Child Abuse and Internet Education

With its unlimited opportunities for learning andpornography admitted that they had also molested
entertainment, the Internet has become an essentialchildren but had not been caught.
tool for children. It allows them to talk with friends,Internet predators are usually men. They are of
explore the universe, and find help with homework indifferent age, financial status and sexual liking.
ways baby boomers could not have imagined. InChild abuse range from children of privileged, stable
cyberspace, children are just a mouse click awaybackgrounds who have never before been abused,
from viewing great art, listening to an array of fineto those who come from abusive, broken, neglected
music or joining astronauts in space. Unfortunately,or impoverished homes. The more time they spend
they are also only a mouse click away from sexualon the Internet -- and the more personal information
predators.they post to it -- the more likely they are to be
It's been estimated that at any given time, there arevictimized. Indeed, the Youth Internet Safety Survey
upwards of 50,000 predators on the Internet, trollingfound that one in five children who are heavy
for victims. Just last month, Jerry Banks Sr., of Boise,Internet users receives an unwanted sexual
was sentenced to life in prison for using a Web camsolicitation each year.
to record himself molesting a 2-year-old and sharingThe Internet site Jerry Banks ran has been shut
the video on the Internet. Banks had a history ofdown, but others have taken its place. Like the
molesting children, maintained an extensive collectionmythical Hydra -- a monster who grew two new
of child pornography, and ran a file-sharing networkheads each time one was cut off -- child sexual
called "Kid Sex and Incest."exploitation is growing rapidly, and changing daily as
Contrary to myth, child pornography does not meannew technology is developed. Law enforcing agencies
pictures of flirtatious teenagers in bikinis or babies in aand prosecutors cannot succeed this fight alone.
bathtub. Rather, these are graphic, violent images ofTo help educate children about the dangers of the
children being raped, molested and sometimesInternet, the Department of Justice has launched
tortured. They are extremely difficult to view, orProject Safe Childhood (PSC), which has produced
even to think about, but we cannot ignore them.some outstanding public service announcements that
First of all, these are real children being brutalized, andI hope you'll be hearing and seeing on radio and TV.
second, there is mounting evidence that possessionPSC has also brought dedicated local, state and
of child pornography is directly linked to actual sexualfederal law enforcement officers and prosecutors
abuse of children. In one study, for example, 85together to apply more resources to this fight and
percent of men in prison for possessing childbring more predators to justice.