Luckily for me, the state where most of the sexual abuse occurred does not have a statue of limitations. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many who were sexually abused as children.

The criminal justice system is not on the side of anyone who is raped. My niece was raped by her father. I have a video of him confessing, he admitted it to social services, and he ended up pleading guilty in the end.

Even with all that, it was over six months before he was arrested. His lawyer argued that “stress at work” is part of what caused the rape. (Only one of his rapes mattered, even though it had happened systematically since she was 7 years old) The judge decided since it was his first time and totally out of character, (neither was true) he would reduce his sentence.

So do I think I’ll get justice when it it comes to my own father? Probably not. It doesn’t mean I won’t try it or that he isn’t culpable.

Btw, forgetting it isn’t an option. I’m stuck with the aftermath of his decision to sexually abuse me.