New York FOCUS

Hundreds of Child Victims Act cases have been filed against New York schools, some over accused serial offenders that could leave districts with tens of millions of dollars in liability.

Carina Nixon, a senior staff attorney at CHILD USA, said it can take decades for a survivor of child sexual abuse to come to terms with their experience.

“A lot of times, these survivors have been struggling in silence for decades, holding onto this horrible act that was committed against them,” she said. “Being able to hold their abuser accountable, or in some cases, institutions that covered up the abuse, is part of the healing process for survivors.”