Survivors of child sexual abuse in Arkansas are now able to file civil claims at any age. It’s all part of an amendment approved in 2023 to the Justice for Vulnerable Victims of Sexual Abuse Act. When it was originally approved by state legislators in 2021, the legislation included an age limit of 55 years of age.
The amended law provides a new two-year “lookback window” which began on February 1, 2024, after the first one expired at the end of January.
Arkansas Republican state Senator David Wallace, R-Leachville, held a news conference at the state capitol on Tuesday, February 6. Arkansas Public Radio was there when Wallace highlighted the results of the first two years of the program. “During the past two years, 2022 to 2024, more than 20 civil legal claims were filed on behalf of over 100 survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the state of Arkansas."
KUAR Radio reporter Nathan Treece also pointed out that according to research by SafeHome.org in 2021, Arkansas had the highest rate of reported sexual abuse of children in the nation. The state also has the second highest number of registered sex offenders, per capita. Treece’s report added that Arkansas has no statute of limitations for the criminal prosecution of anyone charged with rape or sexual assault of a minor.
