SEN. FARLEY REPORTS SENATE PASSES BILLS TO PROTECT VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE

State Senator Hugh T. Farley (R, C, I – Schenectady) announced that he and his colleagues in the New York State Senate recently passed two measures to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and children at risk of abuse. The bills would create new safeguards for victims who testify against their abusers in court, as well as establish a commission to study and recommend methods of preventing child abuse in New York.

Statistics show that violent attacks against women are often committed by their domestic partners or someone close to them. As a result, these individuals fear reprisal and are less likely to testify against their abusers in court.

The Senate approved legislation (S3087) allowing domestic violence victims to testify in the physical absence of their abusers by using closed-circuit television. By offering an alternate forum for victims of domestic violence to serve as witnesses, the legislation seeks to facilitate their willingness to come forward.

In addition, the Senate passed a bill (S824) that would establish a temporary state commission to study child abuse prevention and make recommendations for implementing child abuse prevention programs statewide.

The tragic deaths of children across the state, including Abdifatah Mohamud and Eain Clayton Brooks in Western New York, Myls Dobson in New York City, and, most recently, Kenneth White in Albany County, have brought attention to potential deficiencies in laws put in place to protect vulnerable children.

Research has demonstrated that programs focusing on educating and training new and future parents are the most practical and cost-effective means of preventing child abuse and neglect. Child abuse prevention also addresses other aspects of family dynamics that threaten children’s well-being, including preventable health conditions such as low birth weight, infant mortality, and drug-addicted babies.

Despite their success, child abuse prevention programs are currently only available to a small number of eligible at-risk families. In addition, a study found that the state spends approximately $2.4 billion each year on the consequences of child abuse, including incarceration, court costs, and foster care. By examining the accessibility of prevention programs, as well as strategies for expanding these services to more families across the state, the temporary commission would more effectively protect children while saving the state considerable fiscal resources.

The bills have been sent to the Assembly.