Law would give child porn victims more rights
Date: February 20, 2008Source: NBC-2.com
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LEE COUNTY: Experts say a new piece of legislation in Tallahassee could put more child pornography predators in jail, while at the same time giving victims a voice without revealing their identity in court.
It's called the Exploited Children's Rights Act.
Law enforcement says child pornography is a growing industry.
"It's a troubling image that we see now with the growing popularity of child pornography on the internet," said Larry Long, of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Authorities say the disturbing images online create a vicious circle.
"To be violated. To have that picture fly around the internet and fly around the world. To be violated time after time," said victim's advocate Collen Henderson.
Henderson says the proposed law could bring more predators to justice because it would allow victims to come forward and keep their identities hidden - making it a less embarrassing.
The second part of the bill would allow victims to take their abusers to civil court and get up to $150,000 per incident.
"It would be some kind of vindication for them - that their voice was actually heard," said Henderson.
She wants the bill to be passed, but says it is still in the preliminary stages. It will have to pass through several committee hearings and then be signed by the governor before it ever becomes a law.
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