IJM Applauds Senate Passage of the REPORT Act
Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC)
The bill awaits action from the House Judiciary Committee
Dec. 15, 2023, WASHINGTON, D.C. – International Justice Mission (IJM) welcomes the Senate passage of the Revising Existing Procedures On Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act, a bipartisan bill which will advance online protection measures for children around the world.
In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline received more than 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. According to NCMEC, 89.9% of all CyberTipline reports were linked to the upload of child sexual abuse material by users outside of the U.S. and referred to law enforcement agencies in more than 140 countries. From IJM’s experience in training international law enforcement partners on CyberTipline investigations, it is clear that updates are desperately needed to the existing reporting framework.
“Online sexual exploitation of children is a global crime which demands a global response by government, civil society, the private sector, and survivor leaders,” said John Tanagho, Executive Director of IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children. “The REPORT Act will give law enforcement much needed time to triage and respond to CyberTipline reports, and it will improve the quality of those reports, which can have a downstream impact of more victims identified and more arrests made.”
“Legislative action is needed to sharpen the response of the technology industry to the proliferation of online sexual exploitation of children,” said Nate King, IJM’s Director of Congressional Affairs. “With most major global technology companies based in the United States, Congress has the opportunity to shape enhanced reporting requirements to the CyberTipline that will protect children around the world.”
The REPORT Act is an essential step toward increased online safety for kids with critical updates to CyberTipline reports. The bill would:
- Require electronic service providers to report sex trafficking of children and enticement crimes.
- Increase penalties for failure to report such exploitation.
- Increase the preservation period for information submitted to the CyberTipline, which gives law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute.
The REPORT Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA). A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV-03), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04).
IJM urges the House Judiciary Committee to swiftly consider and advance the REPORT Act.
About International Justice Mission
International Justice Mission partners with local authorities in 31 program offices in 16 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children and police abuse of power. IJM’s mission is to protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. Learn more about IJM’s public policy and advocacy work.
