LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Survivors of sexual abuse are able to get justice years after the crime— this is because of a law passed in 2021, but time is running out to report the abuse.
Right now, there's one year left to file a claim of the abuse no matter how long ago it was.
Senator David Wallace sponsored a bill that became law in 2021, which gives survivors of sexual abuse more power when they're reporting their abuser.
"When you see the pain in their eyes and you hear the anguish in their voices, that's what pushed me to do this," said Senator Wallace.
The bill removes the statute of limitation and allows two years for anyone under the age of 55 to come forward and file a lawsuit in civil court against the perpetrator.
"When they're young, they don't want to talk about it; and studies have shown that when they get to midlife, in their 40s or 50's, suddenly they are willing to talk about it and they want to do something about it," Sen. Wallace explained.
Josh Gillispie, an attorney that handles cases of sexual assault of minors and adults, said that after this became law he saw an increase in people coming forward to get justice.
Before this went into effect, Gillispie explained that it was much harder for someone to report abuse.
"Prior to this new law, a child sex abuse victim essentially had until they were 21. The day they turned 21 if they've not sued whoever assaulted them for the most part they were out of options," said Gillispie. "Parents need to be reminded that this is a threat."
Now, a person can file a claim through an attorney who will build a case and argue it through civil court— where they can get justice and compensation for a survivor.
This would allow them to be able to pay for medical and therapeutic treatments.
"It shifts the financial burden from the victim, and ultimately the state in many cases, to the perpetrator. The perpetrator should be paying for the treatment," said Gillispie.
During this legislative session, Senator Wallace is sponsoring a bill to amend the law, which would get rid of that age restriction and extend the temporary grace period.
If it becomes law, that special window will remain open for another two years.
The bill has passed the Senate and is now in a House committee.