The following is a news release from the Colorado State Patrol provided to Colorado News Your Way
(Lakewood, CO) - A member of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) within the Colorado Department of Public Safety was tapped to provide her expertise during a roundtable discussion that will inform recommendations for concrete actions the Biden-Harris Administration can take to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, as part of the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse.
CSSRC Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Specialist Margaret Ochoa participated in the Roundtable on Taking a Public Health Approach to Prevention and Support for Young Survivors on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Ochoa provided input during the creation of Colorado’s juvenile sexting law in 2017 and 2018, and during today’s roundtable she presented information on promising practices, trends, and resources in Colorado that address issues around youth sexting, relationship abuse, and bullying.
“The pervasive availability of technology has put youth today at risk for tremendously negative outcomes related to the sharing of sensitive information - consensually or not. Fortunately, we can mitigate some of these impacts through education, policy, and collaboration,” Ochoa said.
President Joe Biden signed a Presidential Memorandum on June 16 establishing the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse, responding to the need for government leadership to address online harms, which disproportionately affect women, girls, people of color, and LGBTQI+ individuals. The task force is hosting numerous roundtables to produce recommendations for the Federal government, state governments, technology platforms, schools, and other public and private entities to prevent and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including a focus on the nexus between online misogyny and radicalization to violence. Read more about the task force here.
“We are proud to have one of our Colorado Department of Public Safety members contribute to the national effort to reduce violence and protect young people in today’s challenging environment of evolving technology,” said CDPS Executive Director Stan Hilkey. “Across the decades, Coloradans have relentlessly worked to continue to learn from tragic incidents, adapt to changing conditions, and implement best practices to prevent and mitigate threats to young people in our communities.”
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