ARKANSAS
Booneville Democrat
By Sen. John Boozman
As a father to three daughters and grandfather two granddaughters, I believe that protecting our children needs to be a priority. This includes improving laws to bring justice to children victimized by predators and strengthening punishment for offenders.
Our children deserve justice. We need to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to solve crimes committed against our children. That’s why Congress passed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Named for a six-year-old Florida boy who was kidnapped and murdered in 1981, the law established nationwide notification and registration standards for convicted sex offenders, improved information sharing capabilities between law enforcement agencies, boosted resources to help law enforcement arrest the fugitives who commit these crimes and increased public safety through awareness.
This was an important step in protecting our children and helping communities prevent future abuses by registered sex offenders.
I was proud to support the reauthorization of this law in May and take child protection measures even further by providing additional rights and safeguards for victims of sexual assault and human trafficking crimes.
This legislation extends the statute of limitations for child survivors of sexual abuse or human trafficking offenses from three to 10 years after turning 18, establishes free medical forensic examinations for survivors, and ensures the preservation of sexual assault evidence collection kits free of charge.
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