Policy plays a key role in the prevention of child sexual abuse by ensuring adequate funding and modernization of state statutes to protect kids, as well as promoting healing and preventing future harm when abuse has occurred. In addition to educating and empowering adults, Illuminate Colorado is working to ensure that every child grows up healthy and free from sexual abuse by collaborating through the Colorado Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Coalition and advocating during the 2021 Colorado legislative session on several bipartisan bills progressing at the state capitol related to child sexual abuse prevention. 

Just last week, Illuminate joined the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and many survivors in testifying in support of SB21-73 before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. Thankfully, the bill passed committee, as well as third reading on the Senate floor, unanimously.

National experts estimate that approximately 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. (1)  Over the last five years, the number of children in Colorado experiencing sexual abuse has steadily risen with seven percent of the 286,534 allegations of child maltreatment involving concerns of sexual abuse. With support from professionals in the child welfare and child advocacy centers and law enforcement, as well as other trusted adults in a child’s life, 27 percent of these concerns of child sexual abuse were confirmed. (2) However, almost 73 percent of child victims don’t disclose to anyone for at least a year, 45 percent don’t tell anyone for almost five years and, sadly, many never disclose at all. (3)

The resources included with this bill were needed before the COVID-19 pandemic to support survivors of child sexual abuse thriving in adulthood given that adult survivors of child sexual abuse are nearly three times as likely to report substance misuse, and are also more likely to be impacted by mental health issues. (4) They are especially needed now given the social isolation and increased stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that everyone has experienced.

Use the Illuminate Colorado Bill Tracker to stay up to date on the progression of SB21-73 and other bills this session related to child sexual abuse prevention including:

SB21-017 Sexual Contact By An Educator which specifically addresses the abuse of public trust by an educator, and enforces that sexual relationships between a student and a teacher or coach are inappropriate, even once a student turns eighteen years old.

HB21-1069 Enforcement Of Sexual Exploitation Of A Child modernizing criminal statute regarding child sexual exploitation to reflect access and viewing due to evolving technology, including accounting for livestreaming platforms.