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

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

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.

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.

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.

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