Resolution 050843

..Title Urging the members of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to extend or eliminate entirely the statute of limitations for reporting crimes involving the sexual abuse of children. ..Body WHEREAS, The sexual abuse of children is a serious and pervasive problem in our society; and WHEREAS, The sexual abuse of children can take place even in the most trusted environments and frequently, is perpetrated by family members or family friends; and WHEREAS, Statistics show a high prevalence of serious sexual assault of adolescents in the United States where approximately 12.39% have reported incidents of abuse; and WHEREAS, Children who are victims of sexual abuse often do not report, or delay in reporting, the abusive conduct to responsible adults because of fear, shame or manipulation; and WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that up until the year 2002, victims of sexual abuse could file criminal charges only two (2) to five (5) years from the date the abuse occurred; and WHEREAS, In the year 2002, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania extended the statute of limitations to allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to file criminal charges up to twelve years past their eighteenth birthday; and WHEREAS, Other states have extended their statutes of limitations beyond that of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or have eliminated such statutes entirely for crimes of childhood sexual abuse; now therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council urges the members of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to extend or eliminate entirely the statute of limitations for reporting crimes involving the sexual abuse of children. ..End