Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a measure into law that will give rape victims more time to seek justice.
It extends the statute of limitations for second degree rape to 20 years and third degree rape to 10 years.
“This is a societal acknowledgement of an injustice that went on for a long time,” Cuomo said.
The governor said it sometimes take a rape victim time to feel comfortable coming forward to tell their story and have it scrutinized. Cuomo argued that by having a limited window where they could report the crime, it benefited the attacker.
“It protected the perpetrator. It allowed people immunity. It allowed them to go out and do it again and I believe it was part of a pattern, deliberate or indeliberate, where it was society's way of covering up the problem,” Cuomo said.
Photo Credit: Getty Images