Atlantic County Times

Congressman Van Drew, along with Congresswoman Dean and a bipartisan group of colleagues, has reintroduced the Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution (SHIELD) Act. The legislation aims to address online exploitation by enhancing current laws to hold offenders accountable for image-based offenses.

"As technology advances, so do the ways in which bad actors exploit children and vulnerable adults," stated Congressman Van Drew. He emphasized that predators use intimate images as weapons, threatening to share them without consent. "Our current laws have not kept pace with these evolving threats," he added, stressing the need for stronger legal measures through the SHIELD Act.

Congresswoman Dean highlighted the predatory nature of sharing private images online without consent. "It should be prosecuted," she asserted. She noted that existing legal gaps must be closed to provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to prosecute such cases.

Michelle DeLaune from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) praised Representatives Van Drew and Dean for their leadership on this issue. She pointed out a significant increase in reports of online enticement since 2001 and called the SHIELD Act a crucial legal remedy for children in many cases.

Stefan Turkheimer from RAINN expressed strong support for the act, noting its importance in preventing abuse and holding perpetrators accountable. Coco Lammers from OSEAC also endorsed the bill, emphasizing its role in making non-consensual distribution of explicit images illegal while allowing consensual sharing.

Jennifer Dunton from Raven highlighted how the SHIELD Act would allow children to seek justice where currently there is no avenue. Nate King from International Justice Mission (IJM) welcomed the bill's reintroduction, citing its potential global impact due to an extraterritoriality clause targeting American offenders involved in exploiting foreign children.

The SHIELD Act has garnered endorsements from several organizations including NCOSE, NAPO, FOP, The Tim Tebow Foundation, among others. U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Cornyn are leading a companion bill in the Senate.