By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
I am so grateful for these monthly columns as it gives me a chance to directly communicate with so many of my neighbors. Each month I try to leave room at the end for the ways that I can be contacted, but this month I am asking directly for feedback right at the beginning. If after reading this you would like to contact me, you can reach me at mary.welander@cga.ct.gov or 860-240-8585.
In the past I have discussed my work on creating legislation to protect children from online abuse and exploitation, sharing both the progress and the setbacks those proposals have faced.
While the task force to investigate these issues was successfully passed through both state legislative chambers, my proposal to create a new felony/misdemeanor definition for this abuse was not called in the Senate, despite passing through the House unanimously.
I am preparing for the next legislative session where, if I have the honor of continuing to serve the district in this role, one of my main goals will be to get this across the finish line so that these predators are held accountable for their deliberate acts of exploitation of our children.
Data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicates that in 2020 alone there were almost 38,000 reports of online enticement. This is happening in all of our communities to both girls and boys, and it can have lifelong traumatic impacts on these kids and their families.
I want to make sure that this law is as strong as possible in identifying a clear pattern of deliberate, early behaviors that create abusive and unsafe situations. Sometimes referred to as grooming, these seemingly innocuous behaviors at the beginning of a relationship lead to an unbalanced power structure where the child is threatened and believes they have no other option than to do what is instructed of them by these predators.
Direct feedback from those who have experienced this kind of abuse has been invaluable in creating the current proposal. Additional feedback will only make this stronger in the future, which is why I am asking for your help.
Please contact me any time if you would like to share any thoughts that could help address this issue and be part of creating a safer online space for all our kids.
I am proud of the work that has been done so far on this and with the additional data privacy law that Sen. James Maroney championed for the past few years. That groundbreaking law has specific provisions to protect the information about minors that is shared online, and addresses some of the new online challenges to privacy that communities and small business are facing. It is a changing world and our laws should reflect those changes head on.