Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Child sexual abuse is a pernicious crime perpetrated through threats of violence, intimidation, manipulation, and abuse of power. The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; however, data suggests that child sexual abuse is a public health epidemic that affects 1 in 5 girls, and 1 in 13 boys in the Nation. The prevalence of child sex trafficking is difficult to estimate, but the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports receiving more than 19,000 reports of child sex trafficking in 2022.
It is estimated that there are approximately 7 million cases of child abuse and maltreatment reported every year in the United States. Historically, nearly 90 percent of child victims never go to the authorities and the vast majority of claims have expired before the victims were capable of getting to court. Due to the subversive nature of this crime, the average age of disclosure of child sexual abuse does not occur until a victim is over 52 years old. Because many State statutes of limitations applicable to laws involving child sexual abuse fail to give victims adequate time to come forward and report their abuse, numerous victims are unable to seek fair and just remediation against their abusers.
Due to the especially heinous nature of child sexual abuse, it is imperative that perpetrators of this crime are punished, prevented from reoffending, and victims have the opportunity to see their abusers brought to justice. The negative effects over a survivor’s lifetime generate many costs that impact the Nation’s health care, education, criminal justice, and welfare systems, with the economic burden of child sexual abuse estimated at nearly $2 trillion annually.