Band-aid fixes to sexual assault laws are failing society!
The Adult Survivors Act (ASA), NY State’s short-lived solution for providing survivors with justice- which expired Thanksgiving Day- proved that survivors have suppressed their struggles for decades! But ASA was limited to one year which only gave a window of relief to 2,700 survivors out of the countless victims across the sexual assault landscape!
ASA, a civil action substituting for criminal prosecution, could only be pursued when the offender had significant, attachable assets, or was backed by a culpable institution with deep pockets. ASA’s limited window to pursue financial restitution was the only option available for prosecuting high profile predators like Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, Russell Simmons, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and more.
Prior to November 24, 2022, the launch date for ASA, there was virtually no chance for justice for the victims who stepped forward, but survivors know, healing is about validation, not money… yet many who sought relief were ostracized for doing so.
Here’s the problem…..
- Justice should not be reserved only for victims of the rich and famous. While high profile cases open society’s eyes to the magnitude of sex crimes, they fail to bring relief to survivors whose offenders lack sufficient assets to motivate an attorney to take their cases.
- Several cases were dropped because the cost to pursue justice exceeded the victim’s budget. Criminal court, not civil court, is the correct choice for deterring crime.
- The ASA band-aid does not correct the egregious flaws in penal codes, even in states with ASA laws! Penal Code continues to limp along with the same antiquated concepts that made criminal prosecution a victim beat-down in the first place.
- How do we expect our laws to hold offenders accountable when many of our lawmakers, themselves, are lawless? The legislative incompetence that enables, and even promotes sex crimes, is blatantly visible in the volume of NY politicians alone who’ve been cited for their wrongdoing. NY State Governor Andrew Cuomo, NY City Mayor Eric Adams, NY City Comptroller Scott Stinger, NY State Governor Elliot Spitzer, NY State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and more have all been accused of sex crime abuses.
What CAN is doing to create change…..
CAN is fighting to pass transformational legislation to bring sex crimes by ALL offenders to a screeching halt! Our legislative bill #A7523A is pending in NY State. It is the current version of CAN’s original Bill #A6540A, which is highlighted in the background as political activist and comedian Jean Kim announced in her 2021 effort to bring Scott Stringer to justice.
CAN is the architect of an amendment to the federal National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed in the US House of Representatives in 2022. We are continuing to strive for passage by both congressional houses in order to insure the safety of members of the US military, the jurisdiction with the highest ratio of sexual assault throughout the US.
Our efforts to define CONSENT in the state of Arkansas, Bill #1141, will continue despite its initial defeat. While we lost the battle, we are, by no means, giving up on this war!
In summary…..
CAN is fighting to create needed legislative changes that will turn society’s human right of consent into a powerful civil right backed by law! While our laws tell us consent is required for sexual contact, the word “consent” is not defined correctly in the penal code of any state or jurisdiction.
Your “Giving Tuesday” contribution will help us reach legislators in a meaningful way and raise public awareness in order to demand sorely needed change. The 2024 election is the perfect opportunity to rid government of sexual assault dinosaurs and replace them with lawmakers who can promote change now! CAN’s efforts to elect consent-savvy legislators to #CodifyConsent correctly, needs your backing!
We deeply appreciate all contributions and are aiming to raise $10,000 in our Giving Tuesday effort on or before November 28th.
Please use this link to donate your contribution to CAN’s crucial effort.
