President Trump signed the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 into law. Before this law was passed, the courts had greatly limited restitution for those victims of child pornography.
The new law allows the following:
The AVA also creates a fund for compensating victims of child pornography trafficking in child pornography trafficking (advertising, distribution, and possession) and child pornography production. Whenever a defendant is convicted of a child pornography trafficking crime, for example, a victim has the option of electing to receive a one-time “defined monetary assistance” in the amount of $35,000 (indexed for inflation). The fund will be paid for, in party, through special assessments levied on defendants who are convicted of trafficking crimes, with an additional appropriation of $10 million per year if necessary. Attorneys’ fees are capped at 15%.
Remember: the law though allows for these children, even after they become adults, to seek compensation for the psychological and emotional harm which the abuser caused to them. I believe present possession of child pornography extends the statute of limitations to the date of possession.
