"Victims of heinous crimes like sexual assault and
human trafficking should not have to live in constant fear that their assailant
could find and potentially hurt them again," Governor Cuomo said. "By
signing this legislation into law, we will help protect survivors from further
abuse by shielding their address from public view and hopefully provide a
measure of comfort as they move forward with their lives."
"New York has been a leader in protecting the most
vulnerable in society and that effort continues today," said Lieutenant
Governor Kathy Hochul. "This new law will ensure victims of sexual
offenses can take action to protect their identity, giving them the peace of
mind and security that is essential to recovery and healing."
Under the previous law, only victims of domestic violence
were eligible to participate in the Address Confidentiality Program. However,
many victims of sexual offenses, stalking or human trafficking also have a need
for the benefits of an address confidentiality program because they often
attempt to evade actual or threatened violence by moving to a new address in
order to hide from an assailant or potential assailant. By offering victims of
sexual offenses, stalking and human trafficking the benefits of the Address
Confidentiality Program, this legislation will help protect them from violence
by helping them keep their actual addresses confidential.
