Peruvian Net against Child Pornography

Teacher arrested on drug, porn charges

2010-06-07T11:05:00.003-05:00

Virginia - USA.- (Star Exponent) A Fauquier County Public Schools teacher is in jail after police say they found drugs and pornographic material involving underage people at his Bealeton home earlier this month. Scott. C. Howe, 33, is being held on $120,000 bond at the Fauquier County Adult Detention Center. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, producing or making child pornography and crimes against nature.
According to Fauquier sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Mercer, Cpl. S.P. Healy responded to Howe’s Jester Court residence for a reported drug violation Aug. 11.
When he arrived, the deputy reported that marijuana plants were in the backyard in plain view.
Further investigation revealed evidence of a sexual nature involving an underage person. Howe was arrested on Aug. 12.
Mercer said search warrants were obtained for computers and other electronic items in Howe’s residence.
Fauquier County schools spokeswoman Karen Parkinson confirmed that Howe is a teacher in the school division and that school officials are aware of the charges against Howe.
Parkinson did not say which school Howe worked at and declined further comment on the matter.

International blog campaign against child pornography

2009-10-16T22:06:00.003-05:00

Please, join us aginst chilg pornography. Just put this video or pic in your web or blog and link us. Be the different and say loud: Stop child pornography now.

If you have any question, please write us or call us.

RCPI - Perú

Former British Child Abuse Detective Guilty of Sex With Teen

2009-10-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

London - UK.- (FoxNews) A former British child abuse detective pleaded guilty Monday to having sex with a 15-year-old girl whose family he had befriended during an investigation.
Andrew Rowe, 31, hung his head after admitting to five sexual offenses — including sex with a child — at Birmingham Crown Court via video-link from a prison across town.
The Staffordshire Police department in central England, where Rowe worked for 12 years, said he had been communicating with the girl through the social networking site Facebook and sent her "hundreds of inappropriate messages" this year. It said he had tried to cover his tracks by deleting electronic evidence of his crimes.
"He ingratiated himself with a family, then betrayed his young victim and her parents who had placed their trust in him as a police officer and as a supposed friend," Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale said in a statement. "It is hard to imagine a more shocking abuse of position by an officer."
It was not clear from the police statement how exactly he met the family or how long he had been corresponding with the girl. The crimes were first reported in April, after which Rowe was suspended and then resigned from the force.
The girl's family said two top-ranking Staffordshire officers personally apologized for Rowe's acts.
"The hardest thing at the beginning was the prospect of reporting a police officer to the police, wondering what level of support, if any, we would receive," the family said in a statement.
"We would now urge anybody who finds themselves in a similar situation to report the matter immediately, as we have received the highest level of help and support possible."
Staffordshire Police could not immediately say when Rowe would be sentenced. The telephone number for the local prosecutors' office was out of order Monday.

Parents Rent Children to Pornographers for a Few Cents in Peru

2009-09-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

Lima - Perú.- (Latin American Herald) Many poor central Peruvian families prostitute their children for a “nuevo sol” (34 cents) and complaints have been received that children as young as 3 are being raped in pornographic videos, the press reported Sunday.
“Many families in the interior of the country, for example, in (the Amazon city of Iquitos), rent out their children for money. In exchange for a nuevo sol or a quarter of a chicken, they order them to prostitute themselves,” Accion por los Niños director Maria Teresa Mosquera said in a commentary published by the Peru.21 newspaper.
The children’s rights defender also said that these families turn their children over to the criminals with the aim of making a little money or acquiring a few luxuries.
She said that the sexual deviants often convince their victims via the Internet, in “chat rooms” or on social networks.
The Peruvian Network against Child Pornography, meanwhile, complained that its experts had determined that various foreign bands are taking advantage of the sexual availability of minors in the country’s poorest areas to tape pornographic videos which are later sold on the black market.
“We have information that they are making the tapes in the Peruvian jungle, in cities like Iquitos, Pucallpa and Madre de Dios,” said the president of the Network, Dimitri Senmache.
He said that little boys and girls are being abused in front of the cameras starting at age 3, adding that some of them are later murdered or smuggled out of the country to be prostituted or to do all sorts of other work, Peru.21 reported.
The bands also operate in tourist cities like Cuzco and Puno, where the videos allegedly are shot by foreigners.
Sources with the Peruvian police told Peru.21 that some of the child porn videos are sold at marketplaces in Lima, and they emphasized the difficulties confronting the authorities in makeing arrests in the matter given the delays in issuing arrest orders and existing regulations to protect the privacy of telecommunications.

Peruvian parents renting children to pornographers: Report

2009-09-20T14:45:00.002-05:00

Lima - Peru.- (Hindustan Times) Peruvian families are renting their children as young as three to pornographic filmmakers for a 'nuevo sol' (34 cents), a media report said.
"Many families in the interior of country, for example, in the Amazon city of Iquitos, rent out their children for money. In exchange for a nuevo sol or a quarter of a chicken, they order them to prostitute themselves," Accion por los Ninos director Maria Teresa Mosquera told newspaper Peru 21 on Sunday.
The Peruvian Network against Child Pornography complained that its experts have identified foreign bands, which operate in tourist cities like Cuzco and Puno, abusing minors in deprived areas, making pornography and selling it in black market.
Their network operates through chat rooms and children are often killed after making pornographic films, they claimed.
"We have information that they are making the tapes in the Peruvian jungle, in cities like Iquitos, Pucallpa and Madre de Dios," said the network's president Dimitri Senmache.
Peruvian police cited difficulties like prosecution delays and existing privacy protection rules in arresting culprits.

All about the "Enjo kōsai" in Japan

2009-08-11T14:02:00.003-05:00

Enjo-kōsai (援助交際?) (shortened form enkō (援交?)) means "compensated dating" and is a practice which originated in Japan where older men give money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship, and possibly sexual favors. The female participants range from school-age girls to housewives. A common misconception is that enjo-kōsai always involves some form of sexual activity. The term enjo-kōsai first appeared in the Asahi Shimbun on September 20, 1994. In the opposite case of women paying men, it is called gyaku-enjo-kōsai (逆援助交際?), or "wakari."

Definition

What constitutes enjo-kōsai is heavily contested within Japan. The most common connotation is that it is a form of child prostitution whereby participating girls sell their bodies in exchange for designer goods or money. However, to label enjo-kōsai by the most basic definition of prostitution whereby one attains money through the exchange of sexual acts,[1] excludes an array of other activities.
Many groups, including women's centers and associations within Japan include “the exchange of a girl's company or time” as part of this equation[2] and insist that these other activities define enjo-kōsai. Anthropologist Laura Miller argues in her research that the majority of enjo-kōsai dates consists of groups of girls going with a group of older men to a karaoke bar for several hours and being paid for their time.[3]
Furthermore, in a 1998 survey by the Asian Women's Fund, researchers found that fewer than 10 percent of all high school girls engage in enjo-kōsai and over 90 percent of the girls interviewed attested to feeling uncomfortable with the exchange or purchase of sexual services for money.[4] Statistics show that the majority of girls are not delving into the realm of sexual exchange.

Perceptions in Japanese society

Generally in Japan, enjo-kōsai is looked down upon as a large-scale social problem. A 1997 poll in the Japanese TV Asahi program Asa Made Nama Terebi showed that 70 percent of respondents opposed enjo-kōsai, while 30 percent approved of it.[5] Typically, it is perceived as an extension of Japan's growing focus on materialism, much of which is what critics claim is the cause of enjo-kōsai. Critics worry that girls involved in enjo-kōsai will grow up to be unfit wives and mothers. This perception arises from suspicions that when these girls are adults, they will quickly abandon their loyalties and commitments to their family for offers of money and material benefits.[5] However, certain feminist groups and critics find enjo-kōsai to be empowering and as an act to “undermine patriarchal models propriety used to evaluate and control women”. Control over their bodies and means to support themselves is a new kind of independence for these girls. Good women in Japan are supposed to be sensible, modest, nurturing and respectful, yet girls participating in enjo-kōsai clearly reject such virtues of female restraint and modesty in Japan. Feminists such as Chizuko Ueno point out that the accidental access of girls to this dating market was not a matter of ethics, but of probability.[5] Sooner or later, these girls and young women would, in a desire for financial independence, tap into this market for their own empowerment.

Media depiction

Within Japan, the media tends to show enjo-kōsai in a rather negative light. The typical scenario involves a girl desperate for money, so she decides to partake in enjo-kōsai. Only later does she stop when a friend or individual intervenes and informs her of the potential risks and consequences of her behavior. Several examples from films and television series are listed below.
In Hideaki Anno’s 1998 movie Love & Pop, the main character, a 16-year-old high school girl named Hiromi, goes on subsidized dates in order to purchase a ring she adores. Her parents do not pay much attention to her and Hiromi often hangs out with her three closest friends who have been going on subsidized dates. Feeling like a train that travels on a predetermined track, Hiromi follows her friends and begins doing the same. Throughout the movie, they meet with different kinds of men and accompany them in various activities. These activities include having dinner at a restaurant, tasting a man’s cooking, singing at a karaoke bar, shopping in a video rental store, etc. Although Hiromi nearly gives in and has sex for the remainder of money needed for the ring, her date gives her a lesson on why she shouldn’t give up her body.
Meanwhile, the Japanese live action drama series GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka), a girl student named Miyabi, out of boredom and lack of adult supervision at home, pressures her friends, Chikako and Erika, to go on subsidized dates with older men, and to steal their money when the men are in the showers. When Chikako accidentally meets their teacher Onizuka on one of these dates, enjo-kōsai rookie Onizuka proceeds with it to see these subsidized dates first hand. In the hotel room, Chikako insists that Onizuka take a shower. Onizuka realizes the trap, stops Chikako's attempt to escape, and teaches her a lesson why her first sexual experience should come out of love and not have anything to do with money. Incidentally, Onizuka (himself a virgin) learns the same lesson from that very occasion.
Conversation over the controversy of enjo-kōsai even finds its way into shows geared toward girls (shōjo) between the ages of 11 and 14 in the form of the highly popular Super Gals! anime series. During the first episode of the series, straight A student Aya goes on subsidized dates because she wants to have money and fun like the other girls, but also because her strict parents and schedule would not allow her to have a job. Main character Ran, even although she believes the gyaru (gal) philosophy “If you want it, go and get it,” strongly disapproves of Aya’s action because she believes a gyaru should have self-respect and not treat herself like merchandise. Ran tells Aya that they can have fun even without money. Aya becomes persuaded by Ran, and not only do they begin a new friendship, but Aya quits going on subsidized dates as a result.
In Shunji Iwai's film "All About Lily Chou-Chou", Shiori Tsuda, a female classmate, is blackmailed by Shusuke Hoshino into enjo-kōsai. The film isn't explicit about whether or not Shiori Tsuda performs sexual favours for her "customers", but the connotation is present. The depiction within the film of the practice could be considered negative, as the process of being blackmailed into it seems to push the character into some form of mental instability (although it's not clear whether that instability was present prior to the blackmail), culminating in her tragic demise. It is also used as a weapon of control by Hoshino, rather than empowering Tsuda in any way.

Societal backdrop

Although the greater part of Japanese society discourages this type of behavior, that has not stopped teachers, monks, government officials, company executives, and others of high social status from being arrested for their involvement with enjo kōsai.[6]
A study done by the Socioeconomic Research Department at the Nomura Institute of Research showed that in 97 percent of book stores and convenience stores surveyed in 1996 sold “pornographic portrayals of children in either photographic or cartoon form”.[7] Moreover, as of 1998, Japan was the source of 80 percent of the commercial child pornography available on the Internet.[8] Actually, it was not until 1999 that Japan joined the international community in banning child pornography, not out of moral concern, but more so because of the bad publicity the country was receiving.[6]

Government regulation

Prostitution has been illegal in Japan since 1958, but only prostitutes and pimps were punished, with customers escaping any penalty from the law. During SCAP’s occupation of Japan, the Child Welfare Law was introduced into legislation as a means to protect children from “lewd behavior”. Many have criticized the law as being too vague to protect Japanese children from sexual abuse and say it does not do enough to keep girls away from sex markets.[5]
During the 1990s enjo kōsai, as well as other forms of child exploitation, gained national attention in Japan leading to international awareness.[8] Due to pressure from outside NGOs and other industrialized nations, the Japanese government updated its laws relating to child exploitation. The Law for Punishing Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and for Protecting Children, which prohibited an adult from paying a person under the age of 18 for obscene acts, was passed in 1999.[9] The law made the legal age limit 18 for consenting sexual activities[dubious – discuss] and punishes the adult offender as the criminal party instead of the child.
To combat enjo kōsai and other forms of juvenile misbehavior, many prefectures have instituted a program of hodō (補導?). Hodōin are plain-clothed police officers and volunteers who approach youths who appear to be participating in juvenile delinquency (out past 11 p.m., under-age smoking, wearing expensive accessories, etc.) and offer guidance against such behavior. When police consider it necessary, teens are taken to a juvenile center or police station for “formal guidance” and entered into a confidential police directory.[5] Since enjo kōsai is seen as a moral problem relating to Japanese youth, care is taken not to ostracize the girls but instead give them assistance and advice to steer them away from enjo-kōsai.

Spread to other countries

Taiwan

While having its foundations in Japan, enjo-kōsai began to spread to other East Asian nations in the late 1990s via media. Enjo-kōsai became popular in Taiwan after the airing of the Japanese dorama God, Please Give Me More Time, in which a young woman engages in the activity and suffers social and physical costs. In the end, however, the heroine is able to turn her life around and seems to project a positive image for youth. According to scholar Oi-Wan Lam, Taiwanese teens identified with the love story in plot and the subculture of the characters. Lam also points to the similarities between Taiwanese and Japanese subcultures, and the notion that enjo-kōsai is not actually an occupation, writing, “Sex work is not recognized by the society as a form of work.”[10] Due to this recognition, teens in both cultures feel they will not suffer consequences for participating in the activity.
A key difference between enjo-kōsai in Japan and Taiwan is the way in which girls set up dates with customers. While telephone clubs were the main venues that facilitated enjo-kōsai in Japan, the Internet facilitates meetings between young girls and clients in Taiwan. Due to this, there have been attempts by several NGOs and the Taiwanese Government to regulate Internet sites. Efforts at regulation are compounded by the fact that NGOs and the Taiwanese government sometimes apply the term enjo-kōsai to mean more than just teenage compensated dating, but also prostitution and Internet pornography sites.

South Korea

Enjo-kōsai has also found its way to South Korea, where the South Korean government considers enjo-kōsai a form of prostitution. An annual report by ECPAT International, published in 2004, asserts that 222 girls 18 and younger were arrested for participating in enjo-kōsai in the year 2000.[11] South Korea, similar to Japan, recently passed a law in 2000 protecting children from exploitation and prostitution. Yet due to the nature of enjo-kōsai, specifically the decision of the girl to participate in the act, the girls who do enjo-kōsai are not protected under the law and are subject to punishment under the law.

Hong Kong

According to social workers, girls as young as 15 advertise themselves as available for "compensated dating".[12] The practice is becoming more acceptable among Hong Kong teenage girls, who do not think compensated dating is a kind of prostitution. Some believe it is different because it does not involve sexual intercourse and they can choose their clients, who range from teenage boys to married men. Some even think they are helping others.[12] The internet allowed girls more opportunities to offer to shop, eat out or go to a movie with men in return for payment in order to fulfill their material needs. In April 2008, the brutal murder of a 16-year-old girl, Wong Ka-mui, who was taking part in compensated dating drew attention to the issue.[13]

References

1. "prostitution" Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 01 Oct. 2007.
2. "The Meaning of Enjo-Kousai" DawnCenter Official Web Site. 2003. Dawn Center- Osaka Women's Prefectural Center. 12 October 2007.
3. Laura Miller (2004). "Those Naughty Teenage Girls: Japanese Kogals, Slang, and Media Assessments". Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 14 (2).
4. Fukutomi Mamoru (March 1997). "An Analytical Study on the Causes of and Attitudes Toward ‘Enjo Kōsai’ among Female High School Students in Japan". Professor, Tokyo Gakugei University (Asian Women’s Fund): 75–76.
5. a b c d e Leheny, David. Think Global, Fear Local: Sex, Violence and Anxiety in Contemporary Japan. New York: Cornell University Press, 2006.
6. a b Kingston, Jeff. Japan’s Quiet Transformation: Social Change and Civil Society in the 21st Century. RoutledgeCurzon, New York: 2004.
7. White, Merry Isaacs. Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an Era of Upheaval. University of California Press, Berkley: 2002.
8. a b Goodman, Roger. Family and Social Policy in Japan: Anthropological Approaches (Contemporary Japanese Society). Cambridge University Press. 2002.
9. Tokyo bill to outlaw sex with youths for money. New York Times; 04/04/97, Vol. 146

10. Oi-Wan Lam, “Why Did Enjo Kōsai Anchor in Taiwan But Not in Hong Kong? Or the Convergence of "Enjo" and “Kōsai" in Teenage Sex Work.” Inter-Asia Cultural Studies; Aug2003, Vol. 4 Issue 2, p353, 11p
11. Yoshimi Nagamine. The Daily Yomiuri 5 May. 2004.
12. a b Nickkita Lau (October 15, 2007). "Teen girls sell sex via the internet". The Standard.
13. Carol Chung (June 30, 2008). "Teen escorts risk sex fiends". The Standard.

