Jacob’s Law is a piece of legislation in Minnesota named after a child who was a victim of sexual assault (outside the family) when visiting his father in 2005. The situation was compounded because of his parent’s divorce, meaning that the child’s mother had no idea what was going on. The father assured his son that he’d handle the situation by filing a report with the police which he never did. Something he later said he would have done if he knew the full extent of the abuse.
Owing to his father’s silence, Jacob’s mom never knew about the abuse up until the child attempted suicide, broke down and told his mother four years after the abuse happened. Previous versions of a similar law required that only one parent be notified. However, the new law states that both parents should be made aware so that appropriate action can be taken in a timely manner, possibly averting years of trauma.
Exceptions
Jacob’s law does not require one parent to notify the other if the other party is the alleged perpetrator. At the same time, if the party doing the notifying is a victim of domestic violence, the law doesn’t apply. Lastly, if there’s a court order law prohibiting communication between the two parties, third party notification may be required.
Jacob’s Law And Daycare Centers
This law further guards the rights of children who attend daycare centers. While we’d like to think of such institutions as invaluable when it comes to ensuring the safety of our children, there’s always the risk of having your child abused by an errant staff member. To this end, Jacob’s law makes it tougher for child abuse to slip through the cracks.
If your child was a victim of child abuse at a daycare center, please contact Rasansky Law Firm at 1- 877-403-9378 for your free consultation today – especially if you were never notified by daycare workers of such abuse occurring. We’ve dealt with similar cases and have a wealth of experience to help you get the justice and compensation that your family deserves. We look forward to safeguarding your child’s rights.