Today former US President Donald Trump has been found liable by a jury for sexually assaulting and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll. 

This nearly thirty-year-old case is one of many to have been brought forward and would not have been possible without the passage of the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which Equality Now is proud to have supported in partnership with Safe Horizon and others. 

The ASA, enacted in New York State in May 2022, created a one-year look-back window to allow individuals who were 18 or older when they were sexually assaulted, and whose case had expired, to file a civil lawsuit against the person who harmed them and/or the negligent institution. The law has brought New York more in line with international human rights standards and is expected to generate many more cases in the state.

This activist-led reform will allow survivors who have lived with sexual assault for years, without recourse because of short statute of limitations, to have the chance of justice. It takes great courage to come forward to report sexual violence. We stand in solidarity with all those that have, and those who have yet to.

This is a significant moment for thousands of survivors of sexual violence. And be in no doubt, your support has helped make it happen. This is the impact of progressive, survivor-centered laws, in real time.

In Solidarity 

S. Mona Sinha
Global Executive Director, Equality Now