Child porn probe woman in custody

2009-06-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

Plymouth - UK.- (BBC) A 39-year-old nursery worker in Plymouth arrested in connection with the distribution of indecent images of children remains in police custody. It follows a raid at the Little Ted's nursery in Laira, Plymouth, and at the woman's home in the city's Efford area. The nursery, which has about 60 children, has been closed by police while inquiries are carried out.
Police said that the arrest of a 38-year-old man from Littleborough, near Rochdale, led them to arrest the woman.

'Fast-moving investigation'

The man appeared at Trafford Magistrates' Court earlier charged with possessing and distributing indecent images. Devon and Cornwall Police said: "The charges relate to images recovered from a computer, mobile phones and other items of software." "Following the investigation, information was passed to Devon and Cornwall Police, who have arrested a 39-year-old woman."
After the woman was arrested at her home, items seized in raids included computer equipment which contained "dozens of internet images", police said.
Commanding officer Ch Supt Jim Webster said it had been a "fast-moving investigation". He said: "We received information yesterday evening about nine o'clock, took it very seriously, had it researched straightaway and by midnight last night we'd arrested a person who we believe is concerned in the distribution of child pornography images". "So our work today is to find out what's happened, where the images have come from, where they've been sent to and any risk to anybody in Plymouth."
He said the allegations raised "serious concerns" and police were contacting all parents of children at the nursery.

Letter to parents

Little Ted's opened in 1992 and operates from Laira Green Primary School and Laira United Church Hall. Children in the nursery are aged between two and five, but children up to 11 can attend the breakfast and after-school clubs.
People arriving at the nursery to drop off children on Monday morning were handed a letter by police explaining what had happened.

The letter, signed by Supt David Sumner, read: "We are informing you that police have arrested a 39-year-old woman in connection with distributing indecent images of young children and that the woman is an employee of Little Ted's Child Day Care Unit, Old Laira Road" "As part of our inquiries we have searched the home address of the woman and need to search units one and two of the unit today."
About 40 police officers are working on the case, including internet crime investigators. Children's care specialists are also involved in the operation, police said. Mother Amy Gilbert said: "It's a complete shock. I am going to change nurseries." Another mother, who did not want to be named, said: "My son's been going there since last September. I'd never imagined anything like that in anywhere like that."

Contacts

Parents affected can contact a special police helpline on 08452 777444.

Mom Loses Daughter Over 'Sexting'. The Jesse Logan's case. Cynthia Logan’s daughter was taunted about photo she sent to boyfriend

2009-05-11T16:00:00.006-05:00

EE.UU.- (Mike Celizic - Today Show) The image was blurred and the voice distorted, but the words spoken by a young Ohio woman are haunting. She had sent nude pictures of herself to a boyfriend. When they broke up, he sent them to other high school girls. The girls were harassing her, calling her a slut and a whore. She was miserable and depressed, afraid even to go to school.
And now Jesse Logan was going on a Cincinnati television station to tell her story. Her purpose was simple: “I just want to make sure no one else will have to go through this again.”
The interview was in May 2008. Two months later, Jessica Logan hanged herself in her bedroom. She was 18.

Louis J. Levine has been arrested on a federal warrant for producing child pornography

2009-04-14T10:21:00.005-05:00

Nashville, Tennessee - EE.UU.- (Bad teacher) Louis J. Levine, 52 years old, of Nashville, Tennessee, a science teacher who traveled among Murfreesboro City Schools and was also a substitute teacher in Nashville schools has been arrested on a federal warrant for producing child pornography. Levine’s arrest was the result of a cooperative effort between Metro Nashville Sex Crimes detectives and FBI agents.

Levine came to the attention of authorities by way of a call from a concerned parent of a minor teenage boy. The parent expressed concern about teens spending time with Levine at his home and indicated that they believed Levine purchased alcohol and marijuana for the teens and allowed them the use of a bedroom for sex.
It is alleged that Levine provided drugs to teenagers and allowed them to engage in sex in his home or on his property over the course of the past 30 years.
During the course of the investigation authorities interviewed teenagers of today and persons who were teens in the 1970s and 80s and both groups allegedly made similar allegations regarding sex and drug activity at Levine’s home.
Some of those interviewed by police told investigators of Levine videotaping sexual encounters between the teens while others have told investigators that Levine showed them what appeared to be homemade sex videos. It is further alleged that Levine had sexual contact with some of the teens.
The investigation into Levine’s alleged activities is continuing and state charges will possibly follow. Police ask that anyone with information regarding inappropriate behavior by Levine with minors is urged to contact the Metro Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit at 862-7540.
Reportedly, Levine was placed on administrative leave from the Murfreesboro School System on April 1 after officials there learned he was under investigation. He has also reportedly been taken off the substitute teacher list for Nashville schools.
Reportedly Levine has in the past worked at the Adventure Science Center, formerly the Cumberland Science Museum, as an animal expert and teacher, as well as at several youth camps.
Levine made an initial appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon and is scheduled for a detention hearing and a preliminary hearing on Friday.
The criminal complaint, in ‘PDF’ format, against Louis J. Levine is provided courtsey of the Nashville Police Department.

Investigators have reportedly identified even more teens who spent time at Levine’s home, some of them his own students. It is expected that more of them will be interviewed in the coming days.

The Tennessean reports:

A Metro police officer also confirmed Wednesday that Levine visited a youth camp operated by the Fraternal Order of Police with his father, Morris Levine, who gave comics to the children and sexually explicit magazines to the police officers working as camp counselors.
Reportedly, federal and state prosecutors expect to bring more charges as the investigation continues and investigators work their way through more than 400 homemade tapes seized from Levine’s padlocked bedroom.
If convicted of the charges filed thus far, Levine faces a minimum prison sentence of 15 years.

‘Sexting’ surprise: Teens face child porn charges

2009-02-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

USA.- (MSNBC - Mike Brunker) In an unusual legal case arising from the increasingly popular practice known as “sexting,” six Pennsylvania high school students are facing child pornography charges after three teenage girls allegedly took nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and shared them with male classmates via their cell phones.
The female students at Greensburg Salem High School in Greensburg, Pa., all 14- or 15-years-old, face charges of manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography while the boys, who are 16 and 17, face charges of possession, according to WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, which published the story on its Web site on Tuesday.
Police told the station that the photos were discovered in october, after school officials seized a cell phone from a male student who was using it in violation of school rules and found a nude photo of a classmate on it. Police were called in and their investigation led them to other phones containing more photos, it said.

Police Capt. George Seranko was quoted as saying that the first photograph was “a self portrait taken of a juvenile female taking pictures of her body, nude."
The school district issued a statement Tuesday saying that the investigation turned up “no evidence of inappropriate activity on school grounds … other than the violation of the electronic devices policy.” The statement also said that school officials didn’t learn of the charges against the students until Monday.
In the WPXI story, which included contributions from the Associated Press, Saranko indicated that authorities decided to file the child pornography charges to send a strong message to other minors who might consider sending such photos to friends.
"It's very dangerous," he said. "Once it's on a cell phone, that cell phone can be put on the Internet where everyone in the world can get access to that juvenile picture. You don't realize what you are doing until it's already done." (Seranko could not be reached for comment on Thursday, and a woman who answered the phone at the Greensburg Police Department said, “Our department is not doing any more interviews on the case.”)
But Patrick Artur, a Philadelphia defense attorney who by his reckoning has handled at least 80 child pornography cases, said the prosecution of minors for photos they took themselves runs counter to the purpose of both state and federal child pornography laws: Preventing the sexual abuse of children by “dirty old men in raincoats.”
“It’s clearly overkill,” he said. “… The letter of the law seems to have been violated, but this is not the type of defendant that the legislature envisioned” in passing the statute.
Artur said that because there is no mandatory minimum sentence under Pennsylvania’s child pornography law, unlike the federal statute, the students would not necessarily be incarcerated if they are found guilty. But he noted that convictions would have "serious, serious implications," including forcing them having to register as sexual offenders for at least 10 years.
While Artur said the prosecution of a juvenile for allegedly creating and distributing child porn was new to him, a quick review of federal and state statistics showed there have been a handful of similar cases, and several convictions.
While few minors have found themselves in court for e-mailing or posting sexy photos of themselves, there is little doubt that ubiquitous cell phones and easy access to computers have tempted many to push the erotic envelope.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported last month that a survey of 1,280 teens and young adults found that 20 percent of the teens said they had sent or posted nude or semi nude photos or videos of themselves. That number was slightly higher for teenage girls — 22 percent — vs. boys — 18 percent.

"Sexting" Shockingly Common Among Teens

2009-01-15T11:00:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania - USA.- (CBS/ AP) While it may be shocking, the practice of "sexting" - sending nude pictures via text message - is not unusual, especially for high schoolers around the country. This week, three teenage girls who allegedly sent nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of themselves, and three male classmates in a western Pennsylvania high school who received them, are charged with child pornography.

In October a Texas eighth-grader spent the night in a juvenile detention center after his football coach found a nude picture on his cell phone that a fellow student sent him.

Roughly 20 percent of teens admit to participating in "sexting," according to a nationwide survey (pdf) by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "This is a serious felony. They could be facing many years in prison," CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom said of the six teens in Pennsylvania.

But, Bloom added, "What are we going to do, lock up 20 percent of America's teens?" Police in Greensburg, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, say the girls are 14 or 15 and the boys charged with receiving the photos are 16 or 17. None are being identified because most criminal cases in Pennsylvania juvenile courts are not public. Police say they first learned about the pictures in October. They say a student had a phone turned on in class, a violation of school policy, which prompted an administrator to confiscate the phone and subsequently find the pictures, reports CBS station KDKA-TV.

.
* The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Net filter plan is branded draconian

2008-12-29T10:13:00.002-05:00

Australia.- (James Massola - The Camberra Times) Plans for a mandatory internet filter to protect Australians from child pornography have been slammed by civil liberties groups as draconian, misleading and a possible invasion of privacy.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy had originally flagged a test of a filter that would block a list of banned websites. But plans to trial technology that will block file-sharing the primary means for sharing video, pictures and audio over the internet have provoked outrage.
It is understood that a technique known as ''packet inspection'' would be used to monitor and filter file-sharing networks, sparking fears that individual user privacy would be breached.
Senator Conroy has already been attacked for the proposed filter as it is feared the ''clean feed'' would slow down the internet for all Australians, a view supported by an Internet Industry Association report he issued last week.
Hundreds of comments critical of the filtering plan were posted on a blog run by Senator Conroy's department.
In response to the criticism that blocking a list of websites would not work, Senator Conroy revealed in a post on his department's blog that a test of a file-sharing filter could also go ahead.
Civil Liberties Australia director Lance Williamson said a packet inspection could be a possible invasion of privacy.
''What you are really talking about [with file sharing] is akin to Australia Post opening our mail,'' he said. ''Conroy needs to clearly articulate his objectives and he hasn't done that. 'He is talking about targeting child pornography, and the list of sites he talks about are far more extensive than that.''
Mr Williamson said the move could mean ''every piece of communications is going to be scrutinised''.
''The difficulty Civil Liberties has is that they are not talking about the framework, the process ... what we are lacking is an understanding of what is going to happen,'' he said.
Internet Industry Association chief executive Peter Coroneos has also attacked plans to include file-sharing in the trial, saying packet inspection could technically be an invasion of privacy.
''I would expect internet users would want to know how the minister wanted to manage this incursion into people's privacy,'' he said. ''Potentially, users may feel threatened by the imposition of technology that now examines the data stream they are engaged in.''
Mr Coroneos said plans to include file-sharing in the trial ''would only add further anxiety to industry participants''.
Jeremiah Hutchinson, from the Digital Liberty Coalition, said any form of internet filter was an ''Orwellian measure'' that would not effectively combat the sharing of child pornography.
And he predicted the budget for filtering ''blown out of the water'' if file-sharing networks were included beyond the testing stage. ''The funding should be going to the AFP. They are doing an effective job of punishing people who using the internet to consume illegal material,'' he said.
A spokesman for the minister dismissed claims that file-sharing filtering had been a last-minute addition to the Government's plans. And he dismissed privacy fears, saying all ISP customers taking part in the trial would be informed about what was being tested.
Internet service providers Optus and iiNet have applied to take part in the Government's trial of filtering software.
An Optus spokeswoman said the company still did not know exactly when the trial would begin.
IiNet has said it is taking part in the trial to prove that internet filtering does not work.

Preventing child pornography

2008-12-25T10:26:00.002-05:00

Japan.- (TMCNews - Japan Times) In late November about 3,500 people from some 170 governments and from international and nongovernmental organizations attended the third World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in Rio de Janeiro. The conference declared that accessing, downloading, storing or viewing child pornography on the Internet is a crime. It urged governments to legally prohibit such acts.

Justice and home affairs ministers of the Group of Eight nations declared in June: "We strongly condemn and denounce all forms of sexual exploitation of children, including the practice of persons traveling abroad and engaging in sexual conduct with children, as well as the alarming flood of images of sexual abuse of children -- so-called child pornography -- on the Internet."
In Japan and Russia, the possession of child porn is not punishable if it is not for sale or offering. The international community accuses Japan of being a major child porn exporter. Around the time of the Rio de Janeiro conference, there was reportedly heavy access from abroad and home after file-swapping software used in Japan allowed child porn to be placed on the Net.
In June the ruling bloc submitted a bill to the Diet that would call for the imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 1 million if a person possesses child pornography to satisfy his or her sexual curiosity. It also calls on Internet providers to cooperate with the police and take steps to prevent the spread of child porn.
The Democratic Party of Japan submitted its own bill, thinking that the ruling bloc's bill could lead to arbitrary investigations. Under the DPJ bill, a person could be imprisoned for up to three years or fined up to 3 million if he or she buys child porn or obtains it repeatedly. Both bills are to revise a 1999 law that protects children under 18 against sexual exploitation.
Although the Rio de Janeiro declaration is not legally binding, it is an international call for Japan to strengthen regulations against child pornography. The ruling bloc and the DPJ should act quickly to find a common ground for effective regulation.

What do online abbreviations/acronyms mean?

2008-07-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

You may see a child or teenager typing furiously during an instant messaging (IM) session and when you peek over their shoulder – you see only short or fractured words. It almost looks like an entirely new language. What does it mean? These abbreviated words, known as acronyms or online lingo, are shorthand for common phrases used in spoken English. Below is a list of common acronyms:

143: I love you
AISI: as I see it
ASL: age/sex/location
BF: boyfriend
BRB: be right back
BTW: by the way
F2f: face to face
GF: girlfriend
IDK: I don’t know
IMO: in my opinion
INDB: it's no big deal
IRL: in real life
ISS: I said so
JK: just kidding
K: okay
KIT: keep in touch
LDR: long distance relationship
LMIRL: let’s meet in real life
LOL: laughing out loud
M/F: male or female
N/P: no problem
NTK: nice to know
OMFG: oh my f***** god
OMG: oh my god
OTP: on the phone
P911: my parents are coming
PAL: parents are listening
PAW: parents are watching
PDA: public display of affection
PIR: parent in room
POS: parent over shoulder
PPL: people
S2R: send to receive
STFU: shut the f*** up
ROFL: rolling on floor laughing
THX: thanks
TTYL: talk to you later
TY: thank you
WT? what the
WTG: way to go
WTGP: want to go private?

Parents and guardians should be aware of what your children are saying in their conversations and what types of people they are communicating with. The Peruvian Net against Child Pornography recommends reviewing your child's buddy list periodically and making sure that the only people on the list are those that your and your children know and trust in real life. Download a list of even more, common online acronyms from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

What is online grooming?

