How many years do you have to report a case of child abuse?

There is no statute of limitations on abuse. It gets harder to prove the longer you wait. If it is physical abuse, it may be "his Word against yours" type of case. Sexual is a easier to prove if it is a child - any OBGYN can tell. It really depends on what type of abuse and what evidence you have before you can prove someone guilty of it. * All states have SOL's concerning the time in which someone can be prosecuted for any criminal act, including child abuse, abandonment and/or neglect. In issues such as cited, the law sometimes reads that the SOL begins at the time when the alledged act was discovered. This generally relates to the sexual molestation of a child rather than child abuse and/or neglect. Neverthless, it is the moral duty (in some cases the legal responsiblility also) for anyone who knows of or has legitimate reason to believe a child is being abused to report it to the authorities and be prepared to give testimony in court if it is warranted.