Connecticut House OKs bill to help children in domestic violence cases

Connecticut's domestic violence organizations are concerned about an influx of children seeking their services coming out of the pandemic, which led to a rise in domestic violence with many stuck at home in abusive situations. Lawmakers at the state Capitol have stepped in to help.

The state House gave final approval last week to a bill that would fund 18 child advocates across the state to provide services to children and families experiencing domestic violence.

With Senate approval earlier in the week, the bill, which seeks to prevent abuse and violence on online dating sites, in the workplace, and at home, goes to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk.

“At a time when people may have seen their homes as a safe haven in the midst of a pandemic, far too many people found themselves dealing with an even more dangerous situation in that home,” Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Windham, said during the Senate debate. “This bill is a strong response to that, and more.”

From 2017 to 2021, an average of 4,313 children were served annually by domestic violence organizations in the state, according to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The state doesn't provide funding for the advocates who perform these services. Federal funding only supports 2.26 hours of service to each child per year, according to data provided in testimony on the bill by Liza Andrews, director of public policy and communication for CCADV. The bill would fund 18 child advocate positions, one for each domestic violence agency in the state, at a cost of $1.44 million annually.

“The pandemic has brought a lot of percolating problems in our state to the fore and now's the time to jump on them, put in the resources, put in the effort,” Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said during the Senate debate.

The bill also provides employment protections for victims of family violence, including requiring employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to victims so that divorce proceedings, temporary homelessness and financial difficulties, among other issues, don't prevent them from maintaining their employment.

In a 2018 national survey of domestic violence survivors by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 83 percent of respondents reported that their abusive partners disrupted their ability to work, and 53 percent said they lost a job because of the abuse.

State employees would also be required to complete an hour of training and education on domestic violence, including information about resources available to victims.

If the bill becomes law, it “will have a profound impact on the mission to end domestic violence in Connecticut today, and help break generational cycles of abuse for future generations,” Suzanne Adam, executive director of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, said in a statement Friday.

“By providing access to trauma-informed counseling and support services for the most vulnerable — children who witness domestic violence in the home, SB 5 lays a strong foundation for individuals and families to heal from past trauma and begin to build safer, healthier lives free from violence," Adam said.

The bill also seeks to target abuse occurring online, which also spiked the pandemic by creating a new program to help people identify, report and prevent online harassment.

Separately, dating app operators will be required to advise users whether they conduct background checks. A previous version of the bill would've required dating apps to conduct “comprehensive” identity checks on users.

A provision to create a working group to develop recommendations regarding new laws on child grooming, in which a minor is coerced into child pornography, prostitution or trafficking, was stripped from the bill before the House vote. That issue is being addressed in a separate bill passed by the House last week, which would establish a new crime of harmful communication with a minor.