2008-06-17T18:00:00.002-05:00

Online grooming is a process. An individual, usually an adult, attempts to establish a relationship with a child or teen to gain the child’s trust. The ultimate goal of the “groomer” is to arrange an in-person meeting to engage in sexual relations with the child or teen.

You should know:

It may involve deception. Adults trying to groom children may initially lie about their age. They may never reveal their real age to the child, even after forming an established relationship.
The groomer may claim to have the same interests as the child. Often, the groomer will know popular music artists, clothing trends, sports team information, or another activity or hobby the child may be interested in.
Frequently, a groomer will pretend to relate to the child. This makes children believe that while no one else can understand them or their situation, the groomer does. After the child’s trust develops, the groomer may use sexually explicit conversations to test boundaries.

Offenders will entice a child into a face-to-face meeting by

exploiting a child’s natural curiosity about sex
lowering the child’s inhibitions by gradually introducing explicit images and child pornography
using his or her adult status to influence and control a child’s behavior
offering attention and affection
manipulating a child’s trust by relating to emotions and insecurities and affirming the child's feelings and choices
sending gifts to a child
flattering and complimenting the child excessively

Your child or a child you know may be the victim of online grooming if he/she

Obsesses about being online and becomes angry when he or she can't get on the computer
Minimizes the screen or turns off the computer when adults are nearby
Receives a gift from someone, and will not tell who it is from
Has a lot of incoming or outgoing phone calls to numbers that are not recognized by a parent or guardian
Becomes withdrawn from family and friends
Also, watch for inappropriate images or websites on the computer.

If you ever feel that your child is in immediate danger, contact your local law enforcement. If you suspect a child is being groomed by someone online, contact in Perú to the National Police - DIVINDAT (01-4318908) or send an e-mail to the Peruvian Net against Child Pornography.

Human trafficking: Today's Slave Trade

2008-05-10T12:18:00.003-05:00

In 1999, a teenage girl was taken from a Haitian orphanage and smuggled—using phony documentation—into Miami, where she was forced to work as a domestic servant for up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week. She was never paid, not allowed to go to school, occasionally beaten, and subjected to other inhumane treatment. After suffering for nearly six years, she managed to escape in 2005. This March, justice was finally served when three of her captors were convicted in the case.
This is just one of hundreds of heart-breaking human trafficking cases the FBI investigates each year, in conjunction with local, state, and federal partners such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Our Legal Attachés stationed in embassies around the world also support our investigations that have an international nexus—which many do—by coordinating with our global partners.

Using a multi-pronged strategy, we address human trafficking by:

Participating in joint law enforcement task forces (there are up to 30 such task forces around the country right now);
Using intelligence to identify traffickers and gain insights into how they conduct their operations (i.e., finances, logistics);
Looking at possible human trafficking elements in cases initially identified as human smuggling, Internet crimes against children, and/or sex tourism matters; and
Perhaps most importantly, working closely with trafficking victims—many of whom don't speak English—to enlist their help in prosecuting their captors AND to make sure they get the support they need to cope with the horrors they've been through and get back on their feet.

Training is another important aspect of how we address the human trafficking problem. In many instances, local police officers are the first ones on the scene in a suspected case, and it's important that they know what to look for. Bureau agents who have worked a lot of these cases can offer their own expertise and experiences to state and local officers at regional training sessions.

And as more states pass their own anti-trafficking legislation (27 so far), additional human trafficking cases will be prosecuted locally, so it's even more important that local police departments fully understand the crime.

The majority of victims in FBI human trafficking cases are woman and young girls from Central American and Asian countries. They are primarily forced into the commercial sex industry and, like the young teen from Haiti, domestic servitude. Men and boys are typically victimized in the migrant farming, restaurant, and other service-related industries. However, there are an increasing number of young males being forced into the commercial sex industry as well.

But not all of the victims of human trafficking in the U.S. are foreign nationals; some are American citizens or residents. For example, an Anchorage man was found guilty in February of recruiting young women—mostly runaways from other parts of the country—to work for him as prostitutes. He controlled them by getting them addicted to crack cocaine, confining them to a small closet for days at a time, and beating them.

If you believe someone you know might be a victim, contact your local FBI office or the Department of Justice trafficking hotline at 1-888-428-7581.

Resources:

The Child Pornography in the USA

2008-04-29T08:30:00.002-05:00

Displaying child pornography or "kiddie porn" on the Internet is illegal in the United States. "Child pornography" is easier to define than more elusive concepts such as "obscenity," but several categories of content exist that may or may not constitute child pornography, depending upon the circumstances. By using this webpage in any way you agree that you accept our Terms and Conditions.

1. Introduction:

Producing, possessing or distributing images of minors (anyone under the age of 18) engaged in sexual conduct is illegal. Some states in the United States and many countries allow sexual conduct and marriage between adults and minors, but visual depictions of that conduct are prohibited in the United States by federal law. Similarly, sexual conduct between minors or by a minor is often tolerated but visual depictions of that conduct are also prohibited. Child Pornography laws in the United States exist to protect children and are strictly enforced - websites that display any content that might be considered child pornography should expect to be prosecuted.

2. The First Amendment:

Unlike pornographic images of adults, the First Amendment does not protect the possession or distribution of child pornography. Content that depicts children engaged in sexual conduct is "a category of material outside the protection of the First Amendment." New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747 1982. The First Amendment does protect some material that could be considered child pornography, for example images in a medical textbook that show a child's genitalia. Although the possession or distribution of such images might be protected by the First Amendment when used in a pediatric context, the same images would probably not be protected if they were displayed on an adult website. Unless you have the resources of, for example, Calvin Klein, and can afford the legal battle, play it safe and do not display any questionable images of minors on your website.

3. Federal Statutes:

Title 18 of the United States Code governs child pornography. See Chapter 110, Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children. 18 U.S.C. § 2256 defines "Child pornography" as:
"any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where - (A) the production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; (B) such visual depiction is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; (C) such visual depiction has been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or (D) such visual depiction is advertised, promoted, presented, described, or distributed in such a manner that conveys the impression that the material is or contains a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct . . ."
Section 2256 clearly defines images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct as "Child Pornography." It also, however, adds to that definition images that appear to depict a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and images or advertisements that suggest images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Does that mean that adult websites that display sexually explicit images of legal-age models in pigtails with a lollipop, while surrounded by stuffed animals, can be prosecuted under Child Pornography laws? The short answer is yes. Future prosecutions will determine which direction the law is going. See our Website Prosecutions page for a few examples of current adult website legal issues.
If your adult website displays images that arguably appear to have minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, make sure that you are prepared. You should have the proper legal forms that you need to comply with federal record keeping requirements, and you should have a lawyer who has already seen your adult website(s) and has some idea about what arguments he or she will make if you are prosecuted. You should also have plenty of money and a desire to make the headlines. Remember, if you are prosecuted for violating child pornography laws, a jury will decide whether the content on your adult website is child pornography. Without a doubt, some juries will see child pornography where there is none.

4. Sexually Explicit Conduct:

18 U.S.C. § 2252 prohibits the production, transportation, or knowing receipt or distribution of any visual depiction "of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct." For the purposes of Title 18, 18 U.S.C. § 2256 defines a "minor" as any person under the age of eighteen years, and "sexually explicit conduct" as actual or simulated:
"(A) sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite sex; (B) bestiality; (C) masturbation; (D) sadistic or masochistic abuse; or (E) lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of any person"
"Sexual intercourse" and "bestiality" (sex with an animal) seem pretty clear - if your website displays images that a prosecutor believes involve minors engaged in sexual intercourse or bestiality, expect to be prosecuted. Which acts constitute "masturbation" or "sadistic or masochistic abuse" may be more difficult to define, because participants engaged in such activities tend to do so for a sexual purpose. Clearly a child could appear to be engaged in such activities without intending a sexual purpose. What a child intends by his or her actions is irrelevant, however, because Federal law prohibits "simulated" as well as actual acts. Many states also address this issue by prohibiting images of minors touching or displaying their bodies "for the purpose of sexual stimulation of the viewer." (See, for example, California Penal Code §§ 311.3-312.7).
Section (E) prohibits images of "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area." Courts that have interpreted this section have done so broadly - "as used in the child pornography statute, the ordinary meaning of the phrase "lascivious exhibition" means a depiction which displays or brings forth to view in order to attract notice to the genitals or pubic area of children, in order to excite lustfulness or sexual stimulation in the viewer." See United States v Knox (1994). You may risk prosecution if your website displays images of minors depicted in a way that excites viewers.

5. United States v Knox:

In Knox, a man who had previously been convicted of receiving child pornography through the mail ordered video tapes (by mail) of girls between the ages of ten and seventeen who, in the Court's words, "were dancing or gyrating in a fashion not natural for their age." The girls wore bikini bathing suits, leotards, or underwear - none of the girls in the videos was nude. The videos were set to music, and it appeared that someone off-camera was directing the girls. The photographer videotaped the girls dancing, and zoomed in on each girl's pubic area for an extended period of time. Knox was prosecuted under United States Child Pornography laws.
Legal counsel for Knox argued that "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area" meant that the girls had to be nude - wearing clothing meant that that genitals and pubic area were clearly not exhibited. The Court disagreed and held that there was no nudity requirement in the statute: "the statutory term "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area," as used in 18 U.S.C. ? 2256(2)(E), does not contain any requirement that the child subject's genitals or pubic area be fully or partially exposed or discernible through his or her opaque clothing."

6. Unanswered Questions:

The Courts will likely continue to define what is prohibited under the child pornography laws. For example, if a website displays legal images of children, perhaps scanned from magazines and other legal sources, in a way that a prosecutor believes could excite some viewers, can that website be prosecuted under the child pornography laws? In many states and countries the age of consent is younger than 18. Can the USA prosecute a webmaster in another country who is displaying images of a 16 year old nude model, even if the images are not illegal in the webmaster's home country? The USA invades other countries to enforce its drug laws, so it's possible that webmasters in other countries might find themselves hauled to the USA to face criminal charges if they violate USA child pornography laws.

7. Conclusion:

If you want to be safe, do not display any images of minors on your adult website and do not advertise or suggest that your models are minors. If your website displays any arguably sexual images of minors, you may risk prosecution if it appears that your site exists for the sexual stimulation of viewers. If you display any questionable images of minors on your website, make sure you have a good lawyer. If you have any questionable images on your site, but you know that the model depicted is of legal age, make sure that you have the necessary legal records you will need to produce if you are prosecuted.

Rules guidelines for Internet safety

2008-04-22T13:10:00.002-05:00

Important rules

1) Teach your children to never give personal information over the Internet, such as real name, birthday, address, telephone number, password, parents' names, the name of any club or team he/she is involved in, name of his/her school, or after school job.

2) Teach them to avoid all personal identifiers and avoid postings about parties, events, or activities where a stranger could find them. Screen names should be gender neutral.

(In January of 2005 in Lafayette, Louisiana, a 16-year-old girl was attacked by a 37-year-old man who read her profile on a popular social networking site and tracked her down at her after-school job).

3) Pay Attention to Online Photos: Know the type of photos your child is posting online. It is wisest to encourage your child not to post any photos online. Children use various forms of technology to post information and photos online, such as videos and web cams. Photos from camera phones can also be uploaded. Parents and guardians should be aware of the imagery their children post on the Web--these images may pose a risk to their children, exposing them to online predators and people they don't know. Even innocent photos can attract a predator. Check with your child's school to see if students' projects, artwork, or photos are being put on school websites. Schools need to be reminded of the risk and encouraged to allow access to student activities posted on the school's website by password only or posted on the school's Intranet. Webcams should only be used under close parental supervision and sent only to trusted friends and family.

Even innocent pictures of school activity on a school Web site have attracted the attention of one predator who became obsessed and kidnapped a child from his school (Burkey, Martin. "Martin Says Child Exploitation is 'Epidemic'." The Decatur Daily News 23 May 2006).

4) Supervise Computer Use: Keep your child's computer in an open area of your home and find out what other computers and Internet-enabled mobile devices (cell phones and PDA's) children may be using outside of the home. Placing the computer in an area, such as the kitchen or family room, gives parents and guardians the ability to supervise a child's online navigation.

30% of parents allow their teenagers to use the computer in private areas of the house such as a bedroom or a home office. Parents say they are more vigilant about where their teen(s) go online if the computer is in a public area of the household (Ketchum Global Research Network. Parents' Internet Monitoring Study. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2005).

5) Keep the Lines of Communication Open: Spend time on the Internet alongside your child and establish an atmosphere of trust. This provides an opportunity for parents and guardians to engage in dialogue about websites their children visit and programs they are using. Parents and guardians should be open to learning about technology so they can keep up with their children. Understanding how children use the Internet will give parents and guardians a better idea of the risks they may face, and how they can better safeguard their children.

65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say that teens do things online that they wouldn't want their parents to know about (Family, Friends & Community: Protecting Teens Online, Amanda Lenhart. March 17, 2005. Pew Internet & American Life Project. December 12, 2005).

6) Know your kids' online activities and friends. Know each of your child's passwords, screen names, and all account information. Regularly ask your kids about who they are communicating with online and their activities. Be Proactive. Role-play with your child the various dangerous scenarios they could encounter online, and remind them that the people they meet online are not their "friends." Children should be cautioned to only communicate online with people they know by sight and who have been approved by you.

Almost one in eight youth ages 8-18 discovered that someone they were communicating with online was an adult pretending to be much younger (Internet safety: Realistic Strategies & Messages for Kids Taking More and More Risks Online. December 21, 2005. Polly Klaas Foundation. February 17, 2006)

7) Instruct your child never to plan a face-to-face meeting. Children should also be advised to come to you if anyone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused or suggests meeting them.

One-third of youth ages 8-18 have talked about meeting someone they have only met through the Internet (Omnibuzz.Research. Nationwide Poll of Teens and Tweens. Polly Klaas Foundation, December 21, 2005).

8) Talk to your children about chat rooms. Recognize that chat rooms are the playground of today's sexual predator. EIE strongly urges parents to disallow chat rooms because it's impossible for a parent, child, or technology tool to recognize a disguised predator.

30% of teenage girls polled by the Girl Scout Research Institute said they had been sexually harassed in a chat room. Only 7% told their parent because they were worried that their parents would ban them from going online (Girl Scout Research Institute. The Net Effect: Girls and New Media. 2002).

9) Limit your child's Instant Messaging to a parental or guardian-approved buddy list. Regularly check your child's buddy list to ensure that it has not been altered.

42% of parents do not review the content of what their teenager(s) read and/or type in chat rooms or via instant messaging (Ketchum Global Research Network. Parents' Internet Monitoring Study. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2005).

10) Limit and monitor the amount of time your child spends on the Internet, and at what times of day. Excessive time online, especially at night, may indicate a problem. Remind your child that Internet use is a privilege, not a right.

23% of youth reported being "very" or "extremely upset" by exposures to sexual material (The Victimization of Children: Emerging Issues. Ed. J.L. Mullings, J.W. Marquart, and D.J. Hartley. New York: Haworth Maltreatment &Trauma Press, 2003).

11) Establish online rules (see Youth Internet Safety Contract) and an agreement with your child about Internet use at home and outside of the home (i.e., at a friend's house, at school, at the library, etc.).

77% of parents do not have rules about what their kids can do on the computer, such as restricting the amount of time their kids spend on the computer (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Kaiser Family Foundation Study, March 2005).

12) Virtual Parenting: Set-up the family's Internet service accounts. Parents should take an active role in setting up Internet service accounts, including any online community services children may join. Parents should regularly monitor accounts to supervise online friends, chat areas and blogs. It is safest to block all chat rooms and limit instant messaging to a parent-approved buddy list.

One third of Internet users ages 10-17 were exposed to unwanted sexual material (University of New Hampshire. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. August, 2006).

13) Think Like the Child: Search blog sites children visit to see what information they are posting. To ensure that children are not engaging in risky online behavior, we recommend that parents and guardians do a simple online search. Parents and guardians can type in their child's name, nickname, school, hobbies, grade, or residence to determine information availability. Supervise blogs and be aware of not only what your child is posting, but what other kids are posting about your child.

86% of the girls polled said they could chat online without their parents' knowledge, 57% could read their parents' e-mail, and 54% could conduct a cyber relationship (Girl Scout Research Institute. The Net Effect: Girls and New Media. 2002).

