Fitzpatrick introduces Child Rescue Act to combat child sexual exploitation

A bipartisan bill offered on April 30 by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) would convene a national working group to study proactive strategies and needed resources to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Child Rescue Act, H.R. 8183, which Rep. Fitzpatrick cosponsored with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), would address the growing international trade in child sexual abuse material, which has created demand and incentive for the sexual assault of children throughout the United States.

“Now more than ever in this digital age, legislators need to work to protect our children from sexual exploitation,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “I am proud to lead the bipartisan Child Rescue Act alongside Rep. Spanberger, which will strengthen federal efforts to protect and rescue children from exploitation and abuse.”

If enacted, H.R. 8183 would require the U.S. Attorney General to create a national commission to study proactive policing strategies and to identify the resources needed to locate and rescue children from sexual exploitation and abuse, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Fitzpatrick’s staff. 

The commission would bring together experts from the private sector and the federal government — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — to create a nationwide strategy and identify how best to respond to a changing landscape and prevent child abuse across the country, states the summary.

Additionally, H.R. 8183 would require the commission to develop recommendations for the funding, resources, and strategies necessary for law enforcement agencies to successfully identify, locate, and protect child victims, says the text of the bill.

“Our bipartisan legislation … would require the federal government to carry out a focused, coordinated strategy to aid in the rescue of children across the United States from abusive, neglectful, and traumatic situations,” said Rep. Spanberger. 

H.R. 8183 has garnered support from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the National District Attorneys Association, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the National Children’s Alliance, and Rights4Girls.