"This week, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed historic legislation protecting countless children and families across New York State from a broken child abuse reporting system. The Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act makes our state the third in the U.S. behind only Texas and California to prevent bad actors from making anonymous reports of child abuse to the state hotline. This new law will change the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers and finally put an end to a practice that has traumatized families for far too long."
"To be clear: the identity of hotline callers has always been strictly confidential, and most people with good intentions have no problem identifying themselves. But under the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act, the option of anonymity is removed. It is well documented that domestic abusers use anonymous reporting as a tool of coercive control, instilling fear in victims even after physical separation. Landlord-tenant disputes and family feuds also present an opportunity to misuse the system."
New York enacted the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act to remove anonymous child-abuse hotline reporting, making the state the third after Texas and California to do so. The law aims to prevent coercive misuse of anonymous reports by domestic abusers, landlords, or family members that can instill fear and perpetuate control. Eliminating anonymous tips intends to reduce false or malicious reports that strain caseworkers and divert resources from legitimate cases. Anonymous reports have caused traumatic interventions, including unannounced home visits, school interrogations, and, in some incidents, children being strip-searched without a parent present. Prior legal research demonstrated how anonymity fuels false reporting and systemic bias, informing similar reforms.
Read at www.amny.com
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