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The Root<\/em> \u201cBefore we take on our abusers, survivors must take all the time we need to heal,\u201d says Drew Dixon, the acclaimed music exec who was among several women\u00a0to go public with rape allegations against Russell Simmons<\/a>\u00a0in the documentary\u00a0On the Record<\/em>. During\u00a0a press conference<\/a>\u00a0at the New York offices of victim\u2019s services nonprofit Safe Horizon on Tuesday, Dixon stood alongside fellow survivors\u00a0Evelyn Yang, who was abused by disgraced\u00a0Columbia University OB\/GYN Robert Hadden<\/a>; and\u00a0Donna Hylton, the once-incarcerated author<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0A Little Piece of Light: A Memoir of Hope, Prison, and a Life Unbound<\/em>\u00a0and founder of a nonprofit of the same name, who was abused both before and during her incarceration.<\/p>\n Together, they advocated for the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), a New York State bill which \u201cwould provide time-barred survivors who were over the age of 18 with a one-year lookback window to sue their abuser\u2014or the institution that protected them\u2014in civil court,\u201d according to a release provided to\u00a0The Root.<\/em><\/p>\n After passing unanimously in the NYS Senate last spring, the bill has since stalled in the Assembly, despite having over 50 co-sponsors from across the state. The ASA is modeled after the Child Victims Act, (CVA), which was passed by the Assembly three years ago with a lookback window extended an additional year in 2020 to accommodate court system delays caused by COVID-19. \u201cMore than 10,000 cases in New York were filed under the Child Victims Act by the time the window closed earlier this year,\u201d noted the release, adding: \u201cIf passed, adult survivors would have one year in which to file a civil claim\u2014no matter how long ago the abuse happened\u2014even if the statute of limitations has expired.\u201d<\/p>\n The ASA applies to Article 130 crimes, including Rape 2 and 3, criminal sex acts, among others and incest offenses in Section 255. Just like the Child Victims Act, the ASA would also waive the 90 day notice of claim requirement to bring a case against a public institution.<\/p>\n According to the science of trauma, it can take survivors years \u2014 even decades \u2014 to process sexual abuse. When those survivors are ready to come forward, it may be too late due to restrictive statute of limitations on sex crimes. For some survivors who may have reported within the statute of limitation, but failed to get a resolution in the criminal justice system the ASA provides a further pathway to justice.<\/p>\n The ASA will create new paths to justice for survivors who were denied access to our courts because of an artificially narrow statute of limitations. The bill will give all survivors, including people who were formerly incarcerated, individuals abused by an intimate partner, and disabled survivors, a much-needed chance to hold their abusers accountable.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For survivors, that opportunity could be a game-changer; allowing them more time to process their trauma and to decide if and how they want to respond.<\/p>\n \u201cIts impact will be immense, measured not only by the sheer number of lives it will help but also measured by the dignity it will restore for victims who were robbed of their confidence, self-worth and vision for the future,\u201d said Hylton in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cI remained silent for decades, because I was mindful of the myth of the dangerous, predatory Black man,\u201d Dixon shared on Tuesday, later adding, \u201cI\u2019m sure that I am not the only Black woman whose sense of loyalty to my race delayed her decision to come forward. It took me 22 years to be ready to say out loud that I was raped by Russell Simmons. Survivors face so many obstacles on our lifelong journey to healing, so I hope that the New York State Assembly and Governor Hochul will pass the Adult Survivors Act to put time on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n As noted in the press release, survivors of color are especially vulnerable to miscarriages of justice, as their abuse often goes unreported.<\/p>\n Survivors of color face unique barriers to seeking justice,\u00a0as recent news surrounding R. Kelly and Bill Cosby underscores<\/a>. R. Kelly was convicted last month, nearly 30 years after he married the 15-year-old singer Aaliyah and continued to abuse dozens of Black and brown women and men. Women of color are more likely to be abused, but are less likely to report, in large part due to longstanding mistrust of the criminal justice system.\u00a0More than 20 percent of Black women are raped during their lifetimes, a higher share than among women overall, but only one in every 15 Black women report their abuse.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cAbuse impacts every part of a survivor\u2019s life: Our relationships, our careers and our health. But most survivors will never get the chance to hold their abusers accountable,\u201d said\u00a0Lizette Martinez, who is among R. Kelly\u2019s accusers<\/a>,\u00a0in a statement. \u201cThat\u2019s because across the country, our statutes of limitations on sexual violence have no connection to the lived experience of being a survivor, and even less so if you\u2019re a woman of color.\u201d she urged.