Attorney General Becerra Urges Congress to Enact Important Legislation to Protect Victims of Child Pornography

55 AGs support legislation making it easier for victims of child pornography to receive restitution

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with 54 fellow Attorneys General, today sent a letter to Congress urging leaders to pass legislation that would require full restitution for children who have been victims of child pornography. The Attorneys General together argue that the impacts of these crimes are pervasive and that victims should receive monetary restitution that allows them to afford medical and mental health care, recover lost wages and acquire other supportive services.

“Children who have suffered as victims of pornography need help to heal from the emotional impacts of this despicable exploitation,” said Attorney General Becerra. “At the California Department of Justice, we are fighting for justice on their behalf. Perpetrators who are responsible for sharing, trading and possessing images of young victims must be held accountable for their unconscionable actions. My fellow Attorneys General and I urge Members of Congress to break barriers for victims who deserve meaningful restitution.”

In 2014, forty-four state Attorneys General expressed written support for the Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act, which would have required defendants to pay for victims’ losses, including medical and mental care, therapy, lost income, and any other losses suffered from sexually explicit misconduct. The Senate passed the bill in 2015, however, it did not pass the House of Representatives in the 114th Congress. The Attorneys General now request the passage of the bipartisan Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act (AVAA) of 2017 to improve the assistance victims can receive when defendants are held accountable for their heinous behavior.

This letter was signed by a bipartisan group of 55 state and territorial attorneys general.