Stronger Child Protection: New Penalties for Kidnapping and Sexual Exploitation.
This law significantly tightens federal rules regarding crimes against children, including kidnapping and sexual abuse. It introduces new definitions to make prosecution easier, especially when the victim was obtained through fraud or deception. A key change removes the ability to use the victim's consent as a defense if the victim is under 16 years old, enhancing child safety.
Key points
Kidnapping Definition: The definition of kidnapping is expanded to include cases where the offender gains control over the victim through fraud or deception.
Consent Defense Removed: Consent is explicitly not a defense for sexual offenses involving victims under 16, unless the offender proves they reasonably believed the victim was 16 or older.
New Federal Offense: A new federal crime is established for intentional, non-clothing touching of the genitalia of a person under 16 for sexual or abusive purposes.
Broader Jurisdiction: Federal authority to prosecute sexual crimes is expanded by changing the jurisdictional requirement to include 'traveling in interstate or foreign commerce'.
Expired
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