End OSEAC Coalition Urges House to Move Quickly on H.R.3686
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 11, 2024 – The End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition, a group of organizations committed to advocacy to strengthen U.S. policies to protect kids online, applauds passage in the Senate of the Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2022, or the SHIELD Act (S.412). Introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in February 2023, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly distribute or threaten to distribute “intimate visual depictions of an individual”, including child sexual abuse material. Violators would be subject to criminal penalties including a fine and a prison term of up to five years.
“Current laws are not sufficient to protect victims of online abuse and harassment,” said Klobuchar. “We need to provide victims, including children, with the legal protection they need when intimate images are shared without their consent. My SHIELD Act with Senator Cornyn does just that and will help ensure that exploiters will be held accountable.”
“Those who have had their digital privacy violated shouldn’t have to fear that their abusers will go unpunished,” said Cornyn. “Our legislation will help ensure criminals who share private images of others online, including explicit photos of children, are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The SHIELD Act ensures that federal prosecutors have appropriate and effective tools to address serious privacy violations by establishing federal criminal liability for individuals who share private, sexually explicit or nude images without consent. It would fill in gaps in existing law that prevent prosecutors from holding those who share explicit images of children accountable and protect the victims of these serious privacy violations while leaving room for sharing consensual images and photos of public concerns.
“The recent Trafficking in Persons Report highlights the growing nature of sexual exploitation online, and the U.S. government must respond by increasing incentives for the technology sector to prevent this crisis,” said Coco Lammers, Director of the End OSEAC Coalition. “The End OSEAC Coalition commends the Senate for their leadership in championing legislation to protect kids online and urges the House to follow suit.”
The End OSEAC Coalition and its Survivors Council urge Congress to pass other pending online child safety bills before the end of this session, including EARN IT Act (S.1207 / H.R.2732) and KOSA (S.1409/H.R.7891).
About the End OSEAC Coalition
The End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition is a U.S. advocacy coalition that aims to improve U.S. government policies and programs to better prevent and address online sexual exploitation and abuse of children and provide appropriate support to survivors. Learn more about our mission to #ProtectKidsOnline: endoseac.org.
