Sexual Exploitation of Infants and ToddlersDecember 15, 2008 |
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 Fueled by the Internet, the proliferation of infant and toddler pornography has increased dramatically in recent years. The FBI reports that 19 percent of those arrested for possessing child pornography had images of children less than 5. The impact of such a crime against a very young child is severe, and can cause physical, emotional and psychological harm. Most disturbingly, many children never fully recover from this type of abuse. The knowledge that images of them engaging in sexual acts exists haunts many of these children for the rest of their lives. It is estimated that at least 650,000 children under the age of 18 have been sexually exploited in the United States — a statistic that includes pornography and prostitution. This equates to roughly 10 football stadiums full of abused and exploited children. "The sexual appetite of our country seems to be completely out of control, which many believe is fueled by the prevalence of pornography on the Internet," said Adam Freer, former director of a federally-funded national training and community mobilization program for the Salvation Army. "We must wake up to the powerful influence this is having on our society and especially on our children. They are being sexualized from the moment they are born." Freer has authored a training curriculum on the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The curriculum will be published and distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice and used to train law enforcement, prosecutors, service providers and the general public. Freer is now on staff at First 5 LA as a Program Officer in the Planning and Development department. What else is being done about such insidious crimes? In addition to the Salvation Army's efforts, the U.S. Department of Justice is sponsoring 59 local law enforcement task forces throughout the nation. The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces help federal, state and local law enforcement investigate offenders who use the Internet, online communication systems or other computer technology to sexually exploit children. To learn more about ICAC Task Force for Los Angeles contact Lt. Andrea Grossman of the Los Angeles Police Department (213) 485-4831. |
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