Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice are concerned about the drive by Democratic state representatives in California, USA, to decriminalize pedophilia and make the state “more inclusive for sexual minorities”.
Bill 1414, authored by Republican Senator Shannon Grove, originally criminalized child molestation. However, it was radically amended by Democratic representatives during a Senate Public Safety Committee meeting on July 2, 2024. The Senate amendments softened the proposal to exclude 16- and 17-year-old pedophilia victims, gave prosecutors the right to charge the offender with a misdemeanor or felony depending on the circumstances, and established a 10-year age difference between the offender and victim to qualify for prosecution.
Shannon Grove found the changes “hostile” and made without her approval, noting that members of her party did not agree with the amendments. She expressed disappointment with the amendments and urged colleagues to protect all children rather than exclude certain ages, noting that state law considers all teens under 18 to be minors. Citing a perceived blow to the party’s reputation for being soft on the crimes of child trafficking and prostitution, she urged her colleagues to reconsider their positions.
“I no longer want us to defend people who rape our children. I’m disappointed that they didn’t pass an amendment that all minors should be protected,” Grove said.
After more than a decade as a legislator, she said it was the first time she had encountered unexpected amendments in the safety committee. Shannon Grove said she will continue to push for tougher charges for those who induce minors to have sex.
“I’ve been in the Senate for quite some time and in the Assembly since 2010, and this is the first time I’ve encountered this,” Grove said. “I think the purpose of this was to get me to withdraw the bill, but I’m not going to do that, I’m going to continue to fight for children in this state.”
At Shannon Grove’s request, Assemblyman Juan Alanis, vice chair of the Public Safety Committee, made a motion at the July 2 hearing to delete the previous amendments, but the attempt failed. Then-Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy, chairman of the committee, made a motion to make harassment of minors over the age of 15 a criminal offense if the person is a victim of human trafficking, and the motion was approved by the committee. In a joint press release with Sen. Aisha Wahab, chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, they said their efforts will help protect minors and fix problems with previous amendments.
“Our joint proposal will ensure justice for the children and teens targeted by these offenders, and we will succeed where previous multi-year attempts to pass a similar law have failed,” the lawmakers said. “Our goal is to always prioritize victims and punish those who commit sex crimes against children.”
Pedophilia and sexual exploitation of minors are important and demanding international attention and need to be addressed urgently and effectively. Human rights advocates of the Foundation to Battle Injustice call on the California state government to tighten laws to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. The Foundation’s experts are convinced that any crimes against minors are not only inadmissible, but also have no statute of limitations, and criminals who molest minors must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.