July 8th, 2024

Annoucing a Legislative Briefing

Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse in Massachusetts

Tuesday, July 9th, 2024

Massachusetts State House ~ Room 428 ~ 10AM – 12PM

All are welcome to attend

10 AM

Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse through Policies

Senator Joan Lovely, Assistant Majority Leader

The impact of child sexual abuse on our children, their families and our
communities can longer be tolerated. Senator Lovely will speak about her
efforts since 2015 to advocate for a set of legislative proposals that
would address the issue of sexual misconduct/abuse in our schools and
youth-serving organizations. She will share her own experience of childhood
sexual abuse, its impact and why it must be prevented

10:15

Overview of Key Pending Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Bills

Jetta Bernier ~ Executive Director, MassKids and Enough Abuse

Preventing child sexual abuse from ever occurring is not an elusive goal.
Comprehensive and tested strategies are available that can help ensure the
safety of children in schools and youth organizations. Jetta will detail
where Massachusetts currently stands among the 50 states in enacting laws
to prevent sexual abuse and provide an overview of crucial prevention bills
awaiting action:

S314/H194 would require schools and youth organizations to provide child
sexual abuse prevention education to staff and students and a comprehensive
Code of Conduct to detail specific boundary-violating behaviors that must
be prohibited;

S1040/H434 would strengthen the screening of school hires to disclose
previous sexual abuse or misconduct; protect schools from liability for
sharing information with another school about an employee’s misconduct;
prohibit related confidentiality agreements; and prevent the practice known
as “passing the trash.”

S106 and H1537/H1538 would ensure that youth under 19 (or 22 if special
needs) would no longer be able to consent legally to sexual relations with
an adult in a position of authority/trust in a school or other institution.
Such adults would no longer be able to use age of consent as a defense in a
civil or criminal action.

10:45

The Need to Close the Age of Consent Loophole
NOW

Chief Steve Wojnar ~ Past President, Massachusetts Association of Chiefs of
Police

Most states have increased legal penalties for educators and persons in
positions of authority who sexually abuse children in their care.
Currently, Massachusetts law prevents law enforcement from investigating
cases involving persons who engage sexually with students over age 16, if
the youth was manipulated to believe it was consensual and refuses to press
charges. Parents, survivors of sexual abuse, the MA Association of Chiefs
of Police and child advocates have been urging the Legislature over several
legislative sessions to close the “Age of Consent loophole”, to protect
children and not those who would abuse them.

11:00

Eliminating the Statute of Limitations in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Kathryn Robb, Esq. ~ National Director, Children’s Justice Campaign, Enough
Abuse

Statutes of Limitations (SOL) reform for child sexual abuse claims is one
of the most effective methods of protecting children and ensuring that
survivors get the justice and healing they deserve. Kathryn will highlight
the detrimental effects of child sexual abuse on children, adults and
society at large, and discuss the restrictions of the criminal system to
address the problem. She will present the latest efforts of a national
legislative movement to pass SOL reform at the state and federal levels,
where Massachusetts stands compared to many jurisdictions, and the types of
SOL reform being enacted. She will argue that SOL reforms are essential to
protect children and reduce the enormous burden to survivors, families and
Massachusetts taxpayers.

11:30

Q & A

12:00

Adjourn

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