14) Report any content or activity that you suspect as illegal or criminal to local law enforcement and to the Peruvian Net against Child Pornography at denuncias@red.org.pe

All about sexual abuse of children

2008-04-14T15:00:00.002-05:00

Possible physical indicators of child abuse include:

Unusual or excessive itching or pain in the genital or anal area
Torn, stained of bloody underclothes
Unexplained burns, fractures or dislocations and bruises, swelling, lacerations, redness or bleeding in the genital, vaginal or anal area
Blood in urine or stools
Sexual transmitted diseases
Multiple fractures at different stages of healing
Bald patches or bruises on the head
Bruising around the mouth
Malnutrition and eating disorders
Difficulty in walking or sitting

Possible behavioural indicators of child abuse include:

Age inappropriate play with toys, eg. replication of explicit sexual acts and age inappropriate sexually explicit drawings
Sophisticated or unusual sexual knowledge
Refusal to go home or to the home of a relative or friend for no apparent reason
Bed wetting; withdrawl from peer group activities; deterioration of school work
Drastic changes in the character of the child eg. used to be even tempered and suddenly extremely aggressive

Please note:

These indicators do not necessarily prove that a child has been abused. They are merely clues to alert us. If these signs are observed, the child must be questioned in a calm and peaceful atmosphere and manner. The person asking the questions must be calm, rational and be prepared to get possible horrifying answers. Always stay calm and do not show signs of disgust, shock or extreme emotions as this might adversely affect the child’s behaviour. The child victim needs protection, understanding, assurance and support. The child should be encouraged to discuss his or her experience.

Examples of crimes committed against children under the age of 18 are:

Rape
Incest
Indecent assault
Murder
Neglect
Common assault and assault with the physical intention to do grievous bodily harm
Abduction, kidnapping and removal
Crimes regarding the abuse or exploitation of children, under the Preventionof Family Violence Act, Domestic Violence Act, Sexual Offences Act, ChildCare Act and the Films and Publication Act.

Procedure that will be followed in Perú if a case of child abuse is reported:

The peruvian National Police, in particular the DIVINDAT (Investigation division of high technology crimes), and the Public Ministry are responsible for the investigation of these crimes.
Once any of these crimes are reported to the DIVINDAT or the Public Ministry, the investigation will, depending on the nature of the specific crime, follow a certain pattern.
The investigation will usually start with the taking of a statement from the person accompanying the child.
The next step will be to interview the child. This will be done by a police member specifically trained for this purpose and can be done at the home of the child or at any other place that will be comfortable for the child. During the investigation, which will follow, circumstantial evidence and other evidence such as fingerprints will be gathered at the crime scene. Statements from possible witnesses will also be taken.
If the child was a victim of a sexual offence, a medical examination should be conducted. This is also the case when the child was physically assaulted and signs of any injuries can be observed. In this case, the external injuries will also be photographed.
The police will then send the completed docket with all the information to the prosecutor. The prosecutor presents the case to court as the lawyer for the victim. The prosecutor will consult the child complainant before the case is heard and refer the child for counseling and therapy.
When cases of crime against children are reported to the DIVINDAT or the Public Ministry, the reporter must request a case number, the charges that were laid and the name, rank and telephone number of the investigating officer. It is also your right to get feedback on the progress of the investigation.
Depending on the circumstances of the case, the investigating officer can suggest to the prosecutor that bail be denied to the accused. However, the final decision will be made by the presiding officer in court. If bail is granted, specific conditions can be set. These can include that the perpetrator is not allowed to make contact with the victim. If the conditions are not complied with, the investigating officer must be notified immediately.
Facilities are available for the child to testify by means of closed circuit television when necessary.
Prosecutors encourage children to speak out against abuse. It is safe for children to do so.
In 83,5% of all crimes against children reported to the Public Ministry the perpetrators are known to the child. These criminals are thus not always unknown strangers lurking in the dark but may even be parents, friends, neighbours or other family members.
The crimes are usually committed over weekends and during school holidays when children are usually alone at home. The perpetrators usually make contact with the victims in either the victim, or the perpetrator’s home. In the majority of cases the crime is even committed at the child’s home.

Stolen Innocence: Inside the Shady World of Child Sex Tourism

2008-04-06T16:53:00.004-05:00

U.S.A.- (By Britanny Bacon - World Vision / ABC News) The tales of child victims of the sex tourism overseas are heartbreaking and disturbing, and as the international industry booms its legal effects are being felt right here in the United States.
In fact, North America accounts for a quarter of all child sex tourism around the globe, according to humanitarian experts. This week a New Jersey millionaire goes on trial for allegedly recruiting destitute boys for sex meetings abroad, and a New York sex tour operator will be sentenced wednesday to up to seven years in prison for promoting prostitution. The multimillion dollar child sex tourism industry is supported by foreigners who travel to developing countries where widespread poverty and corrupt law enforcement foster an illicit environment in which they can have sex with children as young as 5 for as little as $5, often with little recourse, said Geoffrey Keele, a child protection spokesperson at UNICEF, the world's largest child care organization.
According to Department of Justice figures, child prostitutes serve between two and 30 clients per week, totaling 100 to 1,500 sex clients per child, per year. But some sex tourists claim that far from abusing the children, they are helping to support them.
ABC News took a look into the shadowy world of desire and exploitation that authorities say victimizes about 2 million children every year.

.
The Secret Digital World of Child Sex Tourism

Tapping into child sex tourism is about as easy as going online, booking a flight and taking a taxi, said child protection experts.
Before even setting foot on foreign soil, "tourists" can surf the Web for everything they need to know about having sex with a child abroad.
Pedophiles, which make up a large group of the sex tourists that exploit children, mainly under 12, keep track of news articles that mention the locations of kids and schools in particularly poor areas. They then share their stories and plan sex tours, said Carol Smolenski, the executive director at ECPAT-USA, the U.S. branch of an international network that combats child sex tourism.
"This is about the purchase of child's body as a commodity, and the Internet just makes the sale even easier," she said.
Web sites provide pornographic accounts written by experienced child sex tourists and tour operators, including specific information about how to access a child prostitute and how much to spend.

Child Pornography in USA

2008-03-15T08:50:00.002-05:00

Displaying child pornography or "kiddie porn" on the Internet is illegal in the United States. "Child pornography" is easier to define than more elusive concepts such as "obscenity," but several categories of content exist that may or may not constitute child pornography, depending upon the circumstances. By using this webpage in any way you agree that you accept our Terms and Conditions.

.
1. Introduction:

.
2. The First Amendment:

Unlike pornographic images of adults, the First Amendment does not protect the possession or distribution of child pornography. Content that depicts children engaged in sexual conduct is "a category of material outside the protection of the First Amendment." New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747 1982. The First Amendment does protect some material that could be considered child pornography, for example images in a medical textbook that show a child's genitalia. Although the possession or distribution of such images might be protected by the First Amendment when used in a pediatric context, the same images would probably not be protected if they were displayed on an adult website. Unless you have the resources of, for example, Calvin Klein, and can afford the legal battle, play it safe and do not display any questionable images of minors on your website.

3. Federal Statutes:
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4. Sexually Explicit Conduct:
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18 U.S.C. § 2252 prohibits the production, transportation, or knowing receipt or distribution of any visual depiction "of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct." For the purposes of Title 18, 18 U.S.C. § 2256 defines a "minor" as any person under the age of eighteen years, and "sexually explicit conduct" as actual or simulated:
"(A) sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite sex; (B) bestiality; (C) masturbation; (D) sadistic or masochistic abuse; or (E) lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of any person"
"Sexual intercourse" and "bestiality" (sex with an animal) seem pretty clear - if your website displays images that a prosecutor believes involve minors engaged in sexual intercourse or bestiality, expect to be prosecuted. Which acts constitute "masturbation" or "sadistic or masochistic abuse" may be more difficult to define, because participants engaged in such activities tend to do so for a sexual purpose. Clearly a child could appear to be engaged in such activities without intending a sexual purpose. What a child intends by his or her actions is irrelevant, however, because Federal law prohibits "simulated" as well as actual acts. Many states also address this issue by prohibiting images of minors touching or displaying their bodies "for the purpose of sexual stimulation of the viewer." (See, for example, California Penal Code §§ 311.3-312.7).
Section (E) prohibits images of "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area." Courts that have interpreted this section have done so broadly - "as used in the child pornography statute, the ordinary meaning of the phrase "lascivious exhibition" means a depiction which displays or brings forth to view in order to attract notice to the genitals or pubic area of children, in order to excite lustfulness or sexual stimulation in the viewer." See United States v Knox (1994). You may risk prosecution if your website displays images of minors depicted in a way that excites viewers.

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5. United States v Knox:
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In Knox, a man who had previously been convicted of receiving child pornography through the mail ordered video tapes (by mail) of girls between the ages of ten and seventeen who, in the Court's words, "were dancing or gyrating in a fashion not natural for their age." The girls wore bikini bathing suits, leotards, or underwear - none of the girls in the videos was nude. The videos were set to music, and it appeared that someone off-camera was directing the girls. The photographer videotaped the girls dancing, and zoomed in on each girl's pubic area for an extended period of time. Knox was prosecuted under United States Child Pornography laws.
Legal counsel for Knox argued that "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area" meant that the girls had to be nude - wearing clothing meant that that genitals and pubic area were clearly not exhibited. The Court disagreed and held that there was no nudity requirement in the statute: "the statutory term "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area," as used in 18 U.S.C. ? 2256(2)(E), does not contain any requirement that the child subject's genitals or pubic area be fully or partially exposed or discernible through his or her opaque clothing."

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6. Unanswered Questions:

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The Courts will likely continue to define what is prohibited under the child pornography laws. For example, if a website displays legal images of children, perhaps scanned from magazines and other legal sources, in a way that a prosecutor believes could excite some viewers, can that website be prosecuted under the child pornography laws? In many states and countries the age of consent is younger than 18. Can the USA prosecute a webmaster in another country who is displaying images of a 16 year old nude model, even if the images are not illegal in the webmaster's home country? The USA invades other countries to enforce its drug laws, so it's possible that webmasters in other countries might find themselves hauled to the USA to face criminal charges if they violate USA child pornography laws.

7. Conclusion:

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If you want to be safe, do not display any images of minors on your adult website and do not advertise or suggest that your models are minors. If your website displays any arguably sexual images of minors, you may risk prosecution if it appears that your site exists for the sexual stimulation of viewers. If you display any questionable images of minors on your website, make sure you have a good lawyer. If you have any questionable images on your site, but you know that the model depicted is of legal age, make sure that you have the necessary legal records you will need to produce if you are prosecuted.

8. Another websites against Child Pornography:

Child Abuse Website Links A list of online websites and organizations dedicated to stopping child abuse and child pornography courtesy of Internet Quality Check.
Child Pornography on the Internet By M. George Waters IV and Jack Harrell. A decent overview of child pornography and child pornography laws. Also one of the best arguments against the use of frames that you will ever see.
Adult Sites Against Child Pornography (ASACP) An organization dedicated to raising awareness about the subject of child pornography.
Child Pornography Issues Naked pictures of the kid getting a bath in the sink or child pornography? Food for thought from Salon.com

Child sex tourism: Issues analysis

2008-02-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

U.S.A - (Barbara Kralis - RenewAmerica analyst) Child Sex Tourism [CST] entails tourists, mostly men, engaged in sex trafficking by purposely traveling to known sex destinations, seeking anonymity in pornography or prostitution, or engaging in pederasty with young children and homosexuality with young and older adults. These sexual offenders come from all different cultures and socio-economic levels, many holding positions of government and religious leadership, faithfulness, and trust. The U.S. Department of State reported previous cases of CST involving U.S. citizens that included a pediatrician, a retired Army sergeant, a dentist, and a university professor. Many times, the sex tourists travel with illegal drugs purposely to control the minor's will or to bait and solicit sex with the minor.

The Vatican has recently warned in a new Document, 'Pastoral Care For The Liberation of Women of the Street' [street prostitutes], that men who are clients of prostitution have deep-seated problems as they, too, are enslaved in sex and domination. The document reveals that the largest numbers of men are over 40 years of age, but there are an increasing number of younger men, between 16-24, involved as well. The Vatican reported that 500,000 women from Eastern Europe are enslaved into prostitution on the streets of Western Europe, alone.

Pope Benedict XVI warned the Bishops of Sri Lanka in May 2005: "No effort must be spared to encourage civil authorities and the international community to fight child abuse and assure young people the necessary legal protection."

Siri's story of child sex tourism

"Thailand has always had slavery but never before on this scale and never before as the new slavery" said Dr. Kevin Bales to this journalist. Dr. Bales describes one young sex slave, Siri, whom he met and interviewed at a brothel in Ubon Ratchitani, northeastern Thailand:
"When Siri wakes, it is about noon. In the instant of waking, she knows exactly who and what she has become. The soreness in her genitals reminds her of the fifteen men she had sex with the night before. Siri is fifteen years old. Sold by her parents a year ago to a woman broker from a Northern village, the broker assured her parents they would be well paid for their daughter. After some negotiation, they received 50,000 baht [$1,318] for Siri. This exchange began the process of debt bondage that is used to enslave the girl. The daughter's labor must pay back the loaned money before she is free to leave the brothel. However, her debt has escalated in a short time to 200,000 baht for her rent, food, drinks, medicine, and fines if she did not work hard enough".
"Siri's resistance and desire to escape the brothel are breaking down, and acceptance and resignation are taking their place. After she was sold and taken to the brothel, she discovered that the work was not what she thought it would be. Siri had a sheltered childhood and was ignorant of what it meant to work in a brothel. Her first client hurt her and at the earliest opportunity, she ran away. On the street with no money, she was quickly caught, dragged back, beaten, and raped. That night she was forced to take on a chain of clients until the early morning. The beatings and work continued night after night until her will was broken. Now she is sure that she is a bad person. Girls in Thailand, like Siri, are sold into sex slavery by the thousands. Money, culture, and society blend in new and powerful ways to enslave girls like Siri." (Source: "Disposable People-New Slavery in the Global Economy," by Dr. Kevin Bales, University of California Press, 1999.)

Safety tips for E-Mail users

2008-01-15T08:02:00.000-05:00

Teens in Europe say that this is good advice – especially for users.

Only give your email address out to people you already know and trust – not to people you have only met online. Be careful that your email address is not in your profile or on other websites where people you don’t know can find it.
Respect your friends. Don’t give out their email addresses without their permission – and never use emails to bully or manipulate others.
Keep a record. If somebody is bullying or harassing you via email, then keep the email and don’t delete it. You don’t need to read it, just save it in a folder, even your junk folder. It may help you to find out who is sending the messages if you don’t already know, and it will definitely make the situation easier to explain to someone when you tell them. Keep the email until you have discussed how to stop it with somebody you trust. And do tell someone about it.
Tell someone if you receive a message or messages that are bullying, or make you feel uncomfortable or at danger. Tell your parents, or a teacher or counsellor at school. Even telling your friends can help. There are organisations where you can receive advice anonymously, such as Perivian Net against Child Pornography which you can reach on http://www.red.org.pe/ or sending an email to denuncias@red.org.pe. If the message or messages you have received are threatening or harassing then you should tell your local police.
Learn how to block/ignore people
Change your email address if blocking doesn’t work and you are still receiving messages from someone you do not want to get messages from.
Have more than one account. Use a personal one for friends and family for example. If you have to give an email address for entering a competition or registering for a service, it is a good idea to use a different address to your personal one, as this may lead to you receiving a lot of unwanted spam mail for example.
Never open attachments from people you don’t know. Sometimes viruses might be sent unknowingly in attachments from your friends and family – check with the person who sent it if you are unsure about an attachment they sent.
Don’t click on any links in spam. You do not know where you will end up, and it will make you vunerable to receive viruses.
Don’t forward spam on to your friends, no matter how threatening it is or what you have been promised.

To reduce the amount of Spam you get:

Choose an email address that is difficult to guess, i.e. a series of numbers and letters. It is best not to have any identifying information in your email address, such as full name, age, or location.
Don’t put your email address anywhere on the Internet, in a profile or on a personal website for example. It is worth using a separate account to your personal one when entering competitions or other things online that require an email address.
Only give out your personal email address to family and friends.
Never reply to spam. Even if it says ‘unsubscribe’ or ‘Be removed from the list’ do not reply, as it may just confirm your email address to the sender and may mean you get even more spam!
Spam filters or junk mail filters can offer some protection by diverting suspected spam into a junk mail folder – ask your provider about this.