<\/p>\n Dixon\u2019s lived experience proves Martinez\u2019s point. \u201cI walked away from a career where I excelled because I was raped and sexually harassed, while trying to do my job,\u201d she explained in a statement. \u201cI stayed silent about my experience for decades because as a Black woman, I didn\u2019t want to expose two heroes in my community as a sexual predators, but every victim of sexual assault in every industry and in every setting deserves a pathway to accountability and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe work with survivors of sexual assault every day. Each survivor faces a difficult path forward\u2014but the obstacles women of color face are even greater,\u201d said CEO of Safe Horizon Liz Roberts. \u201cOutdated statutes of limitations mean that survivors have missed the opportunity to take legal action before they ever even tell someone what happened to them. Passage of the Adult Survivors Act will give survivors\u2014especially survivors of color\u2014an important path to justice and healing.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the original article here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Passage of the Adult Survivors Act will give sexual assault survivors\u2014especially survivors of color\u2014an important path to justice and healing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":9354,"alt_text":"Drew Dixon, Donna Hylton and More Survivors of Color Urge New York Lawmakers to Pass the Adult Survivors Act","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1165,"height":656,"file":"2021\/11\/Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act.png","sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-300x169.png","width":300,"height":169,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-300x169.png"},"large":{"file":"Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-1024x577.png","width":1024,"height":577,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-1024x577.png"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-150x150.png"},"medium_large":{"file":"Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-768x432.png","width":768,"height":432,"mime-type":"image\/png","source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act-768x432.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":9353,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Drew-Dixon-Donna-Hylton-and-More-Survivors-of-Color-Urge-New-York-Lawmakers-to-Pass-the-Adult-Survivors-Act.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[1419,1421,1743,1741],"class_list":["post-9353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-horizon-in-the-news","tag-adult-survivors-act","tag-asa","tag-donna-hylton","tag-drew-dixon","issue-rape-and-sexual-assault"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","title_font_size":"42","page_header_excerpt":"","sub-headline_placement":false,"page_header_image":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":false,"original_url":"","related_initiative_title":"Do you need help?","related_initiative_link":"\/emergency","related_initiative_link_text":"Visit our Emergency Page with Current Services","featured_posts":[{"ID":7611,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2020-02-25 22:04:29","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-25 22:04:29","post_content":"\n At Safe Horizon we know that sexual assault survivors process and heal on their own timeline. Many people need years, or even decades, to come forward, seek help, share their experience, and pursue justice. The reality is that #traumatakestime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laws have historically been out of step with the science of trauma and the realities survivors face. Over the years, Safe Horizon has led coalitions of advocates, survivors, and lawmakers, urging the New York State legislature to remove barriers to safety for victims of violence and abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After working tirelessly for decades, we celebrated a historic victory for survivors when the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) became law in 2022. The ASA made it possible for survivors of sexual violence to seek justice by filing a civil lawsuit against the person who caused them harm, even if the harm occurred many years ago. When the ASA's \u2018lookback window\u2019 closed on November 24, 2023, over 3,000 suits had been filed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is our hope that these lawsuits will finally spur lasting, meaningful change in how our society addresses attitudes towards sexual assault.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Safe Horizon, the Adult Survivors Act Coalition, and bill sponsors Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal proudly led the statewide, multiyear campaign for the ASA. We could not do this work without this collective support, courage, and determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the lookback window is closed, we remain committed to fighting for more pathways to justice for survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On May 24, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) into law, granting survivors of sexual assault an opportunity to heal and seek justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adult Survivors Act created a special one-year look-back window, allowing survivors whose case or claim had expired outside the statute of limitations, and who were 18 or older when they were sexually assaulted in New York State, to file a lawsuit against the person who harmed them and\/or the negligent institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one-year window allowed survivors to sue, even if they were already outside of the civil statute of limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ASA window opened on November 24, 2022, and closed on November 24, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 3,000 lawsuits were filed under the ASA. Many people learned about this critical legislation through our PSA<\/a> and raised awareness using our social media toolkit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To watch an ASA Q&A session with our panel of lawyers and legal experts, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ASA window may be closed, but we are proud of how many spoke up and advocated on behalf of survivors. Click here for a snapshot of all the outlets we were mentioned in.