H.B. 5468, An Act Establishing the Crime of Harmful Communication With a Minor

The ACLU-CT supports meaningful reform to empower children who have experienced inappropriate sexual communication from adults. It is clear that everyone must do more to stop the sexual harassment of children. But adding yet another crime to our general statutes is not the best method to address this problem. Under current Connecticut law, there are already offenses that encompass the types of acts encompassed by the proposed crime of harmful communication with a minor. Both the enticement of a minor and the unlawful dissemination of intimate images are already crimes. House Bill 5468 unnecessarily complicates this, relying on vague “adult community” standards that do not clearly delineate conduct that is harmful and relationships that are inappropriate.