ALBANY — Activists lamented state lawmakers’ decision to potentially conclude session for the year early Friday morning without passing a handful of measures to impact survivors of sexual abuse, state
ALBANY — Unanimous votes for a bill in one house of the state Legislature typically means seamless passage in the other. That hasn’t been the case for the Adult Survivors
ALBANY — State senators unanimously voted Thursday to pass the Adult Survivors Act to open a look-back window for survivors of sexual abuse to file litigation against their accusers.
Parliament has approved a CHF300 million ($308 million) financial compensation scheme for victims of a foster care system that included child labour, sexual abuse and forced sterilisations. It is the latest stage of a long and controversial chapter of Switzerland’s social history. “Today is a historical day. The victims have had to wait for decades for this moment,” said Guido Fluri, the main promoter of financial compensation for the victims of the harsh foster system. He and some of his fellow activists had tears in their eyes when they faced the cameras in the parliament lobby on Thursday. A few minutes earlier, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a plan by the government for financial compensation of up to CHF25,000 for each of the estimated 12,000-15,000 people who suffered physical and mental abuse under a strict care policy in force until 1981. Thursday’s decision confirms a similar move by the other parliamentary chamber, the House of Representatives in April. “It is a