Victims of Larry Nassar are at the state capitol this week to testify in favor of new child protection legislation. Former diver Sterling Riethman from Kalamazoo was abused by Nassar at his MSU clinic. She testified on Tuesday that many girls don’t report the abuse until later in life.
“Our current statute of limitations requires victims of childhood sexual assault to bring claims by their 19th birthday or three years after the act,” Riethman said. “Yet, when you look at the reporting data for sexual assault survivors, nearly 60% of survivors don’t tell a single person about their abuse into well into adulthood.”
The bills, which already passed the state Senate, would allow more time for victims to seek legal action against their offenders. They’re also designed to limit government immunity and mandate the reporting of sexual abuse to authorities.
