The Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee approved Bill A3539 today, which would update statutory terms pertaining to sexual exploitation or abuse of children. Assemblywoman Ellen Park, Assemblyman Benjie E. Wimberly, and Assemblywoman Carol Murphy sponsored the legislation.
Current law prohibits the creation, manufacture, distribution, sale, or viewing of child pornography. However, among child protection advocates, terms such as “child sexual abuse material” and “child sexual abuse exploitation material” have come into wider use to reflect the suffering of the children who are victims of this crime. Bill A3539 would update existing statutes to use these, and other similar phrases.
“Language matters, and in this case, it guarantees that the offenses against the victims are thoroughly detailed in the law,” said Assemblywoman Park (D-Bergen). “This bill would ensure that, when we address the victims of child sexual exploitation, we also acknowledge their suffering and abuse.”
While the bill advanced today does not substantively change the current laws, modernizing the language would bring New Jersey in line with broader international trends in terms of vocabulary.
“By making these changes, we are aligning ourselves with other states and countries in recognizing this as a serious and egregious crime,” said Assemblyman Wimberly (D-Bergen, Passaic). “The legislation advanced today will replace terms like ‘pornography’ with ‘sexual abuse or exploitation’ to hold perpetrators accountable by explicitly describing the harmful actions they committed against children.”
“This bill is a reminder that when it comes to the law, the language we use should be precise and should accurately reflect the severity of the crime,” said Assemblywoman Murphy (D-Burlington). “Those who trade in child sexual abuse and exploitation material should bear the full weight of accountability, and not be able to hide behind terms that might be understood as legitimizing or trivializing their actions.”