Mandatory abuse reporting law needed nationwide?

A key issue in the Penn State scandal is what happens when you don't report child sexual abuse to police. Different states have different laws on whether people can be charged with a crime for not reporting such abuse.

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Delaware has a mandatory reporting law. The state's attorney general, Beau Biden, explained on "The Early Show" Monday that hid state's "mandatory reporting law ... says, if you reasonably expect a child is being abused or neglected, you have a mandatory duty to report it to law enforcement."

Biden says a law should be put in place nationwide making it mandatory for people to report abuse or neglect. He said, "That should be the law in the land, and as the attorney general of Delaware, I recommend that (every) state have a similar law. I think about 17 other states have a strict law like that. And if you do, I think you go a long way to making sure you shine a bright light onto child abuse and neglect."

Biden, "Early Show" co-anchor Rebecca Jarvis noted, experienced issues with this when he prosecuted pediatrician Earl Bradley, who was convicted and recently sentenced to life in prison for molesting more than 100 of his patients.

Biden said, "Citizens need to understand that children are not responsible for protecting themselves -- adults are. ... The reality is that, as a society, sometimes, we don't want to stick our nose in other people's business, but the reality is it is our business as adults, whether you see it in a convenience store parking lot or you eyewitness a brutal attack, obviously, that is something that needs to be reported directly and immediately to law enforcement."

Pennsylvania doesn't have a mandatory reporting law, Jarvis noted. She said, "Some people suggest maybe that is part of the reason for the (Penn State) issue escalating to such a degree."

Biden suggests people report anything unusual that they see or hear, because law enforcement will take the report seriously. He said, "These are some of the most tragic, awful things that prosecutors and law enforcement deal with. I can't think of anything worse. And law enforcement does take it seriously, and it should be reported to them. We need to get these cases and people out there need to report."

To help safeguard kids against abuse of any sort, Biden said he recommends avoiding any situation where kids are in a one-on-one situation with an adult.

He said, "Our country needs to understand that one-in-four girls is sexually assaulted before they are 18. One-in-six boys is sexually assaulted before they are 18. Only one-in-10 of these kids ever reports it -- it's because nine-out-of-10 of their perpetrators know the victim, or are a familiar relation to the victim. This is a big problem, as it relates to anywhere you have kids and people having access to children.