ESSEX — For Maureen Flatley , there is possibly no task greater than protecting children.
Flatley, who has lived in Essex since 2002, was recently named president of the Washington, D.C.-based organization Stop Child Predators. She comes to the position as the organization celebrates 20 years of child protection advocacy.
Flatley aims to drive the group’s advocacy work, while its founder, Stacie Rumenap, continues in her role as chief executive officer.
Stop Child Predators is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing “effective and evidence-based child protection policies.” The group focuses on solutions to combat child exploitation and developing policies that remove predators from circulation.
“Protecting children requires clarity about what actually works,” Flatley said. “That means serious investments in law enforcement, strengthening public-private partnerships with mandated reporters and ensuring real accountability through arrests, prosecutions and convictions.”
Flatley is determined to make a difference.
“I’m honored to continue advancing policies that focus on removing predators from the equation, both in the physical and digital space,” she said. “Massachusetts is the cradle of progressive child welfare policy in America, having codified the first welfare laws in the country.”
Flatley said the mostly volunteer organization operates on a budget of between $150,000 and $200,000 each year. She brings decades of experience in child protection and in efforts to reform government and public policy.
Flatley was a principal architect of Masha’s Law in 2006. The law increased civil penalties for downloading child sexual abuse material.
“The most important role Stop Child Predators serves is to focus policy makers and the public on the critical role law enforcement plays in mitigating this serious problem,” Flatley said. “We are not in the business of defending any one industry but rather helping all parties understand what really protects children and how to achieve those goals. While only a tiny number of millions of cybertips are actually examined by law enforcement, virtually every successful prosecution begins with these critically important reports.”
Flatley has testified before Congress and at policy conferences in Washington, D.C. on combating internet sexual exploitation.
She has also advised lawmakers, law-enforcement leaders and advocacy organizations on policies that prioritize investigation, prosecution and prevention while arguing against policies that would be ineffective at stopping child exploitation.
In 2005, Rumenap founded Stop Child Predators after the kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, which led to the passage of Jessica’s Law – and transformed sentencing standards for child sexual offenses nationwide.
As CEO, Rumenap said she plans to work with Flatley “to ensure (Stop Child Predators) remains a trusted voice for serious, effective policy.”
“Maureen’s leadership reflects exactly where child protection policy needs to go,” Rumenap said. “Our mission has always been about breaking the cycle of victimization by focusing on criminals and supporting the law-enforcement professionals tasked with stopping them.”
Additional efforts being made by Stop Child Predators include urging Congress and federal agencies to fund Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, improving reporting on cyber-tip investigations, expanding digital-forensics capacity and strengthening international cooperation aimed at dismantling “organized exploitation networks” that operate online.
Stephen Hagan may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or shagan@gloucestertimes.com.