ONYX

Protecting Children From Sexual Predators on the Internet

Children who have access to the Internet are accessible to child molesters. These predators pose as peers or confidants, and lure their unsuspecting victims with promises of friendship or material goods. Tragically, too often, it works.

Last year the California Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation of a 28-year-old man who was searching the Internet for children to molest. The man’s pattern was to spend six to eight hours a day online in “chat” rooms. In many of these chat rooms, he traded and received child pornography.

After many unsuccessful efforts to draw this child molester out, the agents secured permission for electronic surveillance of his telephone line. This request was made under the federal PROTECT Act – Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today – enacted in April 2003. This law gave authorities the right to tap into a suspect’s computer to catch child abusers if all other efforts have been tried and were not successful.

During the 19 days his line was monitored, the suspect was intercepted in sexually explicit “chat” with 16 different minors in various stages of “grooming.” He was caught making plans to travel for the purpose of molesting two of the minors identified, and in aggressive trading of child pornography.

The suspect was arrested in September of last year, and he is currently awaiting trial. He is charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child for his molestation of a teenage girl identified in the investigation, among other things. In addition, as a result of leads from the wiretap evidence, three other child abuse predator suspects in three other cities have been arrested.

The forensic examination of the suspect’s computer alone found approximately 5,000 images and 200-300 videos of child pornography. Every time such an image is sent over the Internet these children are sexually exploited over again. As a result of the information obtained, approximately 17 minors have been identified as potential victims of this suspect.

Preventing children from falling prey to child molesters takes the sharp eyes and keen awareness of all of us. Parents can play a major role in protecting children from sexual predators on the Internet by following these guidelines developed by the American Prosecutor’s Research Institute:

1. Set up guidelines that deal specifically with meeting people on the Internet. Talk to your children about what to do if their new Internet “friend” asks to see them in person, or wants them to send pictures of themselves.
2. Teach children not to give out personal information, such as name, address, telephone number or school, even if their new e-mail pal seems to be friendly, or a “cool” web site offers them a free gift for the information.
3. Encourage children to come to you if they are receiving messages that make them feel uncomfortable. Tell them to save the messages for you to read and handle in an appropriate manner.
4. Keep the computer in a high-traffic part of the house, such as the living room, where you can easily monitor your children’s activities.
5. Notify law enforcement authorities of any attempts by others to meet your child, secure photos or have inappropriate sexual conversation. If possible, save the conversation text to assist law enforcement in an investigation and possible prosecution.