How to block users

For whatever reason you may wish not to receive emails from a particular person anymore. If this is so you can block this person. How you do this may depend a little on your provider.

In some programmes there is a ‘block’ button actually in your inbox.
You block someone by highlighting or checking the box next to their email and then clicking on the Block button. This means that all emails from the address you blocked will not reach your inbox.
In other programmes you need to add someone to a blocked senders list which will mean that you won’t see emails from this person again in your inbox.
To do this you right click on the name of the person in the contact list which should give you a range of options, and one of these is Junk or even Block.
Clicking on this will bring up the option of adding this person to your Blocked Senders List. By clicking this it means that you will not receive messages from this person anymore.
Block is sometimes called ’Ignore’, and if right-clicking doesn’t work, have a look in your Preferences for this function.
If you are not sure on how to block people in your programme then ask your provider about this.

Safety tips for online gamers

2008-01-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

How to keep save on a gaming site online?

There is no difference between chatting on a gaming site and on a chat site - so check the info about safe chat!
Be careful who you trust online and remember that online friends are really strangers. People you are playing with online, no matter how long you have been chatting to them or how friendly they are, may not be who they say they are.
Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. If you feel that you ‘have to’ meet, then for your own safety you must tell your parent or carer and take them with you – at least on the first visit – and meet in a public place in daytime.
Stay in charge in chat. Keep your personal information secret in the online game, in the profile and in chat (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture), even if people ask for this. Although it can be tempting to reveal more than you normally would in online friendships, giving out personal information can make you vulnerable.
Look after each other. Don’t give out your friend’s personal information online as it could put them at risk. Look after and respect your friends while you are online.
Think about your username or ‘handle’. Use a nickname, not your real name, and a nickname that is not going to attract the wrong type of attention.
Learn how to block another player. If another player is behaving badly and annoying you then you should block them so you don’t hear from them again.
You can always kick someone out of the game if they are making you feel uncomfortable.
If there is voice chat on the game, sometimes you can disguise your voice by using a voice mask – these will make you sound different, like a robot for example. If you don’t want people to know your age or gender, this may be useful.
But be careful using voice chat. It may feel like you are talking over the phone, but remember that you are chatting to a stranger. It is still important to keep safe and not give people your personal information while talking to them.
Learn how to report another user. If another player is making you feel uncomfortable, by harassing you for personal information for example, then you should report them to the games provider.
Learn how to keep a record, and keep any key information. It’s easier to explain a problem if you can show it.

How to keep a record?

While the worrying conversation is visible on the screen, create a picture of the screen:

Push the button “print screen” on the keyboard.
Open a word-document, right click and choose “paste” to insert the screen dump.
Save the word-document with the records and show it to someone you trust

If it is not possible to copy the conversation, then keep a note of the date and time of the chat, the person’s username, and it may be useful to make a note of the names of other people who saw this person behaving in this way to you.

If someone makes you feel really uncomfortable while you are playing then you should just leave the game.
If you feel that a communication via an online game becomes dangerous for you, don’t hesitate to tell an adult. They might want to report to the police. The police know about online harassment and have ways of identifying criminals online.

Importan advises: Don't be a victim. How to keep save in chat?

2008-01-05T11:43:00.000-05:00

How to keep save in chat?

Be careful who you trust online and remember that online friends are really strangers. People online, no matter how long you have been talking to them or how friendly they are, may not be who they say they are.
Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. If you feel that you ‘have to’ meet, then for your own safety you must tell your parent or carer and take them with you – at least on the first visit – and meet in a public place in daytime.
Stay in charge in chat. Keep your personal information secret when chatting online (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture), even if people ask for this. Although It can be tempting to reveal more than you normally would in online friendships, giving out personal information can make you vulnerable.
Check your profile and make sure it doesn’t include any personal information (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture).
Get away from an unpleasant situation in a chatroom by logging out (this just takes one click) or by changing your screen name.
Think before you answer private messages. It can be harder to end a conversation in a private chat than in a public chat. A private chat may end up being more personal than you like.
Use a nickname, not your real name, and a nickname that is not going to attract the wrong type of attention.
Look out for your friends and do something if you think that they are at risk.
Tell your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.
Learn how to keep/save a copy of the conversation in chat – this may be useful if you want to report something.
Learn how to block/ignore people.
Check you know how to report something you feel uncomfortable about to the chatroom provider or moderator.

How to save a copy of your conversations?

Saving your conversations can provide useful evidence if you come to make a report about something or someone.

Highlight the conversation with your mouse.
Copy the highlighted text.
Paste the conversation into a Word document which you can save.

How to block users?

For whatever reason you may wish not to see messages from a particular person anymore or receive private messages from them. If this is so you can block this person.

To do this you right click on the name of the person in the contact list which should give you a range of options, and one of these is Block.
It will mean that you will not receive messages from this person anymore.
Block is sometimes called ’Ignore’, and if right-clicking doesn’t work, have a look in your preferences for this function, or there may be a block/ignore button in the chatroom itself.

How to Report?

You can report people to the chatroom provider or moderator if they are breaking the rules.

Keep a copy of the conversation that you want to report and send that in too.
Look for a way to contact your chatroom provider or moderator by clicking the Help tab.

Resource: Chatdanger has been written by Childnet International, a charity registered in the UK (no. 1080173)

Let's Talk About... The Choking Game

2007-11-25T00:12:00.000-05:00

Young people need to understand that the Choking Game is not a game and that it is very dangerous. You may remember something like it from your childhood, as the idea has been around for a while. Children play the game by compressing their friend's chest or squeezing their neck with their hands or other devices, like ropes, cords or belts. This "game" temporarily cuts off the flow of oxygen to the brain. At first the person being choked will feel light-headed due to the reduced blood flow and the lack of oxygen to the brain, causing a "high" feeling. Once the pressure to the chest or neck is released the surge of blood to the brain creates a "rush" feeling.
Children are reporting that they believe that this is a safe way to get a "high" because it does not involve drugs. They have no idea how dangerous this activity is and they are unaware that it can be fatal or cause serious harm. The media has recently reported a number of deaths and brain damage cases directly related to this activity. It is estimated that 250 to 1,000 young people die in the United States each year from some form of the choking game. Many are reported as suicides. In many of these cases children are constricting themselves with ties or belts. When the flow of oxygen is cut off they unintentionally pass out leaving no one to loosen the device around their neck. Even children who play the game among friends are at risk for permanent brain damage, harm to the retina, accidental fall from passing out, and death.

Who's Doing It?

Mostly children age 9-15 years old
Children as young as 6, especially if they have older siblings playing this "game"
High achievers, not using drugs or alcohol
Any child

Why Do Pre-Teens and Teens Participate?

To achieve a "high" without drugs or alcohol
They think it will not harm themselves or others
They are curious
They are pressured by peers
They are experimenting with their bodies and feelings
They may consider it "cool" and "risky"

Signs and Symptoms

Complaints of headaches
Unexplained marks or bruises on the neck
Bloodshot or red eyes
Raspy breath
Ropes, cords, belts, neck ties found in unusual locations around the house
Unusual need for privacy or locked doors
Petechiae (tiny red dots) on face or cheeks
Disorientation after spending time alone
Chat room conversations about the game or websites visited

What Other Names Does The Choking Game Have?

Blackout game
Knockout game
Dream game
Pass out game
Fainting game
Rising sun game
Funky chicken
Space cowboy
Suffocation game

What You Can Do

Be persistent and tell children how dangerous it is.

The choking game is something that is not often talked about. Kids will be secretive about it and may even pretend they don't know what you are talking about if you ask.

When you talk about the game use visual pictures and be concrete.

Mentioning specific risks of the game, such as brain damage and physical disfigurement can be even more powerful to children than the idea of dying. Teens tend to think they are invincible and that dying will not happen to them.

Provide teens with choices for safer risk-taking and reducing stress.

Just like adults, for many children and teens, risk taking is a way to relieve stress. Help your children find healthy ways to deal with stress and set a good example by finding healthy ways to deal with your own stress. There are many positive activities like running, dancing, biking or rock climbing, which relieve stress and produce a safe natural feeling of pleasure and a sense of self-satisfaction.

References

Rosenbluth, Julie, M.P.H., CHES, Guidance Channel Ezine, March 2007.
Hunter, Sheriff Don, The Choking Game…Deadly Child's Play, The Collier County Sheriff's Office, January 2006.
Macnab, Andrew J., MD, Teens warns of deadly game: ‘I died and came back', The Providence Journal, Sunday, April 15, 2007.

Resources: www.teenchokinggame.com

Website paedophile jailed indefinitely

2007-07-03T00:57:00.000-05:00

By Paul Hales in Luton
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Undercover Cops busted a child abuse web site and then posted an ad on the site seeking a volunteer to run it. Daft and unmarried computer technician Gordon McIntosh offered to do the job but had his collar felt instead. Police said he seemed a bit shocked when they turned up.
McIntosh was today jailed for an indefinite period at Luton Crown Court having admitted making, distributing, and possessing indecent images of children.
Detective Chief Inspector Liz Hanlon said the site has now been closed down, "but it’s a tactic we’ll use again. People have very short memories," she said. "If people use these sites we’ll find them. When you use a computer there’s always a trace”.
Judge Richard Foster said McIntosh McIntosh, 33, of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was a public danger. She ordered he be kept in jail until shrinks decide it is safe to free him.
The man had around 1,500 indecent pictures and videos of children and babies being abused on his PC. The judge said it was "one of the very worst cases certainly I have ever seen of his nature".

Child Pornography cases obtaining confessions with an effective interview strategy

2007-06-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

Written by: Randy Bowling, M.S., and Dave Resch, M.A.

An effective interview strategy is paramount in gaining a confession during a child pornography investigation. But, interrogative techniques can prove difficult because they require the exhibition of compassion for individuals that investigators may consider contemptible. Developing a comprehensive interviewing strategy will make investigators feel more comfortable at the critical initial stages of the interview and increase the likelihood of eliciting a confession.

Most subjects in child victimization image cases are preferential sex offenders— many of these individuals have molested children; however, their backgrounds often do not identify a molestation conviction. While most of the subjects possess and distribute child pornography, only a few produce it. Further, child pornographers are increasingly using the Internet to facilitate their criminal activities. The following interview strategy has proven successful when dealing with preferential sex offenders in child pornography cases.

Investigative Interview Preparation

In addition to basic investigative practices, investigators can prepare for a successful interview strategy by obtaining information from the FBI’s Innocent Images National Initiative program, search warrants, and informants or witnesses. Investigators should obtain personal information regarding the subject’s marital status, criminal and employment history, and, especially, community service because many subjects actively seek occupations and volunteer opportunities where contact with children is certain to occur. Further, investigators can conduct ruse telephone calls, as well as trash and mail covers, to determine whether the subject listed on a particular Internet account under investigation actually resides at a specific residence. These types of thorough preparation increase the probability of gaining a confession. Once confronted by investigators, the subject will know that his illegal activities have been discovered and thoroughly investigated.

Initial Approach

After investigators show appropriate identification and detail the purpose of the interview to the subject, they should state their accusation. A direct accusation statement must be convincing in its delivery. Typically, the suspect then will deny involvement and protest his innocence. If the subject states his denial (e.g., “I didn’t do it”), investigators immediately should interrupt him. For example, they can turn their heads, possibly raising their hands with palms facing the subject in a dismissive motion. Investigators should remember that denial by the guilty usually weakens over time, whereas an innocent person likely will become more enraged at each accusation of criminal activity. The subject also may protest his innocence through such statements as “I could not have done this; I am a religious man” or “I would not have done that; what would my family think?” Investigators should not interrupt these types of protests because they usually are based, in part, on the truth. Following the subject’s protests, investigators should incorporate these partial truths into the interrogation process by using statements, such as “I’m glad to hear you say that; I know you’re a good man” or “You are a religious man who is devoted to his family.” After clearly accusing the suspect, interviewers should detail evidence against the individual. Further, investigators should follow the accusation, denials, and protests with a series of theme-development strategies.

Theme Development

Many child pornography suspects fear that their activities will be revealed. Therefore, investigators should address this concern through theme development as they approach the interview. Interrogation themes consist of rationalizing the crime, projecting blame onto others, and minimizing the offense (RPMs). Investigators can use the following examples as a guide in theme development.

Rationalization: “I understand your situation; you love kids so much that you were just reaching out to help any way you could. Things just got out of hand.”
Projection of blame: “The problem is that parents do not spend enough time with their children. Once neglected, kids will do anything for attention.”
Minimization: “We’re not talking about hurting children here. We’re only talking about a few photographs. You’ve never harmed anyone.”

Investigators should avoid judgmental terms during the presentation of RPMs to preclude an eventual molestation confession. After presenting RPMs, investigators should look for signs of receptivity by the subject, such as crying, bowing the head, averting the eyes, taking deep breaths, and slouching, suggesting that the individual wants to admit his involvement in the crime. Once investigators observe signs of receptivity, they should offer a reason to confess, which deals with the subject’s present situation and offers him hope. For example, “I know things have gotten out of hand despite your best efforts, but now is your opportunity to stand up, be a man, and do the right thing for these kids and your family.”
Once investigators have given the subject a reason to confess, they can present a bad-good option, initially presenting a choice unacceptable (or bad) to the subject followed by an acceptable (or good) one. The bad-good option leads the subject toward either a partial or full confession. For instance, investigators can make statements, such as “Either you’re a monster who preys on little children or you just possess a few photographs of kids. Which is it?” If the suspect rejects the bad-good option, investigators then should start anew with RPMs, looking again for signs of receptivity before presenting a reason to confess and another bad-good option. Investigators can use the following example to structure a child pornography interrogation:

Mr. Doe, my name is Agent Smith, FBI, and this is a warrant from a federal judge ordering me to conduct a search of your property for child pornography. I know that you possess child pornography. This is not an arrest warrant. I am not putting handcuffs on you, and you are not in custody. We are not interviewing your wife at work, and, as you can see, we are not knocking on your neighbors’ doors. Nor have your family and friends been contacted at this time. Right now, this matter is between you and me. I have no interest in contacting anyone else until we talk. Child pornography has been detected on your computer, and, shortly, I will show you a sample of the captured images. I will do this so that you can assure me that these are children simply from the Internet and not kids you are hurting in the neighborhood. My primary concern today is to determine if any children in the neighborhood are being harmed. My priority today is to identify any child who may need help.

These statements establish that investigators 1) are not the adversary; 2) have no doubt that the subject possesses child pornography; 3) already have conducted surveillance of the subject’s computer; 4) potentially have sparked the subject’s interest in viewing some of the evidence; and 5) have minimized the child pornography as being less serious than harming children. Although the subject may molest neighborhood children, the goal at this time is to achieve admissions through the usage of interrogative techniques as a foundation for the full confession. Investigators should continue to present RPMs and observe the subject to give him a reason to confess and a bad-good option.

We both know that things have gone on too long and cannot continue. It’s time to put an end to this and move on. I have worked these cases for years and have dealt with two types of people: those who hate and hurt children and are utterly evil, and others who honestly care about children and are affectionate toward them, but get caught up in a mess they need help getting out of. I don’t think you’re evil. But, I have to leave here today convinced that while I know you are looking at pictures of kids on the Internet and masturbating, you are not a monster living in the middle of an unsuspecting neighborhood. Are you hurting the neighborhood children or just downloading Internet child porn for your own sexual needs in the privacy of your own home?

Investigators have given the subject the option of confessing to the crime or confessing to being a monster, not the option of denying the crime. The admission of masturbation or other sexual activity connected to the child pornography is important—subjects may be detained based on their admissions that they actively used the child pornography in a sexual way, thereby creating a threat to their communities.
Often, at this stage, the subject will admit to the crime and latch onto the minimization offered by the investigator. Numerous cases have occurred where the subject blurts, “I don’t have sex with children; I just download pictures and masturbate.” Often, investigators must respond with compassion and understanding, suggesting that all men look at porn and that it was not the subject’s choice to have a preference for children. Once they obtain the initial confession, investigators then can continue to build on the same interview strategy to acquire details regarding the extent of the subject’s criminal activity.

