Anonymous Child Abuse Reports Could Become Illegal in New York
Governor Hochul (D-NY) has through December to decide whether or not to sign the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill. If passed, anyone who makes a report of suspected child abuse will have to provide their own name and contact info. Nila Natarajan, the Associate Director of Policy and Family Defense at Brooklyn Defender Services, has been working on getting it signed into law. She says the opposition is based on a fear of discouraging reports, thus leading to more children being harmed. But the data, Natarajan explains, doesn't back that up. Over 90% of anonymous reports were found to be unsubstantiated, according to Natarajan and data from the state.
This evidence suggests that anonymous reporters are using accusations maliciously, with many families receiving dozens of anonymous complaints with no supporting evidence. Natarajan told WJFF:
"It becomes apparent when a family is experiencing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, sometimes tens, dozens of reports with similar allegations over and over again, or allegations that kind of have nothing to do with the facts of the family- like so outlandishly false- that it's really hard to conclude anything other than it's a harassing call."
These accusations have real-world repercussions for the families, even if no evidence is found. CPS investigations can be traumatizing and time-consuming for the parents and the children. Natarajan explains more about this controversial bill and whether or not Gov. Hochul is expected to authorize it.
