WASHINGTON – The Senate unanimously passed legislation authored by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and committee member Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) to improve justice for young survivors of sex crimes. The
Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act strengthens a federal sex tourism law that prosecutors feared was too vague to convict former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted hundreds of young athletes, some of which occurred while Nassar had traveled across state and international borders. The bill also cracks down on the use of foreign charity work as a cover for child sex abuse schemes and closes gaps in laws to better protect vulnerable victims against secret sexually explicit recordings as well as non-contact sexual abuse.
The House of Representatives is also expected to act on this issue in the coming days.
“This bill is inspired by the incredible bravery and pursuit of justice by the survivors of Larry Nassar’s abuse. Their work to demand accountability will improve the lives of survivors everywhere and, God willing, help prevent future abuse. The Senate’s unanimous support for this bill sends a clear message that child exploitation cannot be tolerated. The bill strengthens and clarifies existing statutes to better protect our children and ensure that predators are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Grassley said.
“Parents across Georgia are increasingly worried about online sexual predators who are targeting children. We brought Republicans and Democrats together to keep kids safer online and crack down on predators and abusers to the fullest extent of the law,” Ossoff said.
In 2017, Nassar was convicted of several state sex offenses, but he was never charged federally for his illicit sexual contact with minors, even though he had crossed state and international lines to commit this conduct. That’s because federal authorities doubted whether his actions could be federally prosecuted based on the existing language of the sex trafficking statute. The Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act corrects this issue and strengthens other child sex abuse statutes by:
· Prohibiting sexual predators from exploiting children during travel by clarifying that crossing state or international boundaries with the “intent to engage” in illicit sexual conduct constitutes a sex tourism offense. This provision would have increased the likelihood of federal charges against Nassar;
· Cracking down on sexual abuse under the guise of charity work by prohibiting the use of an affiliation with international charities or organizations to further illicit sexual conduct;
· Improving justice for survivors of non-physical sex crimes such as secret video recording by clarifying that the definition of “sexual activity” with vulnerable victims doesn’t require physical contact.
The legislation also expresses the sense of Congress that the safety of children should be a top priority for public officials and communities in the United States, and recognizes that survivors of sexual abuse – particularly children – carry long-lasting physical and mental trauma. Congress has a duty to clarify the laws to better protect children and hold predators accountable.
The Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act is endorsed by 2000 U.S. Olympic medalist Tasha Schwikert Moser, the Iowa County Attorneys Association, Rights4Girls, the International Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Stop Child Predators, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and the Keep Kids Safe Movement.
Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act
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