Rep. Linehan Champions Legislation To Prevent Child Sex Abuse

Press release from the Office of Representative Liz Linehan:

May 19, 2021

Representative Liz Linehan (D-Cheshire/Southington/Wallingford) championed the passage of HB 6113, An Act Requiring the Provision of Information Concerning Child Sexual Abuse, known as ‘The Grooming Bill,’ and HB 6417, An Act Requiring Background Checks For Employees of Youth Camps.

“One in nine children are sexually abused before the age of 18, and the Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute estimates that 95% of child sexual abuse can be prevented through education,” said Rep. Linehan, Chair of the Children’s Committee. “While it is very important to strengthen punishment for abusers, we need legislation that is proactive. To prevent abuse before it happens, we must educate children, teachers, coaches and parents on the signs of grooming; and require a background check for every adult who works with our children. I am very grateful to all of the survivors who have shared their stories in support of this legislation, and the YMCA for their advocacy to ensure the passage of these critical bills.”

HB 6113 educates parents, coaches and any individuals working with children through the creation of guidelines that outline examples of grooming and proper interactions with children for these adults. While current protocols offer training on interactions that are discouraged, trainings under HB 6113 will actively outline appropriate interactions. Grooming is defined as “behaviors by an abuser which slowly desensitize a victim to their natural reaction to abuse.” Grooming normalizes sexual behavior to children, which makes it easier for a predator to abuse the child, and decreases the risk of the child reporting the abuse.

Furthermore, HB 6113 provides guidelines on the stages of grooming, how to identify grooming and what to do if a child is being groomed. By outlining a series of actions to take if your child is being groomed, the state is providing an easier and more effective path to reporting abuse. These guidelines will be given to any parent who registers their child for a camp or sport activity.

The House voted 147 to 0 in unanimous bipartisan support to pass HB 6113.

In addition to providing parents with this information, the state will ensure our children are safe this summer with the passage of HB 6417. This bill requires background checks for adults who work with children in summer camps and for adults who coach youth sports. All employees over the age of 18 will be required to submit either a background check through the National Sex Offender Registry, the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, the DCF Sex Offender Registry or a Fingerprint National Background Check.

The House voted 146 to 2 in nearly unanimous bipartisan support to pass HB 6417. This bill was passed with strong support from many youth camps and organizations including the YMCA, the Camping Organization, the National Organization on Youth Sports and others.

This press release was produced by the Office of Representative Liz Linehan. The views expressed here are the author’s own.