A law requiring people to report child abuse if they witness it

[ShyGuyInChicago]

I think that such a law could be a good thing because it has the potential to help lower abuse of children, especially since they often are powerless to stop the abuse.

[Cloud]

fixed it
moved to ROTW

[Jess]

agreed

only a heartless person would not report it

[Cloud]

agreed

only a heartless person would not report it

Or a fearful one

Making it Illegal to be filled with fear will bring no good,
those who dont report it, are often the victims, the attackers, or witnesses who are to afraid of the attacker to act against them
and making that illegal would just add to the trauma

[Korashk]

The government has no place to tell people what to do.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Or a fearful one

Making it Illegal to be filled with fear will bring no good,
those who dont report it, are often the victims, the attackers, or witnesses who are to afraid of the attacker to act against them
and making that illegal would just add to the trauma

Such laws can have an exception such as people who do not report because they have a reasonable reason not to such as people who fear that the abuser will harm them for reporting.

[Cloud]

Such laws can have an exception such as people who do not report because they have a reasonable reason not to such as people who fear that the abuser will harm them for reporting.

then there is no need for such a law
since those who dont report it and arent under fear or the direct attacker will be tied into it as well

[Sage]

OP, what are you hoping to accomplish with such a law?

[ShyGuyInChicago]

OP, what are you hoping to accomplish with such a law?

Lowering child abuse.

[Peace God]

I thought we went over this already? (http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89316)

Call me a heartless bastard, but the situation shouldn't change just because there's a child involved now. Deal with it. :cool:

[ShyGuyInChicago]

I thought we went over this already? (http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=89316)

Call me a heartless bastard, but the situation shouldn't change just because there's a child involved now. Deal with it. :cool:

That thread was about the morality of not helping people in danger, not the legality of it.

[Perseus]

Lowering child abuse.

Just because you have a law doesn't mean it will stop anything.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Just because you have a law doesn't mean it will stop anything.

What if the law says that people who witness child abuse and refuse to report it are considered accomplices, accessories, withholding evidence, and/or obstructing justice?

Or what if the law says that if one does not report child abuse, they will face a fine of a few thousand dollars or six months in jail?

I think people would be likely to follow it if the punishment is quite harsh.

[Perseus]

What if the law says that people who witness child abuse and refuse to report it are considered accomplices, accessories, withholding evidence, and/or obstructing justice?

Or what if the law says that if one does not report child abuse, they will face a fine of a few thousand dollars or six months in jail?

I think people would be likely to follow it if the punishment is quite harsh.

Most people that see it probably do report it, and those hat don't have legit reasons, as you said. It won't change anything.

[Sage]

I think people would be likely to follow it if the punishment is quite harsh.

So you want to enforce morality with fines and jailtime. I hope you realize how asinine that is.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

So you want to enforce morality with fines and jailtime. I hope you realize how asinine that is.

I can't think of a good reason to not have such a law as long as people with legitimate reasons not to report are not penalized.

Since you disagree, why do you disagree, and what would you do to help decrease child abuse?

[Sage]

I can't think of a good reason to not have such a law as long as people with legitimate reasons not to report are not penalized.

Because you're essentially telling people to be good or else. Do you not see the hypocrisy in that? If you really want to decrease rates of child abuse, then you need to lower poverty, because abuse rates in poor communities are significantly higher. Fighting poverty, however, is an entirely different debate.

You can't just make up laws until all the problems facing society go away.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Because you're essentially telling people to be good or else. Do you not see the hypocrisy in that? If you really want to decrease rates of child abuse, then you need to lower poverty, because abuse rates in poor communities are significantly higher. Fighting poverty, however, is an entirely different debate.

You can't just make up laws until all the problems facing society go away.

I think there is more to fighting child abuse than just lowering poverty.

I am not sure I can see hypocrisy in laws such as this.

[BOBBY HILL]

That's like making a law to report people who litter.

Stupid idea OP. I know you mean for good cause, but it won't change anything.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

That's like making a law to report people who litter.

Stupid idea OP. I know you mean for good cause, but it won't change anything.

Why do you say that?

[Ali_Cat]

In a perfect world there would be no child abuse to report.
A law like this can have very negative effects. While I`m the first person to stand up aginst child abuse, you also have to look at this law from a different stand point.

See, I`m currently in case right now with a pedophile. Formerly convicted, all that good junk. He made physical sexual advances on me as well as texting me very innaproperiate things. When the police were notified, all they could take down for proof were the texts. Because there was noone to whitness him making sexual advances on me, it can only be added in, and not used as a solid point of 'evidence'. The woman in charge of my case wants the guy behinde bars as much as I do, but we both know if I didn`t have all thoes texts as evidence, it would have looked like I made the whole thing up. After all, innocent untill proven guilty.

Whos to say that someone won`t abuse your law? That someone will report in child abuse on someone they don`t like, even though its not true. And obviously, with your kind of law, the supposed 'whitness'`s word would be taken over the acused 'child abuser`s' word.

[Sogeking]

What constitutes as child abuse anyway?

[ShyGuyInChicago]

What constitutes as child abuse anyway?

Being violent towards a child in a way that leaves bruises. That is a form of child abuse. Also, sexual touching of a child is abuse as well.

[Sogeking]

I used to remember a time when just hitting your child didn't count as child abuse.
Anyway, no I don't think that such a law would work. What if the witness got threatened?

[ShyGuyInChicago]

I used to remember a time when just hitting your child didn't count as child abuse.
Anyway, no I don't think that such a law would work. What if the witness got threatened?

I am not sure about that. They could ask for police protection and or for the police to protect their anonymity, or they could simply anonymously report it. However, I think that if such laws are enacted people who legitimately fear retaliation should be excluded from following the law.

[Sith Lord 13]

No. Judgment calls need to be made. Things which may technically constitute abuse may still be better than the circumstances a child is put into when CPS gets involved.

The government has no place to tell people what to do.

You do realize that concept legalizes murder, right?

[Korashk]

You do realize that concept legalizes murder, right?
Telling people what they can't do =/= Forcing them to take action