Child abuse victims are often abused twice--once by a molester and once by an insensitive judicial system, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Tuesday.
His comments came at the opening of a Senate Judicial Committee hearing on child abuse, which looked specifically at a proposed "Child Victims' Bill of Rights" introduced by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Rep. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio.Hatch said, "Children who are victims of these perverted practices should not be victimized again by an indifferent or insensitive system.
"All too often, the abused child must run a veritable gauntlet of officials--police officers, social workers, lawyers, hospital personnel, investigators, therapists and others--in order to receive any meaningful protection."
The proposed child victims' bill of rights would allow such things as children to sit on someone's lap while testifying in court to reduce fear; to testify from another room by TV; to use dolls to explain what happened; and have courts appoint someone to ensure the child's need are being protected.
It would also require any person who has reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused to report it.