BishopAccountability.org
	Big Rise in Child Porn By Gregg M. Miliote The Herald News [Massachusetts] February 20, 2006 http://www.heraldnews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16159300&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6 Recent Local Criminal Cases Involving Men Accused of Perusing, Producing or Exhibiting Child Pornography Via the Internet Should Not Come As a Surprise to Area Residents Child pornography on the Internet has become a cottage industry throughout the country and is growing at exponential rates, officials with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said. The statistics to prove Internet predators exist just about everywhere are staggering. According to NCMEC, the number of child pornography images on the Internet has increased by a whopping 1,500 percent during the past eight years. In fact, NCMEC's Child Victim Identification Program reports seizing 40,000 to 70,000 child pornography images every week. "The ease and anonymity of using home computers has revolutionized accessibility as well as the production and distribution of child pornography, especially across international borders," said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen. "The fact that child pornography can be purchased using a credit card, or traded at no cost on the Internet, is causing an exploding global problem and an immeasurable impact on the sexual exploitation of children." While child pornography and sexual abuse of children occurs worldwide, NCMEC research shows white American men are involved in the seedy business more than any other segment of the global population. The United Kingdom's National Intelligence Service recently reported that half of the estimated 100,000 child pornography Web sites are hosted in the United States. "This is the seventh year that our statistics show a significant and steady increase in child pornography reports. ... This upward trend is very disturbing and shows the seriousness of the issue," Allen said. Locally, two child pornography cases involving the Internet have grabbed headlines during the past year. The Rev. Stephen A. Fernandes, a Diocese of Fall River priest, is currently serving time at a county jail for storing thousands of child pornography images on his computer and coercing a boy into performing a filmed sex act. A second man, Mark Hamelin, was also recently nabbed by federal agents in Fall River on accusations he preyed upon a person he thought was a young girl via the Internet and tried to blackmail her into sending him sexually explicit photographs. The Hamelin case also showed how coordination between various law enforcement agencies can lead to valuable Internet child pornography arrests. To help foster information sharing between local, state and federal authorities, NCMEC established its Cyber Tip-line seven years ago. The NCMEC's Exploited Child Unit processes Cyber Tip-line reports, and after extensive analysis, the cases are referred to other law enforcement agencies. The specialized unit, which received more than 112,000 child sexual victimization reports in 2004, works collaboratively with the FBI, ICE the U.S. Postal Service and 45 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention-funded Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces across the country. Aside from federal law enforcement officials, NCMEC works locally with an Internet Crimes Against Children task force at the Massachusetts State Police. Although Internet child pornography and the victimization of children through the use of computers is rising at dramatic rates, NCMEC's Tip-line has resulted in a number of arrests across the nation. Who's at fault Pinning down who the perpetrators of Internet child pornography are is a difficult task. But one thing has become clear: The possessors and distributors of child pornography on the Internet are almost always white men. Aside from that distinction, though, the cross-section of white men caught up in Internet pedophilia is wide-ranging. NCMEC says the diversity of child porn possessors is exemplified by many factors including wide age ranges; incomes ranging from poverty to wealth; levels of education running the gamut from some high school dropouts to college-educated men; and those who reside in cities, suburbs, small towns and rural areas. A study of Internet child pornography possessors arrested in 2001 showed 91 percent were white men, 86 percent were older than 25, 83 percent had images of pre-pubescent children and, most frighteningly, about 40 percent were so-called "dual offenders," who also sexually victimized children in person. "Traditionally, we have viewed pedophiles as the users and distributors of child pornography," Allen said. "However, we are shocked to learn that the consumer market for child pornography is growing and becoming much broader. Younger and younger children are being victimized, and the content is becoming more graphic and more violent." Disastrous effects Anyone in contact with the criminal justice system can attest to the lasting effects of sexual abuse or exploitation of children. NCMEC officials say, aside from the obvious physical injuries a child can receive due to sexual abuse, the emotional and psychological trauma of these incidents is disastrous. Many child victims, officials said, experience depression, withdrawal, anger and other disorders that often continue into adulthood. Child victims also frequently experience feelings of guilt and responsibility for the abuse, a sense of powerlessness and feelings of worthlessness. What to know NCMEC officials say parents must speak openly with their children about the potential dangers of the Internet before it's too late. "Of the estimated 24 million child Internet users, one in five has received unwanted sexual solicitations," Allen said. "We remind parents that they need to become more involved in their children's online lives to help prevent online sexual solicitations from occurring in the first place." Allen and other experts said online predators have no trouble finding potential victims by frequenting "kids only" chat rooms or other sites like MySpace.com, where children often unwittingly divulge personal information about themselves. After the initial online meeting, predators begin to use "grooming" techniques to lower the child's guard and gradually begin introducing sex into their online chats. This, according to NCMEC, lowers the child's inhibitions and makes it easier for the molester to take advantage of the child. A plethora of information on how to talk with your child, how to spot the signs of sexual abuse and how to monitor a child's online activity is available at www.NCMEC.org or by calling 800-the-lost. More information is also available locally through the Massachusetts State Police and the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. E-mail Gregg M. Miliote at gmiliote@heraldnews.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.