90% of child victims know their offender, with almost half of the offenders being a family member
There are over 644,865 registered sex offenders in the United States, and over 100,000 are lost in the system.
Research indicates that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before adulthood; sadly, 30-40% of these victims are abused by a family member and 50% are abused by someone outside the family whom they know and trust.
44% of sexual solicitors were under the age of 18.
65% of online sex offenders used the victim's social networking site to gain home and school information about the victim.
1 in 5 U.S. teenagers who regularly logs on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. Solicitations were defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk, or to give out personal sexual information
About 30% of the victims of Internet sexual exploitation are boys (that means 70% are girls!)
Internet predators commit over 16,000 abductions
There is a 50% chance that if your child is in a chat room designated for under aged children, the stranger he or she is talking to is a sexual predator logged in under a false identity.
77 % of the targets of online predators were 14 or older
22 % of targets were between the ages of 10 and 13.
Nearly 75 % of victims who met offenders face-to-face did so more than once.
There is estimated to be over 5,000,000 predators that surf the internet
25% of the victims of sexual exploitation will inform a parent or adult.
MySpace refuses to turn over sex offender information to law enforcement because it violates sex offender rights. However they are using new software to try and eliminate predators from their site. They have removed about 200 from the 39,000+ that are online.
Each year internet predators commit over 100 murders
73 % of teens are registered and go on social networking sites
Stories/articles
1) Thirty-one year old Neil Harst was arrested after posing as a 29 year-old "Ben Smith." In this rare case, he wanted to pay boys for sex. One of the victims did the right thing by his parents about the messages Harst was sending him. In order to catch him, the police set up a trap to meet him. They posed on the young boy's account, pretending to be him, and planned a meeting where they were able to catch him. He was charged with attempt of a criminal sex act.
2) Fifteen year old Amanda Todd was fooling around with her friends when she decided to video tape herself with her shirt off. One man, Michael Brutsch, was able to gain access to this video and use it against her as blackmail. He never actually tried to harm her but he stalked her and used this video against her. Soon, the video was all over the internet and kids at her school saw the video. She was so embarrassed, she was foced to move schools. Later, she took her own life because she could never escape her embarrassment.
Telling an adult immediately if anything that happens online makes them feel uncomfortable or frightened.
Choosing a gender-neutral screen name that doesn't contain sexually suggestive words or reveal personal information.
Never revealing personal information about themselves (including age and gender) or information about their family to anyone online and not filling out online personal profiles. For more specific rules about personal information on sites like Windows Live Spaces or MySpace, see How to help your kids use social websites more safely.
Stopping any email communication, instant messaging conversations, or chats if anyone starts to ask questions that are too personal or sexually suggestive.
Posting the family online agreement near the computer to remind them to protect their privacy on the Internet.
Being educated about internet safety and online predators is the best defense against these attacks. Predators like to use the internet because of the anonymity of the user; anyone could make up a whole new life for themselves.Here are some helpful links that will help inform you of internet predators and what you can do if you are ever targeted!
Follow age limits on social networking websites. Most social networking sites require that users be age 13 and over. If your children are under the recommended age for these sites, do not let them use them.
Young children should not use chat rooms—the dangers are too great. As children get older, direct them towards well-monitored kids' chat rooms. Encourage even your teens to use monitored chat rooms.
If your children take part in chat rooms, make sure you know which ones they visit and with whom they talk. Monitor the chat areas yourself to see what kind of conversations take place.
Instruct your children to never leave the chat room's public area. Many chat rooms offer private areas where users can have one-on-one chats with other users-chat monitors can't read these conversations. These are often referred to as "whisper" areas.
Keep the Internet-connected computer in a common area of the house, never in a child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a predator to establish a relationship with your child if the computer screen is easily visible. Even when the computer is in a public area of your home, sit with your child when they are online.
When your children are young, they should share the family email address rather than have their own email accounts. As they get older, you can ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set up a separate email address, but your children's mail can still reside in your account.
Tell your children to never respond to instant messaging or emails from strangers. If your children use computers in places outside your supervision-public library, school, or friends' homes-find out what computer safeguards are used.
If all precautions fail and your kids do meet an online predator, don't blame them. The offender always bears full responsibility. Take decisive action to stop your child from any further contact with this person.
Reporting Internet Abuse If you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, notify law enforcement and your online service provider after you have contacted the appropriate local authorities. On December 1, 1997, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in conjunction with Senator Judd Gregg (New Hampshire), announced a new CyberTipline to serve as a national resource for tips and leads regarding the sexual exploitation of children. NCMEC encourages families to call this toll-free hotline (800-843-5678) to report incidents involving child sexual exploitation, including online enticement of children for sexual acts. To Report Cases: http://www.missingkids.com/CyberTipline Toll Free Hotline: (800)-843-5678
What are "sexual predators?"
