Skip to content
Reporting yesterday for Boston news station, WCVB, Karen Anderson painted the following picture:
For nearly a decade, a painful scene has unfolded repeatedly inside the Massachusetts State House: survivors of childhood sexual abuse coming forward, recounting deeply personal trauma, and asking lawmakers to take meaningful action to protect future generations. That scene played out again Thursday during a legislative briefing—this time with fresh urgency and raw emotion.
Among the voices was Erin Laffond, who spoke publicly for the first time as a survivor. She described being groomed and sexually abused by a trusted adult—a man who was her coach in high school. “He emotionally and psychologically manipulated me by using these positions in superiority as a recognized community member to disguise his actions,” she told lawmakers. “And he took advantage of the power that his roles gave him, using his reputation as leverage to keep me quiet.”
Laffond said she struggled to distinguish what was acceptable and what was abuse. The man’s authority and respect within the community, she said, made it nearly impossible for her to establish boundaries. “I want it to feel empowering,” she told legislators. “So please help me feel empowered.”
She’s now urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would legally prohibit adults in positions of authority—such as teachers, coaches, and other school staff—from engaging in sexual relationships with anyone under the age of 18, regardless of perceived consent. Advocates say this change would close a dangerous loophole and better reflect the power imbalances that exist between minors and authority figures.
The bill is one of several that have been introduced over the years on Beacon Hill to prevent child sexual abuse, many of which have failed to gain traction despite growing public awareness and survivor testimony.
Jen Falcone, who first spoke out in a 2015 investigative report, also returned to the State House to support the proposed legislation. “What started out as compliments and extra attention turned quickly into molestation, rape and then trafficking—all within the walls of the school building,” she recalled.
State Sen. Joan Lovely, herself a survivor of child sexual abuse, acknowledged the emotional toll of the repeated hearings and stalled progress. Still, she believes each testimony has made a difference. “When you talk about child sexual abuse, people shut down. They don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “And that’s why it’s taken so long. But we have to continue to talk to people, and tell them that this is real and we need to make positive change. We’re doing that.”
As frustration and heartbreak continue to mount, survivors and allies are pushing harder than ever for change—hoping this will be the year Massachusetts finally turns their courage into law.
