| At a time when violent crime nationwide is on | | | | all... "when in doubt, check them out".... |
| the decline --murders down 13 percent from | | | | |
| 1999 --one crime statistic is haunting the | | | | A Child-Abuse Profile? |
| criminal justice system. The killing or | | | | |
| injury of children by their parents or | | | | Present Federal Interagency Forum on Child |
| stepparents shows an alarming rise. Between | | | | and Family Statistics reveal that more than |
| 1976 and 1997, approximately 11,000 children | | | | thirty-five percent of our children are being |
| were murdered by those who gave them life or | | | | raised in households with only one of their |
| were supposed to give them care. Thousands | | | | biological parents and may include a |
| more were the victims of life-threatening | | | | stepparent or an unmarried partner. |
| injuries. | | | | Statistically, a child in that situation |
| | | | shows a forty times greater chance of being |
| So it is no surprise that in this era of | | | | abused than when living with two biological |
| information and cyber-technology, concerned | | | | parents. Small wonder that the increases in |
| parents and grandparents are turning for help | | | | child abuse are skyrocketing, up from 400,000 |
| to one new website on the Internet. and | | | | reported cases in 1976 to almost 4 million |
| reports having received thousands of requests | | | | reported cases in 1997. |
| from parents and grandparents to do | | | | |
| background and criminal record checks on the | | | | The disturbing reality of escalating child |
| new stepparent or significant other of their | | | | abuse in the United States today is driven |
| ex-spouse. | | | | home daily by shocking news reports and |
| | | | television broadcasts. In San Diego, a |
| " In the past year there has been a | | | | seven-month-old baby girl was burned over |
| tremendous increase in the number of persons | | | | eighty-five percent of her body when the |
| wanting us to do investigations of this | | | | child's mother left home briefly to run |
| nature," notes Linda Alexander, a Southern | | | | errands, leaving her baby alone with a |
| California attorney and website founder. | | | | boyfriend who police say put the infant in |
| "Parents and grandparents want to protect | | | | scalding water in the kitchen sink. |
| these children from potential abuse." | | | | |
| | | | In Springfield, Missouri, an ex-lover and |
| Alexander 's online company specializes in a | | | | allegedly the father of an unborn baby, |
| wide variety of comprehensive background | | | | murdered a nine-months-pregnant mother and |
| checks and criminal record searches designed | | | | her three young children. He confessed to |
| to verify if persons are who they purport to | | | | committing these crimes along with his new |
| be. Have they ever used an alias? Do they | | | | girlfriend. In Houston, Missouri, the Texas |
| have a criminal record? Have they committed | | | | County prosecutor charged Bobby Mayes with |
| domestic violence? Are they a registered | | | | killing his wife and teenage stepdaughter. |
| sexual offender? A pedophile? Finding the | | | | Mayes had a prior record of eight felony |
| answers to such questions is all in a day's | | | | convictions from sexual abuse to burglary. |
| work for Alexander and her staff of | | | | |
| professional web sleuths. She reports that | | | | With tragedies like these reported in every |
| the website has over three quarters of a | | | | part of the country, major concerns arise as |
| million hits each month. | | | | to who may be trusted with our children. . |
| | | | |
| The service also assists in tracing lost | | | | and has been widely recognized on CBS' "48 |
| loves, friends, estranged family members and | | | | HOURS" and the CBS Early Show; The Other |
| old army buddies,cyber-romance, potential | | | | Half, Men are From Mars Woman From Venus, in |
| mates, employees, business partners, nannies, | | | | People Magazine, listed in Yahoo Internet |
| in-home health care workers --to find out if | | | | Life Magazine's top 100 sites for the Year |
| they are really who they say they are. The | | | | 2000, Seventeen Magazine, Entrepeneur |
| cost of the service provided by and range | | | | Magazine, Kiplinger Magazine, USA Today. |
| from $39 to $75. The site's motto says it | | | | |