Protecting Survivors – Respect for Child Survivors Act
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators, including Senator John Cornyn, introduced new legislation to improve how the FBI interacts with underage victims and witnesses in child sex abuse and trafficking cases. The Respect for Child Survivors Act would require the FBI to use multidisciplinary teams when investigating child sexual abuse cases, child sexual abuse material cases, and child trafficking cases. The multidisciplinary teams would be composed of appropriate investigative personnel, mental health professionals, medical personnel, family advocacy case workers, child advocacy center personnel, and prosecutors. This is a testament to the credibility of the CAC multidisciplinary team model being the gold standard for child abuse investigations across our network of CACs.
This new legislation comes after testimony during U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings regarding the FBI’s handling of the investigation into systemic abuse of victims by Larry Nassar, related to the USA Gymnastics scandal.
“It takes tremendous courage for young victims of sexual assault to tell their story and overcome the fear that they may not be taken seriously, may be ignored, or may be wrongfully blamed” - Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
Did you know:
686 children
served by a Texas CAC in 2022 were victims of sex trafficking.
Report Suspected Abuse
Call 1-800-252-5400 or 9-1-1
www.txabusehotline.org
