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A discussion about the Project Safe Childhood Act took place at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, where U.S. Sen. John Cornyn convened with law enforcement officials, educators, and sexual abuse survivors.
“I was sexually abused around age 10 all the way up to 13, 14 years old,” shared sexual abuse survivor D. J. Palmer during the panel.
Palmer emphasized the significance of Project Safe Childhood in his case and the successful conviction of the perpetrator.
Established in 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) aimed at combating online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
“My case specifically was a direct impact from this bill,” Palmer remarked. “I was lucky enough to have state, local, and federal prosecutors working together from day one.”
Now, Senator Cornyn is advocating for the passage of a bill to modernize the Project Safe Childhood Program.
“It helps fund collaboration between all these agencies,” explained U.S. Senator John Cornyn. “It allows best practices then to be shared with agencies that maybe don’t have the sort of sophisticated capabilities that are available here in Dallas or Tarrant County or the like.”
The proposed bill would receive funding through approximately $60 million in federal grants to agencies and has already cleared the Senate. Cornyn is optimistic about its passage in the House.
Irish Burch, President of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, expressed gratitude for the raised awareness, stating, “When you have a senator that puts his voice, lends his platform to a cause such as this, it really helps to elevate the cause and make people more aware, so parents can be more protective of their children.”
Moving forward, survivors like Palmer advocate for the protection of children. “We can’t leave a child behind,” Palmer emphasized. “We can’t leave any stone unturned. So, this joint effort or collaborative effort across the nation for all counties, all agencies, all states to work together is a huge step in the right direction.”