Pedophilia on the Internet

Addendum Written by Linda Griffin, West Middle School, Rockford, Illinois
Original by JoLynn Plato, Blessed Sacrament School, Springfield, Illinois

The Merriam-Webster dictionary's definition of pedophilia is: "A sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object." Now the thought of this is twisted  to most adults and especially to those of us who work with children as educators.  We know that a child who is a victim of a pedophile can suffer devastating damage to their well-being, both physically and emotionally. 

The Internet has provided us with a window to the world.  It has provided pedophiles a new and anonymous form of access to children and each other.  The Web can bring the predator into the child’s home, school, and life.  It is more important now than ever that children and their families are aware of these dangers to be found on the Internet.         

Following are some of the results found in a survey of 5,001 youths which was co-authored by David Finkelhor, the director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, which teamed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on the study.

Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation's Youth released in 2001 found that:

• One in five teens who regularly hang out on the Net have run into a stranger who suggested cybersex.  In 75% of the occurrences, the teen brushed the offender off.
• One in thirty-three received aggressive online solicitation, where they were asked to meet, was called on the phone, or received mail or gifts.
• One in four children last year were subject to undesired exposure of photos of people having sex or of naked people.  This was true even in the 33% of the households that used Internet blocking software.
• One in 17 of the children last year received threats, including those where they were threatened with harm to friends or family.
• 66% of those reporting a sexual advance were female.
• 70% of incidents happened while the youngster was on a home computer.
• 65% occurred while in a chat room; 24% came by instant message.
• 29% of kids told a friend or sibling; 24% told a parent.
• 25% reported at least one unwanted exposure to sexual pictures.

The report warns that simple cautions such as "Don't talk to strangers" are unrealistic. Such cautions also are likely to go unheeded, especially by older teens, which are targeted most often by online sexual solicitors: 77% of kids propositioned were 14 or older. ( Tech Report http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cti055.htm  and Protecting Children Online http://itmatters.com.ph/column/yam_07192001.html )

The above statistics stand on their own to represent the enormity of the problem before us. As more and more homes are connected to the Internet, more children are subject to these kinds of dangers.

The issue, then, become how do we protect children from these unsafe situations?  Again, education is a big part of the answer.  We simply must educate our students, and when possible, their families, about the unpleasant dangers that can occur when they are on the Internet.  This is so they will recognize the danger and know how to handle it.  Of course, educators and parents monitoring students while on the Internet must be a given.

Most contact with pedophiles occurs in chat rooms and most schools don’t allow the use of chat rooms.  This is a double-edged sword, in that children’s only experience in the chat rooms are when they are in places where they are most vulnerable, at home and in libraries.  Children need to learn that chat rooms are anonymous and that they should be wary of information given to them there.  It’s not too hard to pass yourself off as someone’s 14 year-old cousin in another state.  They need to stop and think about how easy it could be to pass themselves off as someone they aren’t  who is in a different place than they are.  It makes you feel safe when someone tells you they’re three states away, but they could be in your town.

They need to learn not to give out any personal information about themselves.  They may think certain things are OK, so they must be shown how easy it would be to find someone named Jenny in a town called Somat with two middle schools.  She’s a cheer leader and she’s blond.  She also is a swimmer and plays clarinet. Most of that information could just slip during a conversation when a child thinks they aren't telling any personal information. With the resources available on the Internet, a predator could find this child fairly easily.   Then to be sure or to eliminate some information, he could drop the name of her school into the conversation.  She might not even notice that she confirms it.

Educators also need to make it clear that if approached by someone inappropriately, it is not the child’s fault, and they need to tell an adult they trust immediately.  No one will blame them and their safety must come first.

Be aware of the most common profile, but realize that we don’t always recognize these things in children. These children usually have low self-esteem that may or may not be visible.  They may be kids that put up a good front and appear to be popular, but feel they don't fit in.  They can be shy and lonely, overweight, or they may be  having difficulties at home, such as an ongoing divorce or a problem brother or sister who takes up their parent’s attention.  Keep in mind, even when kids appear popular, they may feel they have to be someone they’re not in order to fit in.  Someone who accepts them readily would be a relief to them.  If you think a child may be having difficulties, try to befriend them as they may be in need of a safe adult friend to talk to.  Talk to your school counselor, who may have a better grasp on the child’s background.

Encourage parents to stay involved in their child’s online life.  Listen at parent/teacher conferences when they talk about the amount of time their child spends online.  Some of the signs that should alarm you would be:

• if their child is spending an excessive amount of time online and telling them it’s for school
• if they catch them online when they think they've gone to bed
• if their child turns off the computer when they walk into the room,
• if they are receiving mail and phone calls from people the parents don’t know
• if the child has become withdrawn and angry.

