Q: Am I legally required to report a friend who has taken advantage of a relative a long time ago?
Hello,
A friend of mine told me that when he was younger (at least 4 years ago, most likely 5 or more) he had "taken advantage" of his sister (I think they were both minors). At the time he and his sister lived in Illinois, now he lives in New Mexico. My question is this: am I required to report this to the authorities? Here's some pertinent information:
- It happened in Illinois and he now lives in New Mexico (I also live in New Mexico)
- It was voluntary and wasn't forced by either side
- It happened at least 4 years ago
- He told his whole family about it and they chose not to report it to the authorities, but deal with it in-house.
I have tried researching it on my own, but the laws seem very complicated. I have read on https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/manda.pdf and https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/define.pdf but am still confused. To clarify, my question is not "if" I have a moral responsibility to report it, but if I am required to report it to the authorities?
A: No. If you were a mandated reporter, maybe. Apparently you are not.
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