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Internet Crimes Against Children

Children have always been vulnerable to victimization. Their trusting natures make them perfect targets for perpetrators--both people they know and those they don't. As children grow into adolescents, they remain vulnerable to victimization. Youth are often curious and eager to try new things. Many youth struggle with issues of rebellion and independence and seek attention and affection from people outside the home, often by using computers. Today, an estimated 10 million children are using the Internet. By 2007, approximately 90 million kids will be 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.

The nature of Internet crimes presents complex new challenges for law enforcement agencies and victim service providers with regard to investigating crimes, collecting evidence, identifying and apprehending offenders, and assisting child victims and their families. For example, victims and perpetrators are often separated geographically, which may hamper investigation efforts. Also, victims are often ashamed and reluctant to come forward, which makes identifying offenders difficult. These challenges are being addressed by federal and local law enforcement agencies, but there is still much to learn about preventing, identifying, and investigating Internet-based crimes against children.

Beyond these, there are some specific guidelines for parents that may be helpful in reducing the risks:

· Come to a clear agreement with your child about computer use. This should include a clearly stated limit on the hours of use, a well-understood restriction on access to chat lines (the most common venues for offenders), and a strict rule against revealing personal or family information (addresses, phone numbers, etc.) or -especially - any photographs of the child. Check your local school's Web pages to make certain your child's photo is not published there without your permission; as such photos have been abused by offenders in the past.

· Do not rely on computer software (like the commonly used Net Nanny) designed to filter out offensive material. These systems are not adequate to keep up with the proliferation of new sites and can often be disabled by a computer-savvy child.

· Make it clear to your child that reporting unwanted or suspicious solicitations will not lead to further restrictions on computer use.

· Be aware that restricting your child's e-mail correspondents to a prescribed list of friends and schoolmates is no guarantee against abuse. There is no sure way of knowing, at any given time, who may be sitting behind the keyboard at the other end.

· Be aware of, and do your best to monitor, the restrictions that apply at locations other than your home where your child may have computer access: school, the library, a friends home.

· Take note of the warning signs that an offender may be manipulating your child. These include secretive use of the computer, any evidence that computer histories are being deleted, unexplained telephone charges, hang-up calls, unexpected mail, and any signs that your home may be under surveillance by an offender.

· Finally, if you are not computer-savvy, you may want to take an introductory course so you'll know enough to monitor your child's Internet use.

Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department
Law Enforcement Center
301 West High Street
Lawrenceburg, IN 47025