The ERLC joined a coalition of child advocacy organizations urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take stronger action to protect children from abuse, including fulfilling long-overdue legal obligations to Congress. Alongside other child advocate organizations, organized by Advancing American Freedom, the ERLC sent a joint letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding the Department of Justice’s role in protecting children from harm. April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month, a time to call for greater action to protect children from horrific exploitation and dangers.
In the letter, the ERLC and others ask acting Attorney General Blanche to prioritize protecting children, as required by several components of law, at the Department of Justice under his leadership.
Prioritize protecting children from abuse
First, the PROTECT Our Children Act, passed in 2008, requires the Department of Justice to produce a “National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction” and submit the report to Congress every two years. However, over multiple administrations, the Department of Justice has failed to prioritize submitting the report to Congress. In fact, no report was submitted to Congress between the February 2015 and February 2023 reports, both of which were submitted months late.
The Government Accountability Office has noted that the report fails to keep updated on new technologies and strategies that can be used to prevent child abuse and catch perpetrators.
Prevent the sexual exploitation of children
Second, the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, passed unanimously by Congress in 2018, improves the process for obtaining restitution for victims of child pornography. The law requires the Department of Justice to submit to Congress a report on the changes and amendment made by the legislation, including funding levels of the child victim fund. The report was due in December of 2020 but has never been submitted.
The letter states:
“Submitting the reports that Congress has required, with candid assessments of the crisis facing our children and meaningful action steps to tackle that crisis, can show that protecting children from exploitation is indeed a top priority.”
What do Southern Baptists believe about preventing child abuse?
Southern Baptists consistently advocated for protecting vulnerable children and denounced the horrendous evil of abusing children. Southern Baptists have passed several resolutions condemning the abuse of children, including through the 2019 resolution “On the Evil of Sexual Abuse,” where Southern Baptists are “RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, June 11–12, 2019, condemn all forms of sexual abuse and repudiate with a unified voice all sexually abusive behavior as unquestionably sinful and under the just condemnation of our Holy God.” Furthermore, Southern Baptists spoke against abuse through the 2018 resolution “On Abuse, “saying we are, “RESOLVED, That we uphold the dignity of all human beings as image-bearers of God and the responsibility of all Christians to seek the welfare of the abused.”
