Laws

There are laws pertaining to nearly every aspect of a child's life and almost as many advocacy groups working to pass and enforce these laws. These range from laws requiring medical care of children, to laws requiring child sex offenders to be registered. Highway safety advocates work with state legislators and other public and private sector policy makers to promote zero alcohol tolerance laws, teenage driver's licensing laws, child passenger restraint laws, and safety belt enforcement laws. Some statutes address criminal law and the way children should be treated in the criminal justice system. Laws such as the Child Care Act and the Prevention of Family Violence Act offer protection to children from violence and neglect. Still others deal with treatment of children in divorce, separation, and other custody cases. There are ever-changing laws regarding the safety of toys and other children's recreational equipment, as well as thousands of government programs that impact children. There are even laws to protect unborn children from alcohol and drug abuse by their mother. There's no way to even begin to scratch the surface concerning laws regarding children's safety, but there are lots of resources are available for finding out what they are, and even for you to get involved as a citizen in helping to ensure that these laws are enforced and that other needed legislation is passed.