Offer them sites that will help them understand what they need to do.  Parents also need to know that it’s OK for them to demand to know what their children are doing on the Internet.  Even if they have filters on their computers, it’s not enough to protect their children.  Communication between parent and child on these issues is imperative.  So many teens go through insecure times and seek the approval of others. Parent involvement is crucial to safety.  See sites to suggest below in Annotated Web Site Directory.

Sites to report suspected pedophiles or pedophile activity:

Safeguarding out Children
http://www.soc-um.org/predator.html

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - Please include as much information as possible about the persons and sites involved if known, to include URL addresses, their E-mail addresses, FTP site, and any other helpful information.
http://www.cybertipline.com

From an educator’s prospective, since this is unlikely to happen at school, there is little we can do legally.   Some of the same legal battles that are affecting child pornography are also affecting the ability of law enforcement to control the safety of children.  The Illinois Attorney General’s Office was quotes recently as saying, “It is common knowledge in the business of pedophiles and child pornography to go to your public library and download it because it is there…When there is communication online, there is an IP address.  I can’t tell you how many times we trace that IP address back to public libraries.”  This was in reference to the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 that would require libraries to use filtering software.  This law is currently being challenged and an injunction has been filed to prevent libraries from using filters.

There are many undercover policemen and even citizen volunteers who work to protect children from pedophile by trying to attract them.  Since pedophiles can use the Internet anonymously, so can the police.  They must be very careful, though, as they must be able to prove the pedophile has the intent to follow through and break a law.  They must not do anything that can be called entrapment, which is a very fine line to walk.  Pedophiles break no laws in talking to children.  They must act for it to be illegal, by trying to meet with the child or sending them illegal material, such as photographs.  Pedophilia is strongly tied to child pornography, as pedophiles are the main users.  They often are caught sending child pornography to the children they are communicating with.  This kind of activity must be reported at once.  Sometimes when these photo are turned in, police are able to solve missing children cases as well.

Sexual Abuse happens to girls.  Why should we worry about it when it comes to the boys?

Sexual abuse of children happens to both boys and girls, and within every economical, social, and ethnic background.

What can suggest to parents I do to protect their child?

• Share your child's email account and password
• Talk with your child about the people he or she is meeting online
• Set a rule that your child never arranges an in-person meeting without you present
• Complain to the sender of unsolicited email and to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) about unwanted email.
• Place the computer in a busy part of the household, like the family room, so you can see what your child is doing

What can I do as an educator, to protect children from online predators?

Do what you do best…educate them as to the dangers and care enough about them when you see a change in behavior to follow-up on what’s going on with them.  

Safety Ed International – Safety Ed International is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 and run by volunteers with many years experience in Internet safety education, child advocacy and child protection.  This site has many links to safety resources, as well as having a site to go to for immediate help if you think your child may be in danger. http://www.safetyed.org/

Safeguarding Our Children – United Mothers – There is a lot of information on this site.  They have areas for prevention, education, and help for survivors. http://www.soc-um.org/  

Web Wise Kids – Equipping Children to Make Wise Choices on the Internet - A flash site of Internet safety that could be used by parents, kids, and/or teachers.  An excellent excise to use for teaching kids safety.
http://www.webwisekids.com/

The Internet Safety Group -  A not for Profit group out of New Zealand with downloadable safety education materials for schools.  Also has information for parents and kids on Internet safety. http://www.netsafe.org.nz/ie/young_adults/young_adults_predators.asp

ChatDanger – This is a good site to show kids how to be careful when conversing on the Internet.  The purpose of the site is “to raise awareness among children and parents about the potential dangers of unmoderated Internet chat rooms, and to seek to put pressure on those companies providing chat to do more to protect children. " http://www.chatdanger.com/

A Cybercop’s Guide to Internet Child Safety – This is a rather sizable free downloadable book that has a myriad of information for those educators and parents who need information about how things work.  It covers everything from newsgroups and chat software to unsolicited emails.  It was written by a police detective who’s sister was kidnapped and killed when he was 15.  He later became a detective and has received training from many of the major computer companies.  Detective Kinkhart is currently assigned to the High Tech Computer Crime Unit and spends his time investigating Internet related crimes
http://www.cybercopguide.com/  

Protecting Library Patrons from the Dark Side of the Internet – This PowerPoint report, by Donna Rice Hughes, was given before a senate subcommittee as testimony supporting the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000.  It includes a lot of information about the dangers presented to children when there are no filters and little control over library patrons using the computers.
http://www.protectkids.com/donnaricehughes/powerpoints/ChesterfieldCounty Hearing.ppt