Case Examples of Investigators Successfully Using Various Themes to Obtain Child Pornography Confessions

Subject #1 possessed, distributed, and produced pornography in conjunction with four other subjects who were members of a volunteer search and rescue group. He embraced the theme that the children he was assaulting were not babies or virgins and that in the end, he was trying to help them financially. Investigators allowed the subject to blame the children’s parents for lack of affection and attention, which the children subsequently sought from him. At the interview, all five subjects provided confessions; four pled guilty and one was convicted at trial. Subject #1 thanked investigators for being decent and professional during their initial approach. The empathy shown to him successfully elicited his confession and cooperation.
Subject #2 was an unmarried male elementary school teacher who quickly admitted to the possession of child pornography. Under the progressive method of obtaining the complete confession, the teacher admitted to a sexual desire for the boys in his class. He then admitted that every time he touched, hugged, comforted, or consoled a child in his class, he felt sexually stimulated. He progressively confessed that the only reason he became a teacher was to have access to young boys.
Subject #3 was a divorced, 45-year-old male employed as a manager of a halfway house. He quickly confessed to possessing and then distributing child pornography. Then, investigators presented the scenario of the possibility of computer examiners finding alarming material and gave the subject the opportunity to explain that material up front. Subject #3 admitted that bathtub pictures of his daughters might be found. Further, he admitted that he was having sex with his daughters and videotaping the acts. He led investigators to the tapes and disks. Subject #4, a 20-year-old female, initially confessed to possessing child pornography. Progressively, she admitted to involvement in the production of child pornography. Ultimately, she confessed to seducing a 35-yearold woman to gain access to the woman’s 12- year-old daughter and using that girl and other minor females for sex and the production of child pornography.
Subject #5 possessed 30,000 images of child sexual victimization and was involved in distribution. He was a 45-year-old white male, a geological engineer, and married with two teenage boys. He admitted that he spent hours each evening downloading child pornography and masturbating. He confessed while rationalizing that he was not harming children, just feeding his sexual desire for children via the Internet. Subject #5 was a prior Boy Scout troop leader. He admitted at the end of the interview that the lack of condemnation and the validation of his long-held rationalizations aided in his willingness to confess. He pled guilty.

Confessions

Investigators should build from initial to complete confession. From possession to distribution to production, investigators should guide the subject to progressively admit the more serious violations. Scenarios, such as “Is there anything my computer examiners will find alarming on your computer that we can clear up now? Pictures of kids in your class? Pictures of kids in the bathtub?” may lead to an admission. If so, investigators should press forward, inquiring about the possibility of finding pictures of the offender with the children in situations not designed to harm the children. Investigators should have the subject initial the images, verifying those that came from the Internet versus children in his neighborhood. The subject then reinforces his confession in his attempt to deny activity with children. Then, investigators should address the topic of actual contact with children and identify victims with the intent of distinguishing the subject’s “young friends.” The subject likely will identify children he has not molested, but those children can be interviewed later to identify their friends who may be victims.
With these admissions, investigators should remember the increased significance of child pornography as peripheral material in other violent crimes. This method has resulted in the progressive admissions of individuals, starting with the possession of pornography and ending with the confession that the only reason the subject became an elementary school teacher was to have access to young boys. Additionally, this approach has gained initial admissions of possession, progressing to the subject eventually leading investigators to the videos and disks documenting a subject’s sexual assault of his own daughter. Investigators should avoid displaying judgment and anger. Rather, they should show sympathy, understanding, patience, and acceptance, allowing the subject to offer any excuses and explanations along with admissions.

Elements of Interrogation

Convincingly Accuse the Suspect

• Tell the suspect you are aware he is involved in the crime.

• Show case facts and refer to real or implied evidence to convince the suspect of the futility of denial.

• Observe the suspect’s reaction. If he denies involvement, restate the accusation. If the suspect makes no denial, this is a strongindicator of guilt.

Interrupt Denials by the Suspect

• Interrupt and prevent any additional denial attempts.

• Realize that the guilty’s attempts at denial will weaken; the innocent’s will get stronger and angrier.

• Tell the suspect it is his turn to listen. Provide Reasons to Confess

• Tell the suspect why he committed the crime: rationalize, project, minimize (RPMs).

• Conduct a monologue with the subject if possible.

• Give acceptable reasons for the suspect to admit the truth.

• Remember that patience, persistence, and patter are the keys to success. Redirect Protests

• Understand that protests are reasons for innocence that the suspect provides.

• Realize that usually only the guilty will present protests because denials have failed.

• Remember that protests usually have some factual basis and, therefore, can be defended comfortably by the suspect; do not try to refute them.

• Accept the protest and incorporate it into providing reasons to confess.

Prevent Mental Withdrawal

• Recognize that withdrawal often is a response to failure of the denials and protests.

• Move closer and use the suspect’s name; force the suspect to listen.

• Present a sincere demeanor.

Watch for Signs of Receptivity

• Observe telltale signs, mostly nonverbal in nature (e.g., subject establishing barriers, drooping his head, leaning his body forward, crying).

• Reduce reasons to confess to a succinct concept.

Present a Bad-Good Option

• Describe one option despicable in nature.

• Present another acceptable option that follows with the reasons provided to confess.

• Suggest that the suspect’s actions were based on the good option, rather than the bad.

• Ask the suspect to confirm this suggestion (a mere nod of the head will suffice).

• Begin to elicit the confession if confirmed. Spend more time developing the RPMs and reasons to confess if denied.

Investigators must refine and personalize this template for each subject. It has proven most successful with preferential sex offenders who have not been through the criminal justice system. Investigators may contact the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit at 703-632-4400 for assistance with interview and investigative strategies, trial assistance, and expert warrants and testimony.

Source: Edgar M. Miner, “The Importance of Listening in the Interview and Interrogation Process,” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, June 1984, 12-16.

Conclusion

Children are at increased risk for crime victimization.5 Child sexual victimization cases often prove mentally overwhelming even to the most seasoned investigator; compassion for subjects in these cases is difficult, but developing a plan for the investigative interview can lead to quicker resolutions to cases.
Investigators often can obtain confessions in child pornography investigations using constructive interrogative techniques. By carefully conducting investigative interview preparation; using an effective initial approach; developing a theme (rationalizing, projecting blame, and minimizing); pursuing a progressive confession; and identifying victims, agencies increase the likelihood that they will elicit admissions from guilty subjects. Confessions eliminate lengthy trial preparations, help the case rapidly move to sentencing,6 and allow the investigators to move on to another assignment, focusing critical resources in other directions. Further, confessions keep communities and residents safe by ensuring that subjects no longer can victimize innocent children.

Endnotes

1 For a more in-depth discussion of the characteristics and traits of subjects in child pornography investigations, refer to Kenneth V. Lanning, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Sexual Victimization of Children (FBI Academy, 2000).
2 Philip Jenkins, Beyond Tolerance: Child Pornography on the Internet (New York, NY: New York University Press, 2001); Carlos A. Arnaldo, Child Abuse and the Internet: Ending the Silence (New York, NY: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Foundation and Berghahn Books, 2001); and Heather Jacobson and Rebecca Green, “Computer Crimes,” American Criminal Law Review 39 (Spring 2002): 225.

3 The authors based this article on their experiences investigating child pornography cases. They recommend that investigators tailor this strategy as needed to particular cases and use it in conjunction with other interrogation methods.
4 For illustrative purposes and to maintain clarity, the authors employ masculine pronouns for subjects.
5 D. Finkelhor and R. Ormrod, Child Abuse Reported to the Police, May 2001, retrieved on July 13, 2004, from http:// ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications.
6 R.A. Leo, “Inside the Interrogation Room,” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 86, no. 2 (1996): 266-304.

Sexual Exploitation of Children.

2007-06-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

An estimated two million children are enslaved in the global commercial sex trade. Most are girls, but a significant number are boys. An untold number of others are sexually abused noncommercially. Most cases are not reported.

Kinds of child sexual exploitation?

a. Commercial

Prostitution
Sex tourism
Child pornography
Trafficking and sale of children for sexual purposes

b. Noncommercial

Sexual abuse of girls or boys by family and community members
Forced marriage

What are the manifestations of child sexual exploitation?

Children as young as 11 are known to work in brothels, and some children between 10 and 12 years old living in out-of-home care have been used to make pornographic films.
Girls as young as 13 (mainly from Asia and eastern Europe) are trafficked as "mail-order" brides. Trafficking affects an estimated 1.2 million children per year.
Worldwide, 40-47 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated against girls age 15 or younger.
The child sex trafficking industry generates 12 billion dollars annually.

Where does it occur?

In all countries, both rich and poor. According to studies:

Thailand, Cambodia, India, and Brazil have some of the highest rates of commercial sexual exploitation of children.
In Mexico, more than 16,000 children are involved in prostitution.
Sexual exploitation of children occurs in various locations, including on the street, in brothels, in private homes, and in tourist facilities, such as hotels.

Who are the most vulnerable?

Girls and boys under age 18
Children living in poverty
Street children
Runaways
Children in vulnerable or marginalized situations
Children of all social and economic status

What are the causes?

Poverty and unemployment
Drug and alcohol abuse
Government /law enforcement
Corruption Expansion of organized crime and trafficking of children
Low status of girls in many countries
Illiteracy and lack of education
Inadequate or non-enforced laws
Lack of political will to end the practice
Pornography and the promotion of sex tours on the internet

How does sexual exploitation impact the lives of children?

Long-lasting physical, social, spiritual, and psychological damage
Disease (including HIV)
Violence and abuse
Drug addiction
Unwanted pregnancy and forced abortions
Malnutrition
Social ostracism

What is RCPI - Perú doing?

a. Prevention

Publicity and information campaigns
Training for volunteers
Training for State agents

b. Fight against child pornography on Internet

Promotion of spaces to report the crime via Internet
Computer nets against Child Pornography
Service to receive anonymous complaints about pages containing child pornography
Tracing of pages containing child pornography or promoting these.
Technological assistance for the State agents in charge of finding, investigating and prosecuting the criminals
Forwarding of specialised information and complaints to the National Police

c. Protection of the victim

Free personalised psychological attention for victims and direct relatives
Free advice and legal defence for victims.
Legal advice for victims of child sexual commercial exploitation, child trafficking and child pornography.
Protecting child victims from criminalization

What other actions and services does RCPI - Perú provide?

Elaboration of studies, reports and research about child pornography, child commercial sexual exploitation and child trafficking in Peru and the region.
Development of issues such as: compared legislation, sexual aggressor profile, as well as the modalities, extent, consequences, effects and aftermath of this crime on the victims and the society.
Service of filters and computer blockers specialised in public internet cafes, schools, companies and State dependencies computers.
Centre of on-line public information specialised in child commercial sexual exploitation, child trafficking and child pornography.

Get involved

Join us in the fight to protect children from sexually exploitation.
Speak out. Ask Government to increase resources to prosecute citizens who sexually exploit children.
Raise awareness among the members of your communitie. Inform them of the problem and get them connected with agencies that help exploited children.
Make a contribution to Peruvian Net against Child Pornography.
Report Child Sexual Exploitation. Contact the RCPI - Perú if you have information regarding a person who has sexually exploited a child, or suspect someone of child sex tourism.

State Department's trafficking in persons Report 2007

2007-06-13T13:11:00.001-05:00

Burnma: Child Soldiers Ko Aung said: “I was recruited by force, against my will. One evening while we were watching a video show in my village, three army sergeants came. They checked whether we had identification cards and asked if we wanted to join the army. We explained that we were underage and hadn’t got identification cards. I said no and came back home that evening but an army recruitment unit arrived next morning at my village and demanded two new recruits. Those who could not pay 3000 kyats ($9) had to join the army, they said. My parents could not pay, and altogether 19 of us were recruited and sent to Mingladon [an army training centre].”

Purpose

The Department of State is required by law to submit a Report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report is the seventh annual TIP Report. It is intended to raise global awareness, to highlight efforts of the international community, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons.
The U.S. law that guides anti-human trafficking efforts, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (TVPA), states that the purpose of combating human trafficking is to punish traffickers, to protect victims, and to prevent trafficking from occurring. Freeing those trapped in slave-like conditions is the ultimate goal of this Report—and of the U.S. government’s anti-human trafficking policy.
Human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat. It deprives people of their human rights and freedoms, it increases global health risks, and it fuels the growth of organized crime.
Human trafficking has a devastating impact on individual victims, who often suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, document theft, and even death. But the impact of human trafficking goes beyond individual victims; it undermines the health, safety and security of all nations.
There is an ever-growing community of nations making significant efforts to eliminate this atrocious crime. A country that fails to make significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons, as outlined in the TVPA, receives a “Tier 3” assessment in this Report. Such an assessment could trigger the withholding by the United States of non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance. In assessing foreign governments’ efforts, the TIP Report highlights the “three P’s”—prosecution, protection, and prevention. But a victim-centered approach to trafficking requires us also to address the “three R’s”—rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration—and to encourage learning and sharing of best practices in these areas.
This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. The movement led by British parliamentarian William Wilberforce took decades to succeed. It required a nation to deepen and expand its definition of human dignity. It required a nation to declare that moral values outweigh commercial interests. Nothing less is required today of every nation taking up the contemporary challenge to eliminate human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery.

Cambodia: Child Sex Trafficking Sisters Naren and Sitthy, ages 10 and 12 years, lived in Phnom Penh. Their parents agreed to deliver the young girls to a German national’s rented apartment for sex in exchange for money. While at the apartment, the German man sexually abused the girls and documented the abuse on video. Tipped off by a neighbor, the girls were rescued by a non-governmental organization. They testified against the man and their parents.

India: Forced Labor When Aakesh was five years old, he was playing with friends in his village when some men drove into his village and asked the boys if they wanted to see a “video.” The boys piled into the back of the vehicle and were driven 200 miles away. They were locked in a room for days without food and were beaten. The traffickers had abducted these vulnerable children so they could be forced to weave carpets. The boys were held captive for nine years. Two of Aakesh’s friends didn’t survive—one was shot while trying to escape and the other died from an untreated illness. The boys were 14 years old when they were rescued, barely able to speak. They were malnourished and wounded, but finally free.

The Scope and Nature of Modern-Day Slavery

The common denominator of trafficking scenarios is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. A victim can be subjected to labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, or both. Labor exploitation includes slavery, forced labor, and debt bondage. Sexual exploitation typically includes abuse within the commercial sex industry. In other cases, victims are exploited in private homes by individuals who often demand sex as well as work. The use of force or coercion can be direct and violent or psychological.
A wide range of estimates exists on the scope and magnitude of modern-day slavery. The International Labor Organization (ILO )—the United Nations agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues—estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time; other estimates range from 4 million to 27 million.
Annually, according to U.S. Government-sponsored research completed in 2006, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, which does not include millions trafficked within their own countries. Approximately 80 percent of transnational victims are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors. The majority of transnational victims are females trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. These numbers do not include millions of female and male victims around the world who are trafficked within their own national borders—the majority for forced or bonded labor.
Human traffickers prey on the vulnerable. Their targets are often children and young women, and their ploys are creative and ruthless, designed to trick, coerce, and win the confidence of potential victims. Very often these ruses involve promises of a better life through marriage, employment, or educational opportunities.
The nationalities of trafficked people are as diverse as the world’s cultures. Some leave developing countries, seeking to improve their lives through low-skilled jobs in more prosperous countries. Others fall victim to forced or bonded labor in their own countries. Women eager for a better future are susceptible to promises of jobs abroad as babysitters, housekeepers, waitresses, or models—jobs that traffickers turn into the nightmare of prostitution without exit. Some families give children to adults, often relatives, who promise education and opportunity—but sell the children into exploitative situations instead.

