Hawaii's U.S. representatives introduce 'Talia's Law' to prevent child abuse on military bases

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - On Tuesday, Hawaii's two Congressional Representatives introduced a new law aimed at preventing child abuse on military bases.

Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Mark Takai have co-authored Talia's Law, which would require military officials to immediately report suspected cases of abuse to state child protective services.

"We owe it to our service members, their families and thousands of children like Talia to disrupt the status quo and stop another decade of preventable child abuse," Representative Tulsi Gabbard said.

The law is named after five-year-old Talia Williams, who was beaten to death in 2005 by her father Naeem Williams, a soldier who was stationed on Oahu, and her stepmother, Delilah Williams.

Legal proceedings against Williams revealed that federal employees, including military police and workers at Talia's child care facility, were aware of the suspected signs of abuse and failed to report the observations.

The Schofield soldier was found guilty of killing his young daughter in April 2014 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

There have been more than 29,000 cases of child abuse and neglect in military homes since 2005.

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