What is happening online?
Try our video maker at Animoto.
Statistics
Stories/articles
1) Thirty-one year old Neil Harst was arrested after posing as a 29 year-old "Ben Smith." In this rare case, he wanted to pay boys for sex. One of the victims did the right thing by his parents about the messages Harst was sending him. In order to catch him, the police set up a trap to meet him. They posed on the young boy's account, pretending to be him, and planned a meeting where they were able to catch him. He was charged with attempt of a criminal sex act.
2) Fifteen year old Amanda Todd was fooling around with her friends when she decided to video tape herself with her shirt off. One man, Michael Brutsch, was able to gain access to this video and use it against her as blackmail. He never actually tried to harm her but he stalked her and used this video against her. Soon, the video was all over the internet and kids at her school saw the video. She was so embarrassed, she was foced to move schools. Later, she took her own life because she could never escape her embarrassment.
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Predator-groomed-Cornwall-girl-15-sex-using/story-17448031-detail/story.html#axzz2NLgw3ftuHow can your kids reduce the risk of being victimized?
There are a number of precautions that kids can take, including:- Never downloading images from an unknown source-they could be sexually explicit.
- Using email filters.
- Telling an adult immediately if anything that happens online makes them feel uncomfortable or frightened.
- Choosing a gender-neutral screen name that doesn't contain sexually suggestive words or reveal personal information.
- Never revealing personal information about themselves (including age and gender) or information about their family to anyone online and not filling out online personal profiles. For more specific rules about personal information on sites like Windows Live Spaces or MySpace, see How to help your kids use social websites more safely.
- Stopping any email communication, instant messaging conversations, or chats if anyone starts to ask questions that are too personal or sexually suggestive.
- Posting the family online agreement near the computer to remind them to protect their privacy on the Internet.
From: http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/predators.aspxBeing educated about internet safety and online predators is the best defense against these attacks. Predators like to use the internet because of the anonymity of the user; anyone could make up a whole new life for themselves.Here are some helpful links that will help inform you of internet predators and what you can do if you are ever targeted!
Guide to internet safety
How to Defend Against an Online Predator
Eluding Internet Predators Tip Sheet
Internet Safety Kit (PDF)
http://www.pollyklaas.org/internet-safety/
How can parents minimize the risk of a child becoming a victim?
- Talk to your kids about sexual predators and potential online dangers.
- Use parental control software that's built into new operating systems like Windows 7 or Windows Vista or that you can download for free like Windows Live Family Safety Settings.
- Follow age limits on social networking websites. Most social networking sites require that users be age 13 and over. If your children are under the recommended age for these sites, do not let them use them.
- Young children should not use chat rooms—the dangers are too great. As children get older, direct them towards well-monitored kids' chat rooms. Encourage even your teens to use monitored chat rooms.
- If your children take part in chat rooms, make sure you know which ones they visit and with whom they talk. Monitor the chat areas yourself to see what kind of conversations take place.
- Instruct your children to never leave the chat room's public area. Many chat rooms offer private areas where users can have one-on-one chats with other users-chat monitors can't read these conversations. These are often referred to as "whisper" areas.
- Keep the Internet-connected computer in a common area of the house, never in a child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a predator to establish a relationship with your child if the computer screen is easily visible. Even when the computer is in a public area of your home, sit with your child when they are online.
- When your children are young, they should share the family email address rather than have their own email accounts. As they get older, you can ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set up a separate email address, but your children's mail can still reside in your account.
- Tell your children to never respond to instant messaging or emails from strangers. If your children use computers in places outside your supervision-public library, school, or friends' homes-find out what computer safeguards are used.
- If all precautions fail and your kids do meet an online predator, don't blame them. The offender always bears full responsibility. Take decisive action to stop your child from any further contact with this person.
From: http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/predators.aspxReporting Internet Abuse
If you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, notify law enforcement and your online service provider after you have contacted the appropriate local authorities. On December 1, 1997, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in conjunction with Senator Judd Gregg (New Hampshire), announced a new CyberTipline to serve as a national resource for tips and leads regarding the sexual exploitation of children. NCMEC encourages families to call this toll-free hotline (800-843-5678) to report incidents involving child sexual exploitation, including online enticement of children for sexual acts.
To Report Cases: http://www.missingkids.com/CyberTipline
Toll Free Hotline: (800)-843-5678
Current legislation