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As part of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) – who has introduced legislation to combat child abuse – recently offered his gratitude to allies in the fight against child abuse and human trafficking.
McCaul singled-out child abuse awareness and prevention group Bikers Against Child Abuse in a post he recently made to his official Twitter, also bringing attention to the Jenna Quinn Law, H.B. 1041.
“I am so proud to have partners like Bikers Against Child Abuse. Thank you for remaining vigilant in combatting child abuse in our state,” McCaul said in his Tweet. “Most recently, I introduced the Jenna Quinn Law. This bill would train [and] educate adults who work [with] children to recognize and report abuse.”
Quinn, the woman behind the name of that law – which was passed in Texas in 2009 – is a victim of childhood sexual abuse who has dedicated her life to fighting for victims, according to Local Profile.
“This is not a field I planned on going into full time ever,” Quinn was quoted as saying by Local Profile. “It was never really something I wanted to be known for. But I saw, and I still see an incredible progress that it has made in people’s lives. I see healing. When you see that you are making a large impact, it’s difficult to stop.”
Fighting the battle in their own way, the Bikers Against Child Abuse was founded in 1995 by a social worker and recreational therapist, John Paul "Chief" Lilly, and began with the work he and his biker friends did helping a traumatized eight-year-old, according to a story in Ride Apart.
“We desire to send a clear message to all involved with the abused child that this child is part of our organization, and that we are prepared to lend our physical and emotional support to them by affiliation, and our physical presence,” the organization’s mission statement says. “We stand at the ready to shield these children from further abuse.”