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Adult Survivors Act","post_excerpt":"The Adult Survivors Act would help adult survivors of sexual abuse in New York State seek justice in the courts.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"safe-horizon-calls-on-lawmakers-to-pass-the-adult-survivors-act","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 14:49:31","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 18:49:31","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=7611","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":9345,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2021-10-25 19:03:54","post_date_gmt":"2021-10-25 23:03:54","post_content":"New York Daily News\r\nBy Liz Roberts\r\nOctober 25, 2021<\/em>\r\n\r\n As the leader of Safe Horizon, an organization devoted to supporting survivors of abuse, I\u2019ve seen up close how many survivors of sexual assault have to battle against a society and a legal system that still understand too little, judge too much and frequently ask survivors to relive the worst moments of their lives over and over to even have a shot at holding the person who hurt them accountable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The recent news surrounding R. Kelly and Bill Cosby\u2019s cases reminds us that the burden is even heavier for survivors of color.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Every survivor faces a difficult path. Even under the most safe and supportive circumstances, it can take survivors years \u2014 or even decades \u2014 to process what happened and disclose the abuse to just one person, let alone law enforcement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n In many cases, survivors literally cannot tell anyone what has happened to them. Trauma can cause the brain to suppress or hide information in order to protect someone from feeling the full horror of what they experienced. This is a survival tactic that makes restrictive statutes of limitation problematic in holding abusers accountable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n On top of this, survivors of color face even steeper cliffs to climb.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n Black and Brown survivors are less likely to be believed when they do come forward. The systemic racism that makes it more likely for a Black man to die at the hands of law enforcement also makes it less likely that a Black woman will be taken seriously when she reports abuse,\u00a0even though she is more likely to experience it<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Survivors of color know full well that society often places too little value on their well-being. This means disclosure of abuse can be delayed even further. For one, there\u2019s the lived reality of a criminal justice system that has not given people of color much reason to trust law enforcement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Survivors might fear police officers will accuse them of lying. They might report, only to be told their story \u201cdoesn\u2019t hold up\u201d because they can\u2019t remember every detail with crystal clarity. They might have had previous bad experiences with law enforcement, making the idea of sharing details of their assault excruciating.<\/p>\r\n\r\n All of these things have \u2014 and do \u2014 happen. As CEO of the nation\u2019s leading victim assistance organization and a social worker with more than 30 years of experience, I hear these kinds of stories regularly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Over the decades, some progress has been made. The #MeToo movement<\/a> has given many survivors hope that if they tell the truth about what happened to them, others will believe them. Laws are changing slowly, some workplaces are shifting and a few high-profile abusers have been held accountable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Those are all steps forward. But they aren\u2019t enough.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n Outdated statutes of limitation that bear no connection to the lived reality of survivors of sexual violence shut out millions of survivors from ever having a chance at seeing their abusers held accountable in a court of law.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n In fact, many survivors are already shut out of the justice system before they ever feel comfortable coming forward. Other survivors who did come forward right away were failed because they weren\u2019t taken seriously \u2014 and now they have no form of legal recourse because the statute of limitations has expired.<\/p>\r\n\r\n For those who have been shut out, we need civil look-back windows. And we need to change statutes of limitation moving forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n New Jersey is the first state to offer a civil look-back window for survivors who were 18 years or older at the time of their abuse, and New York is considering a bill called the Adult Survivors Act that would do just that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\nBy Maiysha Kai<\/em>
\nOctober 27, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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More About the Adult Survivors Act<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Adult Survivors Act News Coverage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n