A Call to Action to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
In June 2021, ENOUGH ABUSE®, in collaboration with Prevent Child Abuse America released a national report, “A Call to Action for Policymakers and Advocates: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Legislation in the States“. This report has been updated in August 2025. ENOUGH ABUSE® reviews five laws aimed at preventing sexual misconduct and abuse through school-based initiatives and provide an overview of each state’s legislative efforts in those areas. We discuss emerging trends and propose a set of recommendations to enhance current state legislative efforts, and to build a national infrastructure to coordinate and support implementation of targeted prevention actions in schools, youth organizations and communities across the states.
Mapping State Laws to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
As we are committed to updating the field about ongoing progress on this front, we have developed a set of Interactive Maps which provides accurate and regularly updated information about the status of these state laws. We hope this resource will help states developing new legislation benefit from the experiences of other states. We hope this will encourage states that have not yet addressed the issues to do so more confidently.
Map #1 provides details about the twenty-eight (28) states, as well as D.C., that have passed laws mandating schools to educate personnel and/or students about child sexual abuse and ways to prevent it. Information about the ten (10) states that have passed laws merely allowing or encouraging this education is also included. In either case, lack of resources to implement the laws, monitor compliance, and hold schools accountable paint a less robust picture of the impact of these laws than the numbers indicate. Some states have introduced bills in past sessions with no success and so efforts have halted. Only a few states have never introduced legislation on this topic.
Map #2 includes information about the nineteen (19) states, as well as D.C., which have passed legislation and the one (1) state that has introduced legislation to improve the screening of prospective school employees for histories of sexual misconduct and abuse and address the practice popularly referred to as “passing the trash.”
Map #3 identifies the forty (40) states, as well as D.C., that have passed legislation criminalizing educator sexual abuse.
Map #4 identifies the twenty states have passed laws defining grooming as the process of manipulating a child to gain their trust and sexually abuse them. Eighteen states criminalize grooming a minor with intent to sexually abuse them as a felony, either by any adult, or with higher penalties for, or specifically targeting adults in positions of authority over children, such as school employees.
Map #5 identifies the fourty-five (45) states which have updated their child sexual abuse material (CSAM) statutes (formerly referred to as child pornography) to include AI-generated or computer-edited CSAM.
Maps 6, 7 and 8 track Statute of Limitations reform efforts in the states, including eliminating the civil SOL on child sexual abuse, eliminating the criminal SOL on child sexual abuse, and opening revival/lookback windows.
Map #9 tracks “Trey’s Law”, banning Non-Disclosure Agreemetns in child sexual abuse cases.
Map #10 identifies the twenty-one (21) states that have passed legislation creating task forces to explore the issue of child sexual abuse and to recommend future actions to prevent it. Links are provided to each State Task Force’s report, if it is available.
We encourage advocates to contact us at info@enoughabuse.org with any news or updates on state legislative efforts so that we can continue to provide you with the most accurate and timely information available.
Maps Of State Laws to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
1. State Laws Mandating or Allowing Child Sexual Abuse Education in Schools
There is much variability among the thirty-eight (38) states that have passed laws to address education about child sexual abuse in schools. This map identifies which state laws either mandate or merely encourage the education, and whether all school personnel, only licensed personnel, all students K-12, or students in limited grades only are included. Twelve (12) states have no laws as of August 2025. Links to the state laws can be found after each state description.
2. Screening School Employees to Prevent Educator Sexual Misconduct and Abuse
This map tracks progress in the states on addressing the problem of educator sexual misconduct and abuse which a U.S. Department of Education Report has documented affects nearly 10% of students from Kindergarten through 12th Grades. Currently nineteen (19) states have passed laws and one (1) has introduced legislation to better screen prospective school employees and to eliminate the practice of “passing the trash,” i.e. allowing or encouraging the resignation of employees engaged in sexual misconduct in lieu of reporting to state authorities, and aiding and abetting an employee engaged in sexual misconduct to secure a job in another school. Confidentiality Agreements that would have the effect of thwarting a formal investigation are prohibited. Schools in these states are protected from legal liability for sharing information with other schools.
3. Criminalizing Educator Sexual Misconduct and Abuse
While Educator Sexual Misconduct and Abuse is frowned upon, and schools can choose to fire employees who engage in sexual relationships with students, the school employee cannot always be criminally charged if the student is over that state’s age of consent. Over 75% of states have now passed legislation specifically outlawing educator sexual misconduct and abuse, or sexual misconduct or abuse by a person in a position of authority over a minor, recognizing that even if a student is over the age of consent, the educator is in a position of authority over the student and the student cannot consent to sexual relations with him or her. Forty (40) states so far have specific laws criminalizing Educator Sexual Misconduct or Abuse. Ten (10) states still have no laws criminalizing Educator Sexual Misconduct or Abuse.
4. Defining Grooming for Sexual Abuse
Twenty states have passed laws defining grooming as the process of manipulating a child to gain their trust and sexually abuse them.
Eighteen states criminalize grooming a minor with intent to sexually abuse them as a felony, either by any adult, or with higher penalties for, or specifically targeting adults in positions of authority over children, such as school employees. One state simply requires schools to adopt a policy prohibiting grooming and sexual relationships between employees and students and says that grooming can result in revocation of a teacher’s certificate or dismissal. Another state simply makes it harder to hire a school employee with a history of grooming students with intent to sexually abuse them.
5. Criminalizing AI-Generated or Computer-Edited Child Sexual Abuse Material
Research by ENOUGH ABUSE® has documented that 45 states have enacted laws that criminalize AI-generated or computer-edited CSAM, while 5 states and D.C. have not (as of March 2026). More than half of these laws were enacted in 2024 alone. This reflects strong concern by legislators and advocates about the significant increase in the creation, production and dissemination of these child exploitation materials.
6, 7 and 8: Statute of Limitations Reform
The Children’s Justice Campaign at ENOUGH ABUSE advocates to reform and eliminate the civil and criminal statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse. 44 states, 6 U.S. territories, and the federal government have no criminal SOL for CSA. 20 States, 2 U.S. territories, and the federal government have eliminated the civil SOL for some or all CSA claims. 31 states and 3 U.S. territories have revived expired civil SOLs or enacted windows for expired civil claims. Visit our Children’s Justice Campaign page to see these three interactive maps.
9. Banning Non-Disclosure Agreemetns (Trey’s Law)
To date, only seven states have passed laws prohibiting the use of NDAs in civil cases involving sexual assault survivors. Legislation is currently pending in seven more states (as of June 2026).
10. State Task Forces to Address Child Sexual Abuse
Twenty-one (21) states have passed legislation mandating the formation of a State Task Force to research the issue and provide recommendations for future action. This map identifies these states and includes links to each State Task Force Report if it is available. It also includes information about four (4) state task forces or prevention partnerships formed without legislation.
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