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Citizens to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
8/27/19
This is to alert you to the Public Hearing of the Joint Committee on Education on Sept. 4th, 2019, 11am - 5pm, Room A-1, MA State House. Testimony on bills S.312 and S.13 will be heard.
MassKids urges every citizen to voice their support for these two critical child sexual abuse prevention bills introduced by Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem). S312 would mandate child sexual abuse prevention education in public and private schools and youth organizations and require them to adopt policies, including a code of conduct, to address the problem. It would establish a standard protocol for screening prospective new employees; prohibit schools from aiding and abetting employees engaged in sexual misconduct from securing employment in another school, and ensure legal protections from liability for schools sharing information about misconduct with other schools.
S313 would enable a victim of child sexual abuse to file civil charges against their alleged abuser up to three years after they first make the connection between the abuse and the harm suffered as a result. Duly licensed mental health professionals would be required to attest to when the connection was made. The bill would provide that in any civil action, youth under 19, or under 22 if a special needs person, would be incapable of consenting to sexual relations with a person over 21 employed by a school, state department, or private institution that serves youth. Penalties are also included.
Anyone is welcome to testify at the hearing. Testimony will be limited to three minutes per person. You can also submit testimony in writing.
To stay informed, please like and follow our Enough Abuse Campaign on Facebook. If you haven't already, please take the Pledge to Prevent and take specific actions to prevent child sexual abuse in your home and community. You can also check out MassKids' national online, interactive MAPS resource for information about
states' efforts to address child sexual abuse through
legislation.
Thank you for your continued support.
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