Child abuse?Is there a statue of limitations?

Question

What could be done after 25 years?

When I was a kid,my mother used a babysitter and the babysitter had 2 other kids. She routinely tortured the 2 other kids and never did anything to me or my brother. The mother of the 2 kids was always suspicious and eventually stopped taking her kids there. My brother is 3 years older and is a witness to this also. What could be done about this now 25-30 years later? Thanks.

Answer 1

You need to find these children who went thru this. IF they haven't developed any lasting effects from what this monster did to them, leave it be. If they want to press charges, encourage them to and be their support. You and your brother witnessed this and will be the noose to hang her. There is no statute of limitations if the abuse was heinous enough. GOOD LUCK!  

Answer 2

As a mandated reporter of child abuse, I have been taught that not much can be done for an adult victim of child abuse. According to the California penal code 11165, "past abuse of a child who is an adult at the time of disclosure" is not considered abuse. However, here is something you can do. If there is reason to suspect that there are minors currently in danger, it can be reported to children's protective services. You would need the abusers name and as much information as you have on that person. A reasonable amount of info will suffice. You need not hire a PI or try to become one or anything. CPS will do the investigation. You just make the report.

Also I noticed someone saying that you should get in contact with the abused kids (now adults). As a therapist I must warn that abuse is a very delicate subject to broach if you have no training. If you do have the training and feel like it is something you can handle, I would recommend to them a group called Adult Survivors of Child Abuse. If there is a chapter in their area, it may be helpful to visit. It is based on the 12-step model. Their site address is ascasupport.org.

Answer 3

It all depends on where the abuse took place and what the law was at the time, which is basically impossible to determine using free online tools. Typically, there is a statute of limitations for that sort of thing and it's well under 25 years of age.

The exception to this is if the abuse was sexual. Many states have extended the statute of limitations to begin counting from when the child turns 18, which could add a considerable amount of time.