Focus of the 2007 TIP Report

The TIP Report is the most comprehensive worldwide report on the efforts of governments to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report covers the period April 2006 through March 2007. It includes those countries that have been determined to be countries of origin, transit, or destination for a significant number of victims of severe forms of trafficking. The 2007 TIP Report represents an updated, global look at the nature and scope of modern-day slavery and the broad range of actions being taken by governments around the world to confront and eliminate it.
Because trafficking likely extends to every country in the world, the omission of a country from the Report may only indicate a lack of adequate information. The country narratives describe the scope and nature of the trafficking problem, the reasons for including the country, and the government’s efforts to combat trafficking. Each narrative also contains an assessment of the government’s compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking as laid out in the TVPA, and includes suggestions for additional actions to combat trafficking. The remainder of the country narrative describes each government’s efforts to enforce laws against trafficking, protect victims, and prevent trafficking. Each narrative explains the basis for rating a country as Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List, or Tier 3. If a country has been placed on Tier 2 Watch List, the narrative will contain a statement of explanation, using the criteria found in the TVPA.
The TVPA lists three factors to be considered in determining whether a country should be in Tier 2 (or Tier 2 Watch List) or in Tier 3: 1) The extent to which the country is a country of origin, transit or destination for severe forms of trafficking; 2) The extent to which the government of the country does not comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards including, in particular, the extent of the government’s trafficking-related corruption; and 3) The resources and capabilities of the government to address and eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons.
Some countries have held conferences and established task forces or national action plans to create goals for anti-trafficking efforts. However, conferences, plans, and task forces alone are not weighed heavily in assessing country efforts. Rather, the Report focuses on concrete actions governments have taken to fight trafficking, especially prosecutions, convictions, and prison sentences for traffickers, victim protection measures, and prevention efforts. The Report does not give great weight to laws in draft form or laws that have not yet been enacted. Finally, the Report does not focus on government efforts that contribute indirectly to reducing trafficking, such as education programs, support for economic development, or programs aimed at enhancing gender equality, although these are worthwhile endeavors.
Rwanda/United Kingdom: Sex Trafficking When she was 14, Adnita’s boss, a trader for whom she worked in the Kigali market, told her to go with two men. He said they would take her to live abroad where she would be safe and go to school. When she reached Great Britain, a man picked her up from the airport and took her to a house. Another man came to the house and raped her. For two years, the teenager was forced to live in a locked kitchen with access only to a toilet and basin. The men kept her as a sex slave until she escaped and flagged down a driver, who took her to the police.

Methodology

The Department of State prepared this Report using information from U.S. embassies, foreign government officials, NGOs and international organizations, published reports, research trips to every region, and information submitted to tipreport@state.gov. This email address was established for NGOs and individuals to share information on government progress in addressing trafficking. U.S. diplomatic posts reported on the trafficking situation and governmental action based on thorough research, including meetings with a wide variety of government officials, local and international NGO representatives, officials of international organizations, journalists, academics, and survivors.
To compile this year’s Report, the Department took a fresh look at information sources on every country to make its assessments. Assessing each government’s anti-trafficking efforts involves a two-step process:

Step One: Finding Significant Numbers of Victims

First, the Department determines whether a country is “a country of origin, transit, or destination for a significant number of victims of severe forms of trafficking,” generally on the order of 100 or more victims, the same threshold applied in previous reports. Some countries, for which such information was not available, are not given tier ratings, but are included in the Special Case section because they exhibited indications of trafficking.

Step Two: Tier Placement

The Department places each country included on the 2007 TIP Report into one of the three lists, described here as tiers, mandated by the TVPA. This placement is based more on the extent of government action to combat trafficking, rather than the size of the problem, important though that is. The Department first evaluates whether the government fully complies with the TVPA’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking (detailed on pp. 228-229). Governments that do fully comply are placed in Tier 1. For other governments, the Department considers whether they are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance. Governments that are making significant efforts to meet the minimum standards are placed in Tier 2. Governments that do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so are placed in Tier 3. Finally, the Special Watch List criteria are considered and, when applicable, Tier 2 countries are placed on the Tier 2 Watch List.

The Special Watch List—Tier 2 Watch List

The TVPA created a “Special Watch List” of countries on the TIP Report that should receive special scrutiny. The list is composed of: 1) Countries listed as Tier 1 in the current Report that were listed as Tier 2 in the 2006 Report; 2) Countries listed as Tier 2 in the current Report that were listed as Tier 3 in the 2006 Report; and, 3) Countries listed as Tier 2 in the current Report, where:

a) The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing;
b) There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year, including increased investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of trafficking crimes, increased assistance to victims, and decreasing evidence of complicity in severe forms of trafficking by government officials; or
c) The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year.

This third category (including a, b, and c) has been termed by the Department of State “Tier 2 Watch List.” There were 32 countries placed on Tier 2 Watch List in the June 2006 Report. Along with two countries that were reassessed as Tier 2 Watch List countries in September 2006 and five countries that met the first two categories above (moving up a tier from the 2005 to the 2006 TIP Report), these 39 countries were included in an “Interim Assessment” released by the Department of State on February 1, 2007.
Of the 34 countries on Tier 2 Watch List at the time of the Interim Assessment, 10 moved up to Tier 2 on this Report, while 7 fell to Tier 3 and 17 remain on Tier 2 Watch List. Countries placed on the Special Watch List in this Report will be reexamined in an interim assessment to be submitted to the U.S. Congress by February 1, 2008.

Potential Penalties for Tier 3 Countries

Governments of countries in Tier 3 may be subject to certain sanctions. The U.S. Government may withhold non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance. Countries that receive no such assistance would be subject to withholding of funding for participation by officials and employees of such governments in educational and cultural exchange programs. Consistent with the TVPA, governments subject to sanctions would also face U.S. opposition to assistance (except for humanitarian, trade-related, and certain development-related assistance) from international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Sanctions, if imposed, will take effect October 1, 2007.
All or part of the TVPA’s sanctions can be waived upon a determination by the President that the provision of such assistance to the government would promote the purposes of the statute or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States. The TVPA also provides that sanctions can be waived if necessary to avoid significant adverse effects on vulnerable populations, including women and children. Sanctions would not apply if the President finds that, after this Report is issued but before sanctions determinations are made, a government has come into compliance with the minimum standards or is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance.
Regardless of tier placement, every country can do more, including the United States. No country placement is permanent. All countries must maintain and increase efforts to combat trafficking.

How the Report Is Used?

This Report is a diplomatic tool for the U.S. government to use as an instrument for continued dialogue and encouragement and as a guide to help focus resources on prosecution, protection, and prevention programs and policies. The State Department will continue to engage governments about the content of the Report in order to strengthen cooperative efforts to eradicate trafficking. In the coming year, and particularly in the months before a determination is made regarding sanctions for Tier 3 countries, the Department will use the information gathered here to more effectively target assistance programs and to work with countries that need help in combating trafficking. The Department hopes the Report will be a catalyst for government and non-government efforts to combat trafficking in persons around the world.
North Korea/China: Forced Marriage Hanuel said: “I was sold to be the wife of a 47-year-old Chinese man who has no work skills and was very ill. My husband would hit me and say: ‘You, do you have any idea how much I paid for you?’ I am not the only North Korean woman in this area. As I was talking to some of the others, we came to realize that we have been sold into this kind of marriage.”
Nigeria/United States: 14-year-old Jenny left her native Nigeria for the United States to work in the home of a couple, also originally from an African country. She thought she would be paid to look after their children, but the reality was very different. For five years Jenny was repeatedly raped by her employer and his wife physically assaulted her, sometimes with a cane, and on one occasion with a high-heeled shoe. Tipped off by a local NGO, law enforcement officials rescued Jenny and prosecuted the perpetrators.

“Trafficking in Persons” Defined

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act defines “severe forms of trafficking in persons” as:

(a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person is induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or
(b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.

A victim need not be physically transported from one location to another in order for the crime to fall within these definitions.

Definition of Terms

Sex trafficking means the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.
Commercial sex act means any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person.
Coercion means (a) threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; (b) any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or, (c) the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.
Involuntary servitude includes a condition of servitude induced by means of (a) any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that, if that person did not enter into or continue in such condition, that person or another person would suffer serious harm or physical restraint; or (b) the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.

Child-protection experts from around the world gathering at Interpol

2007-06-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

The 25th gathering of Interpol’s network of child-protection experts from around the world opened with a call for greater co-operation to identify child abusers and rescue victims. ‘While our approach, combining technology and sound investigative support, has been successful so far, we all know that the challenges remain great and that a lot needs to be done,” said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble at the opening of the meeting of the Interpol Specialist Group on Crimes against Children, taking place from 5-7 June at the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France.
“It is simply not enough. We need to do more; we need to be more aggressive in how we work to try to solve these cases.”
During the three-day meeting, more than 100 specialists from law enforcement and academia in 41 member countries are discussing today’s most pressing child-protection issues, including Internet-facilitated sexual abuse images, commercial exploitation and trafficking, adult sex offenders and violent crimes. Participants also are being briefed on specific cases from experts from Interpol and member countries including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway and Ukraine.
As part of an ongoing Interpol initiative which to date has led to the identification and rescue of numerous victims of sexual abuse, a victim identification workshop, the sixth so far, was conducted prior to the meeting to enable investigators to exchange information on current investigations.
One of Interpol’s major successes in fighting crimes against children globally has been the creation of the Interpol Child Abuse Image Database, which holds more than 550,000 images and has contributed directly to the identification and rescue of more than 500 victims since its creation in 2001.
The G8 Justice and Interior Ministers have earmarked more than 1.4 million euros to support the development of an interactive version of the database, called the G8 International Child Sexual Exploitation image database, which investigators in member countries will be able to access directly through Interpol’s I-24/7 global police communications system. Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom will begin using the database this year.

The Peruvian Net Against Child Pornography (RCPI - Peru)

2007-06-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

What is the Peruvian Net Against Child Pornography?

.
The RCPI – Peru is a non-profit civil association registered under electronic entry Nº 11945162 at the Public Register of the National Superintendent Office of Lima and classified as a donation receptive entity by Ministerial Resolution Nº 286-2007-EF/15. It is aimed to eradicate the nets of child pornography producers, distributors and consumers, especially the ones performed on internet. Likewise it fights against the commercial sexual exploitation of children and trafficking of children and teenagers.
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What does the Net do?
.

The RCPI – Peru actions develop within three important axes:
.

1. Prevention: As we know, the best way to fight child pornography and child commercial sexual exploitation is to prevent more children to become victims.
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With that in mind we carry out:

Talks and workshops
Publicity and information campaigns
Training for volunteers
Training for State agents

2. Fight against child pornography on Internet: We must face these criminal groups with determination, considering the regular increase of paedophiles and pederasts nets on Internet.

With that in mind we carry out:

Promotion of spaces to report the crime via Internet
Computer nets
Service to receive anonymous complaints about pages containing child pornography
Tracing of pages containing child pornography or promoting these.
Technological assistance for the State agents in charge of finding, investigating and prosecuting the criminals
Forwarding of specialised information and complaints to the National Police

3. Protection of the victim: Leaving a child who has been victim of aggression or sexual exploitation behind is victimising him/her again. Only by protecting them we will prevent the aggression in the future.
.
With that in mind we carry out:

Free personalised psychological attention for victims and direct relatives
Free advice and legal defence for victims.

What other actions and services does it provide?

The RCPI – Peru also offers the following services:

Elaboration of studies, reports and research about child pornography, child commercial sexual exploitation and child trafficking in Peru and the region.
Development of issues such as: compared legislation, sexual aggressor profile, as well as the modalities, extent, consequences, effects and aftermath of this crime on the victims and the society.
Service of filters and computer blockers specialised in public internet cafes, schools, companies and State dependencies computers.
Centre of on-line public information specialised in child commercial sexual exploitation, child trafficking and child pornography.
Legal advice for victims of child sexual commercial exploitation, child trafficking and child pornography.

How can you help the Peruvian Net Against Child Pornography?

There are many ways to help the actions of the RCPI – Peru. All of them are as important and valid as the others. These are as follows:

a. If you are a Webmaster or administer a Blog or personal space: You can upload the banner or button of the campaign “Internet free of Child Pornography” on your site, which will generate a link between your site and the RCPI – Peru´s one.

b. If you are a Net, movement or association member: You can inform all the members of your organisation about the actions that the RCPI – Peru carries out and spread information provided on the institutional site, mainly about the best management of Internet and the care when using chats.

c. If you represent an institution with similar purposes: You can coordinate joined actions and subscribe institutional agreements that will support the achievement of our goals.

d. If you represent an institution with different purposes: You can support us by spreading the campaigns of the RCPI – Peru, both inside and outside your institution.

e. If you represent a private company: You can sponsor our actions, either generally or through your assistance in any concrete activity.

f. If you are an activist and wish to join the RCPI - Peru: You can join the Voluntaries Net Against Child Pornography, by writing to voluntarios.red@gmail.com

g. If you are a citizen socially committed: You can spread the campaigns promoted by us in your environment. Likewise, you can promote dialogues and talks about child pornography as a social problem. You can also report any illegal action you may know about a child being sexually exploited.

h. Another great way to help us is by keeping in touch and providing us with your feedback. Please let us have your comments at

How is the RCPI – Peru financed?

The RCPI – Peru and its projects are financed through donations and sponsorships from private companies and organisations.

How can I obtain more information about the RCPI – Peru?

You can always visit the organisation blog:

http://NoChildPornography.BlogSpot.Com

Help find Madeleine McCann. Bring her home.

2007-05-23T01:48:00.000-05:00

Madeleine McCann

Was born 4 years ago. She has one brother Sean and a sister Amelie. She lives with her family in Rothley, Leicestershire. Her father comes from Glasgow and has 3 sisters, Patricia, Jacqueline and Phil, and a brother John. Madeleine's Grandmother, Eileen lives in Glasgow. Her other grandparents, Sue and Brian live in Liverpool. Both sides of the family are very close and all are working in different ways to try and help in the search for Madeleine. Phil, who resides in Ullapool and is a teacher, has asked that the heartfelt thanks of the whole family be passed to everyone who has helped in the search so far. She said "There have been so many messages of support and prayers from people all over the world. We (the family) are overwhelmed with your assistance. The media people have been wonderful and so helpful in making everyone aware of our plight. Madeleine’s family are so grateful to you all. Please keep Madeleine in your thoughts and prayers. We pray that she will be returned to us safe and well."

Click here to Download the poster

Can You Help?

British police are calling on members of the public to help further in the search for Madeleine McCann. If you were at the Ocean Club Resort, Praia da Luz or in the surrounding areas in the two weeks leading up to Madeleine’s disappearance on Thursday 3 May then we would like to have copies of any photographs taken during your stay.

In particular we would like any pictures that have people in them who you don’t know as opposed to scenery shots or pictures of just your own family. If you have any such pictures then upload them here.

If you are unsure how to upload your pictures then click on this link where you will find a simple how to guide. You can also go into any high street photographic retailer and ask them to help in uploading your pictures onto this website.

CLICK HERE TO UPLOAD YOUR PICTURES NOW

All photographs will be treated in the strictest confidence and will be used for investigative purposes only.

British and Portuguese police are also asking anyone to contact them on the numbers below if they have seen anything suspicious related to the disappearance of Madeleine or if you believe you know where Madeleine is being concealed or hidden. Portuguese police have searched extensively around Praia da Luz and she has not been found. It is possible that she is being hidden or concealed in some way and if you know where then by now you may have realised that it is in everyone’s interest that she is returned to her family.

If you know something, call right now:

British police on:

0800 096 1233

Portuguese police on:

00351 282 405 400

The Official Website to find Madeleine McCann:

http://www.findmadeleine.com/

IWF reports increased severity of online child abuse content

2007-04-21T16:49:00.000-05:00

New figures from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) 2006 Annual Report, launched today, show the severity of online child abuse content is increasing, with a four-fold rise in images depicting the most severe abuse, such as penetrative and sadistic sexual activity. This trend reflects an apparent growing demand for purchasing more severe images with nearly 60 per cent of commercial child abuse websites selling child rape images. 29 per cent of all potentially illegal child abuse URLs known to the IWF contain level four and five images.

The IWF also reveals that 80 per cent of the children in abusive images are female and 91 per cent appear to be under 12 years old.

The challenge to have commercial websites removed from the web is a still a serious one, with some of the most prolific sites avoiding closure by ‘hopping’ servers across different legal jurisdictions. One site, for example, has been reported 224 times to the IWF since 2002. This underlines the need for unified international efforts to combat child abuse content. 90 per cent of commercial child abuse sites appear to be hosted in the US and Russia*.

The IWF also states that it has managed a 34 per cent increase in reports processed by its ‘Hotline’. The reports led to the confirmation of 10,656 URLs, on 3,077 websites, containing potentially illegal child abuse content. 82.5 per cent of all the websites were apparently linked to the US or Russia, up from 67.9 per cent in 2005.

Peter Robbins QPM, IWF CEO, said: “Sadly, we have to report new trends regarding the young age of the child victims in the images we assess and the dreadful severity of abuse they are suffering and these facts, coupled with the longevity of some commercial websites, mean the victims’ abuse can be perpetuated for many years as the images are repeatedly viewed. The increase in reports processed by our ‘Hotline’ team is due in part to the increased awareness of our organisation but also to the identification of a growing trend in the use of remote image storage facilities. The UK has virtually eradicated the hosting of potentially illegal online child abuse content within its virtual borders.”

