Victims from child sex abuse have themselves had to suffer under the circumstances of being silenced by the statute of limitations where the lawsuit has stopped them from filing charges over past instances that really messed with their heads. All sorts of abuse happens on the daily and the fact that it took until recently for Coloradoan lawmakers to change course is disappointing.
But now, lawmakers want to hear them out.
Voters are moving to approve the amendment, which is in response to a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that struck down the provision of a 2021 law. In it, it allowed victims of child sex assault, from since the 1960s, only a three-year allowance period to sue the abusers and even the organizations that would let the abusers continue with such disgusting behavior.
With the court allowing the ruling of the law, in Senate Bill 88, there had been a violation of such provision within the constitution that would stop the General Assembly from the revival efforts to let the claim during which the statute of limitations ran out.
Next year, however, things may be different. For instance, fellow Coloradoan lawmaker, Senator Jessie Danielson, a democrat from Wheat Ridge, had been thinking about the legislature in the following year to pass a resolution to amend the pre-existing Colorado Constitution for child sex assault victims to therefore pass the expired statute of limitations in such cases.
With the support of over two-thirds of members for both the Colorado House and Senate to refer a constitutional amendment to voters, the Senate Bill 88 had been passed beyond the margin as well as with bipartisan support, through which, Danielson thinks the resolution will become successful.
Of course, the measure has to be supported by at least 55% of voters in order to pass successfully.
Sex Assault, no matter the age, is never easy to come to terms with.
Lawmakers in Colorado had previously only let child sex abuse survivors six years after turning 18 to file lawsuits. And that’s unfair. Because honestly, the response window should always be ready. So it’s a good thing that there is already investment of interest in enabling the abuse survivors to find a constitutional amendment they can get behind. This is important to not only respect the generation of the abused in the past but to also shelter any unfortunate survivors who need that community to fall upon.