Time running out for Georgia bill aiming to empower child abuse survivors
ATLANTA - Emotions were high as survivors of child sexual abuse recalled the most traumatic years of their lives, one after another.
Alan McArthur said his scoutmaster, Ernest Boland, abused him starting at age 12. It went on for four years, and he wasn't the only one. He said boy scouts and church leaders were aware but did nothing.
"They knew that he had an apartment in Athens where he took us and abused us, and they did nothing," McArthur said.
McArthur said the average age of disclosure of child sexual abuse is 52 years old. For many survivors, the courage to speak out against their abusers comes too late for the legal system to bring them closure.
Robb Lawson said he was assaulted as a boy scout, and it's taken decades for him to fully process what happened.
"It's something that never leaves you," he said.
McArthur said the abuse has been detrimental to his mental health, even decades later.
"I just want my day in court," McArthur said. "I want my voice to be heard. I think I deserve that."
Time is running out for a Georgia bill allowing victims of child sexual abuse and human trafficking to recover damages against their abusers and extend the statute of limitations under certain circumstances. Under current Georgia law, some victims of childhood abuse are "time-barred" from bringing a lawsuit against their abuser or an entity that shielded abusers.
The Child Victim Protection Act of 2021, House Bill 109 and Senate Bill 276, is waiting to move to the Senate floor for a vote.
Rep. Heath Clark, the Warner Robins Republican who introduced the bill, said he's spent the last four years trying to pass a law to empower victims of child sexual abuse. Versions of the bill have unanimously passed in the Georgia House of Representatives three times, but the previous versions of the bill both stalled before reaching the Senate floor. Clark said he hasn't been provided with an explanation why the bill has stalled for years.
Clark said his push for the bill could likely be his last act as an elected official after he leaves office after eight years. He hopes the bill would pass on sine die, the last day of the legislative session in on Monday.
"I'm fighting with everything I've got to get this done," Clark said.
Chris Gaba is one of 21 people who shared stories of sexual abuse at Darlington School in Floyd County. He said cases of abuse were reported multiple times between 1974 and 2014.
"We were failed as children, because we were not protected," he said. "We've been failed as adults when we were finally able to speak the truth and tell our stories, we were failed by the system."
Clark said the magnitude of child sexual abuse and human trafficking cases became clear to him as he crafted the law.
"I would love for this to be the last thing I accomplish as a legislator is to have these victims who were wronged by organizations that were knowingly breaking the laws of Georgia to not report what was happening and instead work to cover it up," Clark said.
McArthur said no law will stop child sexual abuse, but lawmakers that don't support the measure are emboldening abusers.
"Georgia is a pedophile-friendly state," McArthur said. "The current laws silence victims' voices being heard."