Some commercial child abuse websites store their images remotely and occasionally in fragments, often hosted on different servers around the world. By distancing the parent site from the actual images and breaking up the image itself, those operating commercial child abuse websites are clearly trying to protect their content from removal and complicate the detection process.

The Annual Report also reveals for the first time a significant increase in the abuse of photo sharing websites by offenders. In 2004, no images posted on photo album sites were added to the IWF’s database, however, they now account for 10.5 per cent of those URLs confirmed to have child abuse content.

2006 was the IWF’s ten year anniversary and they marked the success of their self-regulatory approach, in partnership with the UK online industry, with an awareness campaign and conferences around the country.

(*) The IWF can only trace websites to the last known authenticated hosting company or service provider and then provides this information to the relevant agencies in that country.

Key Figures 2006

31,776 reports processed by IWF ‘Hotline’ (34% increase on 2005)
Less than 1% of all child abuse content hosted in the UK since 2003

Victim details

80% victims in all the URLs (individual images) confirmed to be abusive are female
91% of victims in URLs confirmed to be abusive appear to be under 12 years old

Severity

Child abuse images (commercial and non-commercial) of levels 4 and 5 (the most severe) increased from 7% in 2003 to 29% in 2006, of all confirmed abusive URLs
57% of commercial child abuse domains known to IWF contain image level 4 and 5 in 2006

Longevity

94 commercial websites reported by IWF to relevant authorities in 2006 have been actively selling child abuse images since 2005, 33 live since 2004, 32 live since before 2004

Images

10,656 individual URLs containing child abuse content (74% increase on 2005)
3,077 domains account for all these URLs
1,667 of these domains were commercial websites
10.5% of all URLs with child abuse content in 2006 were on photo album websites

Regions – commercial child abuse domains:

62% of commercial child abuse domains hosted in US
28% commercial child abuse domains hosted in Russia

Police intelligence

In 2006 IWF provided 11 evidential statements supporting UK police enquiries
Gave evidence given at 5 UK trials
42 reports from IWF still under investigation

Source: Internet Watch Foundation News

Reveal - an anti-child porn software

2007-03-26T16:42:00.000-05:00

The concept behind this software is to help bridging the technology gapbetween the knowledgeable child who is on the Internet, yet lacking thelife skills needed to know what is and is not dangerous and Parents whomay be a bit behind in understanding this technology and what their childmay be getting into.

Reveal, although not intended as a police forensic tool, it is thought tobe of some utility in providing a quick means for evaluating large amountsof computer data/files. In the advanced section of the Reveal the abilityto create a customized dictionary will be helpful, in some types of datareviews.

Reveal works by searching all files found and comparing each word insidea file against special dictionaries of words commonly used by pedophiles,child pornographers, cultists, occultists, drug pushers and purveyors ofhate and violence, It also searches for images, video, and audio files andprovides a quick and easy means for you to review these files for contentwhich may be objectionable.

The attached program is a self-extracting and self-installing program whichcreates a directory (default) on your "C" drive in "C:\Programs\Reveal". Italso creates a couple of sub directories under this directory as well asputting an icon on the Desktop. It also comes with a un-install programand is thought to be free of any code, which will affect the way you haveyour computer setup.

For more information about Reveal, please email: Reveal@antichildporn.org

There are 2 versions of Reveal available for download, English and French.
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English version

French version

Remember: Reveal is DonationWare and Beta

Blog Beware

2006-11-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

Recent incidents involving internet crimes against children have been prominent in the media. In some incidents, the crimes have involved suspects and victims who met each other on social networking or blogging sites such as MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, and Facebook.

Blogs and social networking sites where people can meet, communicate, and interact have recently exploded in popularity. The number of visitors to MySpace went from 4.9 million in 20051 to currently over 67 million.2 Like most new technological developments, this brings both positive and negative implications, especially for parents and their children.

The majority of the activity on these sites is legal and can be positive. Young people who are curious connect with friends and seek like-minded individuals. However, many children and teens are not aware they are putting themselves in danger by giving out too much personal information and communicating with people they've only met online.

The unprecedented amount of personal information available on blogs and social networking sites makes them a perfect place for people who would harm children to identify their victims and gain their trust. This trust can be used to lure children and teens into a false sense of security, making them vulnerable to "grooming" and enticement to meet in person, which could have very serious consequences.

Other dangers to children include exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, or identity theft.

Children and teens are often not aware that their words "which may have been intended for a small audience" sometimes find their way to a larger one, especially if they are controversial.

Some students who have posted threatening words against their school or classmates have attracted the attention of law enforcement, while those who have posted inappropriate comments about school personnel have also been disciplined. Some universities and employers have even used online postings when considering potential candidates.

Even before the rise of blogs and social networking sites, children faced many dangers while online. Our 2000 study reported that one in five children had received a sexual solicitation online and one in 33 received an aggressive solicitation. This problem is compounded because most children did not inform their parents of the incidents. Less than 1 in 4 told a parent about the sexual solicitation they received.

To help stop this dangerous trend, NetSmartz is releasing "Blog Beware" to raise the awareness about the risks associated with these sites and give parents, children, and teachers the tools they need to keep children and teens safer online. This resource contains safety tips for parents and children and includes a quiz that they can take together. It is also supported by the extensive material available on NetSmartz.org for kids, teens, parents, educators, and law enforcement. The NetSmartz© Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children© (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the internet.

NetSmartz has developed a comprehensive educational internet safety program that has been proven successful in more than 3,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country reaching over 3.3 million young people. NetSmartz officially partners with 15 states to implement its important internet safety message in the community and help prevent the online victimization of children.

1. Janet Kornblum. "Teens hang out at MySpace." USA Today. January 8, 2006, http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-01-08-myspace-teens_x.htm?csp=34.

2. April 3, 2006, http://www.myspace.com.

If your Child is missing

2006-11-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Act immediately if you believe that your child is missing.

If your child is missing from home, search the house checking closets, piles of laundry, in and under beds, inside old refrigerators—wherever a child may crawl or hide.

If you still cannot find your child, immediately call your local law-enforcement agency.

If your child disappears in a store, notify the store manager immediately or security office. Then call your local law-enforcement agency. Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action—if a child is missing in the store, employees immediately mobilize to look for the missing child.

When you call law enforcement, provide your child's name, date of birth, height, weight, and any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces. Tell them when you noticed that your child was missing and what clothing he or she was wearing.

Internet free of Child Pornography

2006-10-11T22:51:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

We would like to request your support for the "Internet free of Child Pornography" campaign that we have been carrying out as the Peruvian Net Against Child Pornography. Its aim is to fight this problem, sensitise the user (children, teenagers and adults), prevent the crime and fight against the paedophiles and pederast nets.

You have maybe heard about us or about the campaign before, however, we all must bear in mind that a problem like child pornography, which has reached an unimaginable dimension worldwide, must be fought daily in every place and by everyone. There are approximately 500 new websites everyday that promote, publish, commercialise and exchange child pornographic material. Currently there are in average more than 5 million websites that commercialise, promote or exchange child pornography. 40% of these sites are free of charge and of easy access. In these websites boys, girls and teenagers are used, robbed all illusion and hope and raped. To be indifferent to that makes you part of the problem.

That is why we bother you again to seek for your support to this campaign. Please consider that the Peruvian Net Against Child Pornography is promoting this fight with no material or financial resources, except for our own outrage for such brutality, as well as for the wish to make the Internet a safer space for everyone, especially for our children.

Dear friends, we are just asking you to promote this campaign from your spaces and possibilities, to make it yours, to spread the word, to discuss it with friends, colleagues, family and accessible fora, etc. And if you are a webmaster, you can paste the banner’s campaign on your website. That is of vital importance, as the campaign is based on a conscious and involved society, where debate and information are key elements.

Do not turn your back to children who are victims of the most inhuman sexual violence. Remember that the child who suffers and needs our assistance today could be, let´s hope not, a beloved relative or friend of ours tomorrow.

Nothing that we do will erase the hurts that the paedophile and pederast rapists have caused in their victims; however, we are sure that it will stop many boys and girls who smile today to lose that smile.

Dear friends, We would like to thank you in advance on behalf of the Peruvian Net Against Child Pornography and the victims of such a horrible crime for any help, even the minimal support you can offer, and we commit ourselves to continue working, regardless of the political, social, educational or economic position we have, together to successfully face this enemy, so coward as malicious.

Yours Sincerely,

PERUVIAN NET AGAINST CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

red@democracia.org.pe

Phone: ++ 511 - 4459084 / Cell phone: ++ 511 - 97200215 / Nextel: 811*6724

Stop child abuse

2006-10-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

TOOLS GUIDELINES FOR INTERNET SAFETY

2006-09-24T00:58:00.000-05:00

A) Install monitoring or keystroke capture devices software to help manage where children go online. Monitoring software gives parents and guardians the ability to view activity on the Internet and identify their child's online buddies. These programs give parents and guardians a better understanding of what their child is doing online, where they are going, and empowers parents and guardians to set online boundaries for their children.
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Over half (51%) of parents either do not have or do not know if they have software on their computer(s) that monitors where their teenager(s) go online and with whom they interact (Ketchum Global Research Network. Parents' Internet Monitoring Study. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2005).
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B) Exercise Parental Control: Implement Filtering tools. Parental control tools are provided by some Internet Service Providers (ISP) or are available for purchase and download as separate software packages. These tools allow parents and guardians to restrict websites a child can view from their home computer. Settings are password-protected. Remember that no filter is a substitute for parental supervision.
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More than 11 million teens regularly view porn online ("Protecting Kids Online." Editorial. The Washington Post. 1 July 2004, A22).
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C) Restrict Access: Use privacy settings to restrict access to the child's website. Social networking sites provide a variety of privacy settings that limit who can view the child's website. By using these privacy tools, parents and guardians may be able to approve which friends from school, clubs, teams, and community groups are able to view a child's profile or blog, and block unknown individuals from accessing a child's information. On most social networking websites, you can access and change your child's privacy settings by clicking on "account settings." Remember that no one can detect a disguised predator. Predators can still penetrate 'youth only' spaces.
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Authorities say teens are finding trouble in the social networking environment where millions of people, can in seconds, find out where they go to school, learn their interests, download their pictures and instantly send them messages ("Teens Putting Themselves at Risk Online." Associated Press. USA Today 5 February 2006).
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D) Check the history to see what sites your kids are visiting. Also, check your kids' computers for LimeWire, Kazaa, or other peer-to-peer file sharing systems. Delete them immediately.

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E) Get Educated About Technology: Secure the family computer by regularly updating the operating system and installing a firewall, and up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software. The instant a computer is connected to the Internet or an "always on" broadband connection, hackers and thieves can attempt to gain access to the family's financial and personal information. By securing your computer, you can help protect against these Internet intruders and the malicious programs they can download onto your computer.

Source: Enough is Enough

RULES GUIDELINES FOR INTERNET SAFETY

2006-09-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

2) Teach them to avoid all personal identifiers and avoid postings about parties, events, or activities where a stranger could find them. Screen names should be gender neutral.

3) Pay Attention to Online Photos: Know the type of photos your child is posting online. It is wisest to encourage your child not to post any photos online. Children use various forms of technology to post information and photos online, such as videos and web cams. Photos from camera phones can also be uploaded. Parents and guardians should be aware of the imagery their children post on the Web--these images may pose a risk to their children, exposing them to online predators and people they don't know. Even innocent photos can attract a predator. Check with your child's school to see if students' projects, artwork, or photos are being put on school websites. Schools need to be reminded of the risk and encouraged to allow access to student activities posted on the school's website by password only or posted on the school's Intranet. Webcams should only be used under close parental supervision and sent only to trusted friends and family.

Even innocent pictures of school activity on a school Web site have attracted the attention of one predator who became obsessed and kidnapped a child from his school (Burkey, Martin. "Martin Says Child Exploitation is 'Epidemic'." The Decatur Daily News 23 May 2006).

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30% of parents allow their teenagers to use the computer in private areas of the house such as a bedroom or a home office. Parents say they are more vigilant about where their teen(s) go online if the computer is in a public area of the household (Ketchum Global Research Network. Parents' Internet Monitoring Study. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2005).
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5) Keep the Lines of Communication Open: Spend time on the Internet alongside your child and establish an atmosphere of trust. This provides an opportunity for parents and guardians to engage in dialogue about websites their children visit and programs they are using. Parents and guardians should be open to learning about technology so they can keep up with their children. Understanding how children use the Internet will give parents and guardians a better idea of the risks they may face, and how they can better safeguard their children.

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65% of all parents and 64% of all teens say that teens do things online that they wouldn't want their parents to know about (Family, Friends & Community: Protecting Teens Online, Amanda Lenhart. March 17, 2005. Pew Internet & American Life Project. December 12, 2005).
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6) Know your kids' online activities and friends. Know each of your child's passwords, screen names, and all account information. Regularly ask your kids about who they are communicating with online and their activities. Be Proactive. Role-play with your child the various dangerous scenarios they could encounter online, and remind them that the people they meet online are not their "friends." Children should be cautioned to only communicate online with people they know by sight and who have been approved by you.

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Almost one in eight youth ages 8-18 discovered that someone they were communicating with online was an adult pretending to be much younger (Internet safety: Realistic Strategies & Messages for Kids Taking More and More Risks Online. December 21, 2005. Polly Klaas Foundation. February 17, 2006)

7) Instruct your child never to plan a face-to-face meeting. Children should also be advised to come to you if anyone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused or suggests meeting them.

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One-third of youth ages 8-18 have talked about meeting someone they have only met through the Internet (Omnibuzz.Research. Nationwide Poll of Teens and Tweens. Polly Klaas Foundation, December 21, 2005).
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8) Talk to your children about chat rooms. Recognize that chat rooms are the playground of today's sexual predator. EIE strongly urges parents to disallow chat rooms because it's impossible for a parent, child, or technology tool to recognize a disguised predator.

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30% of teenage girls polled by the Girl Scout Research Institute said they had been sexually harassed in a chat room. Only 7% told their parent because they were worried that their parents would ban them from going online (Girl Scout Research Institute. The Net Effect: Girls and New Media. 2002).

9) Limit your child's Instant Messaging to a parental or guardian-approved buddy list. Regularly check your child's buddy list to ensure that it has not been altered.
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42% of parents do not review the content of what their teenager(s) read and/or type in chat rooms or via instant messaging (Ketchum Global Research Network. Parents' Internet Monitoring Study. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2005).
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10) Limit and monitor the amount of time your child spends on the Internet, and at what times of day. Excessive time online, especially at night, may indicate a problem. Remind your child that Internet use is a privilege, not a right.

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23% of youth reported being "very" or "extremely upset" by exposures to sexual material (The Victimization of Children: Emerging Issues. Ed. J.L. Mullings, J.W. Marquart, and D.J. Hartley. New York: Haworth Maltreatment &Trauma Press, 2003).
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11) Establish online rules (see Youth Internet Safety Contract) and an agreement with your child about Internet use at home and outside of the home (i.e., at a friend's house, at school, at the library, etc.).

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77% of parents do not have rules about what their kids can do on the computer, such as restricting the amount of time their kids spend on the computer (Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Kaiser Family Foundation Study, March 2005).

12) Virtual Parenting: Set-up the family's Internet service accounts. Parents should take an active role in setting up Internet service accounts, including any online community services children may join. Parents should regularly monitor accounts to supervise online friends, chat areas and blogs. It is safest to block all chat rooms and limit instant messaging to a parent-approved buddy list.

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One third of Internet users ages 10-17 were exposed to unwanted sexual material (University of New Hampshire. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. August, 2006).
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13) Think Like the Child: Search blog sites children visit to see what information they are posting. To ensure that children are not engaging in risky online behavior, we recommend that parents and guardians do a simple online search. Parents and guardians can type in their child's name, nickname, school, hobbies, grade, or residence to determine information availability. Supervise blogs and be aware of not only what your child is posting, but what other kids are posting about your child.

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86% of the girls polled said they could chat online without their parents' knowledge, 57% could read their parents' e-mail, and 54% could conduct a cyber relationship (Girl Scout Research Institute. The Net Effect: Girls and New Media. 2002).

14) Report any content or activity that you suspect as illegal or criminal to local law enforcement and to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or at 1-800-843-5678.

Source: Enough is Enough