Clergy And Childhood Sexual Abuse Attorneys In Hawai‘i
On the mainland and here in Hawai‘i, clergy from the Catholic Church and other faiths sexually abused young children. Our firm of attorneys has represented child sex abuse victims in Hawai‘i who suffered abuse from teachers, scouting organizations, university professors, athletic coaches and others. The predators within the clergy used the power and influence of the church to intimidate their Hawai‘i sexual assault victims into silence. Many of the children were too terrified to tell anyone, fearing that they would not be believed or that they would be punished for coming forward. Many grew up with social and psychological problems as a result of the abuse. Most kept silent with their shame and suffered alone.
Sexual predators have been found in many of Hawai‘i’s religious institutions, educational facilities, medical centers and social organizations; the list seems endless. Until recently, the law in Hawai‘i had strict time limits for asserting claims for childhood sexual abuse. Claims for abuse which happened in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and even in later years, were barred as being “too old.” The new law creates a special, limited window of time which expires in April 2020. During this “open window period” it is possible to make a claim for Hawai‘i childhood sexual abuse, even if the abuse happened decades ago. Once the window closes, the ability to pursue justice for the “old” claims will close, too.
Hawai‘i Sexual Abuse Law Firm
As a result of the new law and greater public awareness of childhood abuse issues, adults who were child victims in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s (and in more recent years) are now coming forward. They are finding that they were not the only one in their peer group or parish targeted by the predators. Victims come to understand that the abuse was not their fault, and they didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to them.
We answer your questions about sexual abuse cases.
The survivors of sexual abuse, many of whom are now middle-aged or older adults, have found that coming forward to seek justice has been healing. Through asserting their claims, they are able to seek compensation. But, importantly, they are also able to achieve changes in organizational policies and practices, better reporting procedures, and more accountability — all to help prevent these horrifying events from ever happening again.
Honolulu Sexual Assault Lawyers
Rosenberg McKay Hoffman works with a team of multistate legal and investigative specialists to pursue child assault claims against molesters and the institutions that allowed the abusive practices. If you or a family member or friend has been the victim of such abuse, contact us for a confidential consultation to discuss the new Hawai‘i law and victim’s rights. Please contact us online or call 808-470-4819 for more information.