Strengthening Child Abuse Laws
By: Jamiese Price
Updated: April 11, 2012
The case of a girl who was literally run to death in Etowah County is prompting a bill in the state house. It's called the Savannah Hardin Mandatory Reporting Bill.
Savannah was the nine year old girl forced to run around her yard for three hours in Gadsden. She later died.
The bill would require anyone in Alabama who suspects or knows about a case of child abuse or neglect to report it.
Sherryl Walker with the South East Alabama Child Advocacy Center said its safeguards like Savannah's bill that protect our children from child abuse.
" If everybody accepts responsibility then maybe no child would be abused or maybe if they've been abused they won't be abused again. For some of these children you may be the only person that can save their life," said Walker.
House Bill 604 would strengthen Alabama's current reporting law, which requires people like teachers, doctors, and social workers to report suspicions of child abuse.
If the bill is passed, licensed professionals who deal with children would have to undergo yearly training. The bill has already received a favorable response from the House Children Senior Advocacy Committee.
