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	Mcentee: Jeffs Is in Prison, but Child Sexual Abuse Still a Horrific Problem By Peg McEntee Salt Lake Tribune August 11, 2011 http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52364623-78/child-sexual-abuse-jeffs.html.csp For all the press Warren Jeffs has received over the past few weeks, child sexual abuse crimes like his are all too common in Utah and around the world. Child sexual abuse and child pornography — which describes the tapes Jeffs made when he assaulted little girls — is ubiquitous and unstoppable. A look in The Tribune’s archives over the past few months tells just a bit about it: • Two Utah men were arrested in a federal offensive to rout out those who join international networks of child sexual abusers and pornographers. • A Davis County fire captain was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a 6-year-old. Two Salt Lake City men face sexual abuse charges involving a 9-year-old. • A former South Ogden cop pleads guilty to first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a boy younger than 16 — for two years. A 40-year-old man gets 15 years to life in prison for abusing two girls, one of them 8 and the other 11. Then there’s the Salem man accused of multiple counts of sexually abusing his daughter from ages 6 to 16. On Tuesday, I heard just a few moments of the audiotapes Jeffs made when he took his pleasure from three girls. It was repulsive, and I had to walk away. But it’s small change compared to what child pornographers do, filming themselves abusing children that can be as young as infants, taking grotesque pleasure in their victims’ pain. Like Jeffs, the men (and some women) who do such things often groom their victims. As "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jeffs used his ungodly power to subdue and persuade his people that their salvation lies in complete submission, even to the point of participating in "wedding" ceremonies involving their own children. It’s a common tactic for pedophiles, the gentle — at first — and progressive grooming of a child, or the use of drugs or alcohol to subdue them. They also are adept at violent domination. So one man will spend the rest of his life in a Texas prison, although we can’t know whether his roughly 10,000 followers will understand that children never should be used as tribute to a tyrant. But in Utah and elsewhere, all too many abusers never are caught, or get relatively light sentences for their crimes. Given the proliferation of child pornography and sexual abuse, there seems to be no way to find and punish all offenders. The only thing most of us can do is understand where children are going on the Internet and their cellphones and make ground rules for using them. If your child tells you they’ve been abused, listen to them calmly and take measures to help that child get medical and psychological help, and justice. Watch for predators. They live among us. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Guide and trust your children, and if you or they sense danger, get them away safely. One more thing: Texas justice has put away a serial child rapist for life. Utah law enforcement executives and juries and judges should do anything in their power to stop predators. The financial cost would be high, but stemming the sexual abuse of children is worth every dime. Peg McEntee is a news columnist. Reach her at pegmcentee@sltrib.com and facebook/pegmcentee.
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