Just in time for April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month and this week’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, two proposals to help victims are currently making their way through the state legislature.

The monthlong observance aims to increase awareness and provide education, support and strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect, while the weeklong commemoration, which runs from April 7 to 13, informs crime victims of their rights and the services available to them.

On Wednesday, four groups who work with victims in Butler County held a walk-out event at lunchtime to encourage awareness of victims’ rights.

Meanwhile, we are encouraged that proposals aimed at helping victims are being addressed in the state legislature. The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill Monday that would eliminate the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes. The bill is expected to pass in the full chamber.

The state Senate blocked similar legislation last year and some — such as Rep. Paul Schemel, R-Waynesboro — have argued in favor of statutes of limitations on the grounds that the rights of those accused of crimes could be violated.

But victims’ advocates have long argued that statutes of limitations often protect abusers and prevent victims from seeing justice. According to the National Children’s Alliance, many people who experience sexual abuse as children do not come forward until they are adults — as evidenced by the ongoing Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal. As a result, statutes of limitations can prevent their perpetrators from being punished.

Current state law gives victims until age 30 to pursue criminal charges for child sex abuse crimes and until age 50 to sue. The House bill would eliminate the statute of limitations entirely and extend the window for filing lawsuits by five years. The change in law would help some victims obtain justice.

Another important bill to help victims was passed Monday in the House, and will now go to the Senate, where it will be decided if the matter will go before voters in a referendum.

The so-called Marsy’s Law, named and patterned after a California law enacted 11 years ago, would give victims the right to be notified, to attend and to weigh in during plea hearings, sentencings and parole proceedings. The amendment’s aim would be to ensure that victims are not left in the dark during court proceedings. In Pennsylvania, a victim impact statement can be given to the court if a defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty after a trial and will be considered before sentencing.

Some have said that the law could infringe on the rights of defendants to get a fair trial and arguments have been made against addressing the matter in a constitutional amendment. If moved forward by the Senate, the matter would ultimately be decided by voters.

While the rights of the accused obviously must not be ignored, we believe the proposals being addressed in the state legislature could help victims find the justice they have long sought, but often been denied.