Reporting Child Sexual Predators,
Fumbling a Duty to Protect
Victims of Sexual Abuse
Ms. Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee, the prosecution of comedian Bill Cosby, and Dr. Nassar’s sexual abuse of Olympic Athletes has raised the issue that victims of sexual abuse do not report these crimes. Many professionals estimate that one in four females and one in ten males are sexually abused as minors. However, as a career prosecutor and police legal advisor I have noticed that there are many common misconceptions about sexual predators that prevent these crimes from being reported. In this seminar we will discuss R.C. 2151.421, Ohio’s mandatory reporting statute that requires professionals including attorneys to report of sexual abuse of minors. We will consider difficulties professionals face when determining whether to file report of sexual misconduct pursuant to this statute. Attendees will examine R.C. 2901.13, Ohio’s statute of limitations and how this statute can determine whether the State can prosecute sex offenses that went unreported for years or decades after the offense. Finally, we will determine what we can do as professionals and as parents to prevent this type of conduct from going unreported.