Notifying an abuse victim’s parents

An extra phone call will need to be made when a child is a crime victim.

Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Vogel (R-Willmar) and Sen. Gary Dahms (R-Redwood Falls), a new law will add to the custody order in a divorce agreement so that each party must “notify the other party if the minor child is the victim of an alleged crime and shall provide the name of the investigating law enforcement officer.” It will also require law enforcement to immediately notify a local welfare agency if the child is a victim of neglect, physical abuse or sexual abuse outside the family.

Signed April 4 by Gov. Mark Dayton, the law takes effect July 1, 2012.

“The (law) stems from an incident where we had a young child, 6 years old, who was abused by a neighbor child who was also a minor,” Vogel said. “When they went to contact the father he said he didn’t want to press charges; therefore, law enforcement let the case go, didn’t follow up in notifying the mom. This was a divorce case and the child was staying with the dad at the time this happened.”

The mother did not find out until four years later when her son told a social worker. She subsequently spoke with a county investigator who informed her that her ex-husband was informed, and that state statute was followed because they contacted “a parent.”

Parents who are under a protective order or in the Safe at Home program will have the notification provided through a third party so as to avoid direct contact with their former spouse.

HF1899/ SF2297*/CH153