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NEW YORK \u2014 New York has replaced anonymous reports to its child abuse hotline with a confidential reporting system under the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act, a law intended to curb false and malicious reports that have subjected families to invasive investigations, according to Brooklyn Defenders.<\/p>\n
The Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act was fully implemented June 17. According to Brooklyn Defenders, the law \u201creplaces the state\u2019s anonymous reporting system with a confidential one, closing a loophole that allowed false and malicious reports to trigger invasive investigations of families.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization said \u201cmore than 93% of anonymous reports to the state hotline are found to have no evidence of harm to a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, innocent families bear the brunt of these false and malicious reports. These families describe the experience of being investigated because of such reports as \u201charrowing\u201d and \u201ctraumatic,\u201d according to Nila Natarajan, director of Family Defense & Policy for the Family Defense Practice, in a Brooklyn Defenders reel.<\/p>\n
\u201cLate night knocks on the door often lead to strip searches of children and photographs of their bodies, interrogations of children without the presence of their parents, and invasive home searches looking through cabinets, refrigerators, and dresser drawers,\u201d said Natarajan.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the new law, callers must leave their name and contact information, which stays confidential from the family being reported,\u201d Brooklyn Defenders said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood faith reporters are protected.\u201d Those who weaponize the system \u201cto harass a tenant, an ex-partner, or a co-parent\u201d are not afforded those protections.<\/p>\n
In its \u201cLatest\u201d column, Brooklyn Defenders catalogued some of the most significant developments in New York law and politics during the week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe joined 70 organizations urging the Mamdani administration to reject an increase to the NYPD headcount and end broken windows policing, in favor of investments in housing, health care, and other supportive services,\u201d the organization said.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Brooklyn Defenders \u201cfiled a joint amicus brief in support of New York State\u2019s efforts to uphold the critical protections offered by the Protect Our Courts Act,\u201d which bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, from making arrests at local courthouses.<\/p>\n
According to amNewYork, \u201cOfficers from ICE were really disrupting court activity,\u201d said Legal Aid attorney Evan Henley. \u201cImmigrants, whether they were undocumented or not, were terrified of coming to court, whether they were defendants, whether they were witnesses, or whether they were complainants. People were not willing to come to court to participate in the state\u2019s justice system. That has negative impacts for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an effort to combat that culture of fear, Legal Aid \u201casked an appellate court to side with New York over the federal government in Trump\u2019s 2025 suit attempting to strike down the state\u2019s Protect Our Courts Act, which prohibits ICE from arresting people in state courthouses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis month, Brooklyn Defenders was proud to take part in two powerful conferences \u2014 The 4th Movement: The Evolution of Lived Expertise Conference, hosted by the NYC Justice Peer Initiative, and the 2026 Black Public Defender Association Summer Conference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt The 4th Movement Conference, Samuel Hamilton, reentry supervisor, and Gina Mitchell, attorney in charge of Law Reform and Policy, presented \u2018Building Bridges,\u2019\u201d which examines how a public defender office can \u201cdrive systemic change by connecting reentry practice and policy advocacy through the leadership of people directly impacted by incarceration.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Brooklyn Defenders, these conferences promote conversations about what it means to make an impact through policy, public defense and other forms of advocacy. In turn, those conversations \u201cbuild the relationships that make collective progress possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media \u2013 X<\/a>, Instagram <\/a>and Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0 Subscribe <\/a>the Vanguard News letters.\u00a0 To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org\/donate<\/a> or give directly through ActBlue<\/a>.\u00a0 Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.<\/p>\n Categories: Breaking News<\/a> Everyday Injustice<\/a> Tags: Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act<\/a> Brooklyn Defenders<\/a> Child Welfare<\/a> ICE<\/a> New York<\/a> Protect Our Courts Act<\/a>