A former three-term New Hampshire legislator was recently sentenced for child sexual exploitation. He received a 33-year sentence and his cohort received 22 years, both unusually lengthy sentences. It raises an important question: Aren’t there basic standards of good citizenship or background investigations required before one can run for the New Hampshire Legislature, especially since legislators are responsible for developing our laws?
Law enforcement, under the Department of Safety, actively surveils the public for automobile infractions such as excessive speed and impaired driving due to alcohol or drugs. Child sexual assault is equally damaging in its own way. While death can occur as a result of a drunken driver, child sexual abuse can profoundly alter childhood development for a lifetime, including the functioning of the amygdala, effecting a child’s future emotional and psychological well-being, such as their self-image, education, occupations and adult relationships.
I believe significant harm deserves sentences that reflect the severity of the damage caused. If law enforcement can prioritize impaired driving on our highways, it can also prioritize preventing and investigating child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Surveillance of unsafe drivers is accomplished through tools such as radar and laser technology. Monitoring predators often relies on sex offender registries, which may not always be current because offenders are responsible for updating their information after release or upon changing addresses. There appears to be an imbalance in prevention efforts.
Law enforcement should continue developing expertise in understanding grooming behaviors and methods used by child sexual predators in order to better identify patterns and protect children. In my opinion, both dangerous drivers and child sexual predators warrant serious surveillance and enforcement efforts because the outcomes of their actions can cause severe, life-altering harm.
Prevention efforts should include regular, unannounced compliance and safety reviews at child-focused organizations, including daycare facilities, summer camps, youth sports programs, foster homes, state youth facilities, schools and churches. I acknowledge that other agencies already have responsibilities for investigating child welfare concerns in foster homes and youth facilities; however, recent failures suggest improvements are needed. This may result from insufficient staffing, limited investigative training, or inadequate resources.
I believe the Justice Department should continue expanding internet-based investigations of child exploitation while strengthening oversight and child protection efforts in organizations that serve children. Additionally, child-focused organizations should require mandatory education and competency standards regarding Adverse Childhood Experiences and grooming strategies commonly used by child sexual predators. All child caregivers should also receive training upon employment regarding the warning signs and reporting requirements related to child sexual abuse.
Since the majority of child sexual abuse occurs in the home and is committed by someone known to the child, I suggest mandatory education for maternity patients during their hospital stay. Mothers and families should be informed about the prevalence of in-home child sexual abuse, warning signs, and available reporting resources. I recognize that reporting a family member requires courage but the alternative is devastating to the child. Basic infant care is already taught in maternity units; education regarding child protection deserves similar attention.
In recent years, new child protection laws have been enacted, and I am grateful for that progress. I especially appreciate the improvements to school-related child sexual assault laws enacted after the conviction of Primo “Howie” Leung, a former Concord teacher. However, schools represent only one child-focused setting. Because child sexual predators often seek access to children through trusted institutions — including daycare facilities and other youth organizations — all child-serving organizations should strengthen prevention, oversight and child safety practices.
As a survivor of child sexual assault, I advocate for stronger surveillance, lengthier sentences and enforcement efforts that include both internet investigations and increased oversight of child-focused organizations. Child sexual abuse may not always be visible, but its effects are lifelong and devastating. Protecting children deserves the same level of urgency and commitment that we devote to preventing other serious harms.
Paula Czech Lesmerises is a retired registered nurse and is a survivor of child sexual abuse. She lives in Concord.