuits facing the church was filed by Kevin Higley. He claims he was molested
when he was a 14 year old altar boy by Father Paul Cloonan, a priest at St. Mary of the
Assumption in Scottsville.
Like Rick Bates, Higley said finally being able to take legal action was part of his healing.

"I'm looking forward to my story being told because I'm ready to let go of it," he said. "I've been
carrying it now for many, many years and I'm ready to put it behind me, and there was no way to
put it behind me until now."

Rosen says the decades-old memories of survivors of childhood sexual abuse highlights the
widespread failure of institutions to recognize the potential for victimization and take steps to
prevent it. She thinks this is improving today because of mandated reporting and other
regulations.

"I do think," she said, "that we're in a new era now, but boy, the pain and lasting damage is still
very, very detectible as seen in survivors who are well into their adult years, into their middle-
aged years, who talk about the lasting impact of their child sexual abuse and how it has really
shaped their lives."

The Child Victims Act extends the statute of limitations on criminal reports until a sexual abuse
victim is 28 years old, or 55 years old for a civil suit.

The one year window for claims of any age closes next August. Rosen says survivors should not
have an expiration date on their access to justice and she'd like to see it extended.

The vast majority of survivors, she says, are the victims of abuse from family members, and the
layers of shame and silence are often more complex. Many of those stories, she says, will never
be heard.