Pedophilia     

 Introduction:

An adult who is sexually attracted to a child or children is called a pedophile according to the American Heritage Dictionary.  As educators, we try to protect our students the best way we know how to with knowledge.  In the ever growing world of cyberspace and the Internet, more people are logging on trying to meet new people. Nearly 24 million youth ages 10 through 17 were online regularly in 1999.   With this surge of wired youth, this provides a perfect opportunity for a pedophile to strike.  A child spends countless hours on the computer, whether it is at home or at school. 

 

Major Issues:

Chat rooms are a growing in popularity on the Internet.  Children sign on looking to meet new friends or to communicate with old friends.  These chat rooms can pose a huge threat to children if they are not careful, as some pedophiles use chat rooms to victimize children.  According to the FBI, pedophiles go into chat rooms looking to uncover personal information about children.  Often times, pedophiles set up a false profile to appear more attractive to children.  This fabricated information can be about their age, sex, location, appearance, personal interests, and any other information which can lure a child into trusting them.  Pedophiles hide behind the anonymity of the Internet.  After gaining the trust of a child, pedophiles then try top initiate physical contact with the child.  Pedophiles have been known to setup a rendezvous point to meet their prey.  In fact, according to a 2000 FBI survey, “the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, newspapers, and other law-enforcement sources identified almost 800 cases, confirmed or under investigation, involving adults traveling to or luring youth they first ‘met’ on the Internet for criminal sexual activities” (Ruben Rodriguez, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, personal communication, April 3, 2000).  Tragically, the unsuspected child then meets this predator under the false assumption that he or she is close in age with the child.  While this might seem like an unlikely scenario, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children conducted a 1999 survey of 1,500 teens and preteens and found that one in five had received a sexual solicitation over the Internet.  Here are some statistics from A Report on the Nation’s Youth  completed by CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RESEARCH CENTER in 2000:

 

  • Approximately one in five received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year.
  • One in thirty-three received an aggressive sexual solicitation ¾ a solicitor who asked to meet them somewhere called them on the telephone or sent them regular mail, money, or gifts.
  • One in four had an unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex in the last year.
  • One in seventeen was threatened or harassed.
  • Approximately one quarter of young people who reported these incidents were distressed by them.
  • Less than 10% of sexual solicitations and only 3% of unwanted exposure episodes were reported to authorities such as a law-enforcement agency, an Internet service provider, or a hotline.
  • About one quarter of the youth who encountered a sexual solicitation or approach told a parent.
  • Almost 40% of those reporting an unwanted exposure to sexual material told a parent.
  • Only 17% of youth and approximately 10% of parents could name a specific authority (such as the FBI, CyberTipline, or an Internet service provider) to which they could make a report
  • In households with home Internet access, one third of parents said they had filtering or blocking software on their computer at the time they were interviewed.

 

Males comprise the biggest group of people who are identified as pedophiles.  However, females can also be predators.  Surprisingly to some, the largest age demographic of pedophiliacs are comprised of teenagers themselves.   This problem often starts in adolescence and increases into adulthood.  Think about Jeffrey Dahmer, John Gacy, both started as pedophiles before turning into serial killers.

Often viewed as a sickness with a very limited curability rate, pedophilia is happening in epidemic proportions and the increase of Internet capabilities seems to correlate with this increase.  While this is true, there are some salient positive and negative points with the increase of the discussion of this controversial topic via the Internet.  For instance:

-Endangers children
-Leads to social isolation
-Sexual dysfunction later in life
-Imprisonment
-Sex Offender List for life
-Move out of neighborhood
-Ankle bracelets
-GPS identifiers
-Watch lists

Tracking of Pedophiles:

Once a person has been convicted of a sexual crime they are branded as a sex offender for life.  First they are placed on the National Sex Offender List for life.  How can a person get a job with that type of stigma on them?  For the most part, any person convicted of a sex crime will not be able to work with or around children, government work, or even the simplest job.  After being placed on the Sex Offender List they need to relocate in order to stay away from children.  Often times this can have a sex offender move to a different state far away from children.  Watch lists are also placed inside neighborhoods in order to protect children.  Means of tracking pedophiliacs, including ankle bracelets and GPS positioning devices, also begin to infringe on a person's rights.  Thus, careful handling of this controversial issue and "control" need to be considered.

Ways to Deal With Pedophilia:

Vigilance is vital when it comes to children and pedophiles.  By increasing incidence reports to local law enforcement officials, the media, Internet providers, or teachers, we might be able to detour pedophilia.  Parents need to talk to their children regarding safety on the Internet.  Filters can help as they can be used to should monitor any suspicious activity.  Furthermore, educators can spend class time discussing strategies on how to stay safe while searching the web.  In addition, it is essential that parents and educators know what sites their children/students are visiting. 


Annotated Websites:

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US
This site provides excellent information on how to handle sexual solicitation, child safety, and a cyberTipline.  The site is updated daily with missing children and excellent resources.

 

2CoolBaby

http://www.2coolbaby.com/children.htm
This is an interesting site for parents and kids to peruse for information regarding pedophilia, hotlines, sex offender registries, and much more.

 

KidsCom JR

http://www.kidscomjr.com/games/safety/safety.html
This is a great site for children and students regarding internet safety.  There are interactive games, places for parents to go, and much more.  This site is very easy to use and is designed for young children.

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