In 2005, approximately 77 million
kids were active online. With so many children online, today’s
predators can easily find and exploit them. For predators, the
Internet is a new, effective, and more anonymous way to seek out and
groom children for criminal purposes such as producing and
distributing child pornography, contacting and stalking children for
the purpose of engaging in sexual acts, and exploiting children for
sexual tourism for personal and commercial purposes.
Attempting to entice, lure, tempt, or persuade any child to enter,
leave, or stay in any building, vehicle, or place if such act is done
with the use of force or with the intent to commit rape, indecent
assault, battery, dissemination of material harmful to children,
unnatural and lascivious acts, indecent exposure, or other sexual
offenses.
Child Exploitation
The hiring, employment, persuasion, inducement, or coercion of
child to perform in obscene exhibitions and incident shows, whether
live, on video or film, or to pose or act as a model in obscene or
pornographic materials, or to sell or distribute said materials.
Child Pornography
Any visual depiction of actual or simulated sexual conduct by an
individual under the age of 18 or lascivious exhibition of the pubic
area of such an individual. Courts have held that such material my be
banned even if it is not legally obscene and does not involve nudity.
Child Procurement
The act of arranging or instigating a meeting with a child for the
purpose of having sexual relations.
The National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provides excellent resources
concerning sexual exploitation of children and related issues for the
lay public, counseling community, and law enforcement agencies. NCMEC
has created an extensive web presence for its Exploited Child Unit:
http://www.missingkids.com.
These web pages provide background information on laws and
legislation, tips and pointers for parents and children, and lists of
preventive resources on the various aspects of child sexual
exploitation.
In addition to its Web pages, NCMEC,
in partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs
Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serves as the
National CyberTipline. To report possible illegal online activity
related to child pornography, predation, or any other type of child
sexual exploitation, call the CyberTipline: 800-843-5678
(800-TheLost) or contact their Web site:
http://www.missingkids.com
