Group of Colorado lawmakers push to provide more protections for victims of child sexual abuse
Some Colorado state lawmakers are looking to amend the Colorado Constitution to provide more protections victims of sexual abuse who were abused when they were children. A group of lawmakers met Wednesday morning to introduce the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Amendment. It would be used to hold the perpetrator accountable.
State lawmakers tell CBS Colorado they tried to make changes back in 2021 but the Colorado Supreme Court found one of their bills unconstitutional. This is for a bill that would allow survivors to pursue their abusers no matter when the crime happened. Now, lawmakers are back to the drawing board, saying this is an issue that has gone on for far too long and survivors deserve justice and healing.
Experts say the statistics for sexual abuse are alarming. Experts tell CBS Colorado one in five girls and one in 13 boys will be sexually assaulted before their 18th birthday. Experts also say child sexual predators have hundreds of victims. Experts tell CBS Colorado it can take years for survivors to come forward, with the average age of victims being between 50 to 70 years old before they come forward.
CBS Colorado spoke with a survivor who says this amendment gives victims like him a fighting chance.
"For me personally, it gives me an opportunity to have the power to do something I wish I would have been able to do as a child," Randy Kady said. "As a child I had no clue. I didn't know anything about anything."
This amendment still needs to be voted on by the committee in the Senate and in another meeting, needing to receive two-thirds vote before moving on. If approved, Colorado voters can vote on the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Amendment on the 2024 November ballot.
