Credit Missouri lawmakers with acting to plug a gap in protecting children.
Although laws exist to to prevent the abuse of children, abuse by children has not been addressed.
Legislators on Wednesday approved a bill focusing on abuse of children by children and sent it to Gov. Jay Nixon. The governor has until early July to act on the measure. We encourage him to sign it.
The legislation was sponsored by state Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane, who described it as an attempt to bridge a gap that "exists in the system for reporting and assessing situations where juveniles are sexually abusing other juveniles."
Although laws authorize the state's Children's Division to investigate and seek charges when an adult sexually abuses a child, no provision now exists to address child-on-child sexual abuse.
After Riddle learned of the problem and took action, she became aware of other cases within her Senate district, some of them involving a divorced spouse's stepchildren. Emily van Schenkhof, deputy director of the Missouri Kids First group, estimates there are about 600 cases of child-on-child abuse cases statewide each year.
The goal of the legislation is not punitive; instead, the focus is on assistance and rehabilitation for offenders.
"Research show that juveniles with problem sexual behaviors have tremendous rehabilitative potential," Riddle said, "and our state must begin to invest in creating a system to identify and treat these young offenders."
Child-on-child sexual abuse hurts everyone involved. It may cause long-term trauma for victims and consign youth who aren't rehabilitated to a lifetime listing as a sexual predator.
When we supported this measure previously in this forum, we wrote: "No single action by government can solve all the problems created by unhealthy human relationships, aberrant behavior and the victimization of innocent children."
However, each positive step, particularly one that closes a gap, brings Missouri nearer to its goal to prevent abuse and protect children - all children.