Child Victimization on the Internet
In February of this year, a stranger entered the Smith's home without their knowledge or consent. The intruder was not a normal housebreaker and his intentions were far more sinister that merely stealing replaceable possessions. From a cowardly and anonymous vantage point, many miles away, he had logged on to a teenage chat room via the Internet and was waiting for his intended prey--a young girl who had also logged on, with the intention of corresponding with her peers. Instead of this, she became the unwitting victim of a relentless campaign to rob her of her childhood and innocence.
In the same way in which a spider weaves a web to trap his victim, this perpetrator spun many "expressions of love" and managed to appear as a friend. Once obtaining her e-mail address, he bombarded her with messages, with the goal of getting to meet her alone. All of this took place over a period of weeks, within the confines of the family house and was undetected by her parents. Child victimization on the Internet is a growing problem not only in Canada, but throughout the entire world. The growth of technology has changed our lives dramatically. Today, computers are prevalent in businesses, homes, schools, libraries, and even airports. Chat rooms and e-mails are now replacing telephones as our favorite means of communication. Unfortunately, criminals are also using modern technology--to prey innocent victims. Computers and the Internet have made the predator's job easier. Historically, child predators found their victims in public places where the children tend to gather--school yards, playgrounds, and shopping malls. Today, with so many children online, the Internet provides predators a new place--cyberspace--to target children for criminal acts. This approach eliminates many of the risks predators face when making contact in person.
Traditionally, both intra-familial offenders and strangers have found that young children and teenagers are perfect targets for criminal acts because they are often trusting, naive, curious, adventuresome, and eager for attention and affection. However, the most attractive factor to predators is that children and teenagers historically have not been viewed as credible witnesses. As children grow into adolescents, they remain vulnerable to victimization. Youth are often curious and eager to try new things. Many youth struggle with issues of rebellion and independence and seek attention and affection from people outside the home, often by using computers. Today an estimated 10 million children are using the Internet. By 2002, this figure is expected to increase to 45 million, and by 2005, approximately 77 million children will be online. What is even scarier is that 1 in 5 children received sexual solicitation over the Internet in the past year and only 25% of those children told a parent. With so many children online, today's predators can easily find and exploit them. For predators, the Internet is a new, effective, and more anonymous way to seek out children for criminal purposes such as producing and distributing child pornography, and contacting children for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts.
Whether the victimization occurs in person or over the Internet, the process is the same--the perpetrator uses information to target a child victim. For example, the predator may initiate an online friendship with a young person, sharing hobbies and interests. This may lead to the exchange of gifts and pictures. Just like the traditional predator who targets children in person, the online predator usually is willing to spend considerable time befriending a child. The predator wants to build the child's trust, which will allow the predator to get what he or she ultimately wants from the child. With so many youth online, it is extremely important for parents, law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and victim service providers to know as much as possible about Internet crimes against children so they can prevent victimization and prosecute offenders.
The nature of Internet crimes presents complex new challenges for law enforcement agencies and victim service providers with regard to investigating crimes, collecting evidence, identifying and apprehending offenders, and assisting child victims and their families. For example, victims and perpetrators are often separated geographically, which may hamper investigation efforts. Also, victims are often ashamed and reluctant to come forward, which makes identifying offender difficult. These challenges are being addressed by federal and local law enforcement agencies, but there is still much to learn about preventing, identifying, and investigating Internet based crimes against children.
Although no family is immune to the possibility that their child may be exploited and harassed on the Internet, a few factors make some children more vulnerable than others. Older children tend to be a greater risk because they often use the computer unsupervised and are more likely to engage in online discussions of a personal nature. Some victims become unwitting participants as they actively participate in chat rooms, trade e-mail messages, and send pictures online. Troubled or rebellious teens who are seeking emancipation from parental authority can be susceptible to Internet predators. The risk of victimization is greater for emotionally vulnerable youth who may be dealing with issues of sexual identity. These young people are willing to engage in conversation that is both adventurous and exciting but appears innocent and harmless. Unfortunately, Internet interactions that initially appear innocent can gradually lead to sexually explicit conduct.
The types of Internet crimes are often thought as victimless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Children and teenagers can, and do, become victims of Internet crimes. Predators contact teenagers and children over the Internet and victimize them by:
Enticing them through online contact for the purpose of engaging them in sexual acts;
Using the Internet for the production, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography; and
Using the Internet to expose youth to child pornography and encourage them to exchange pornography
There are several characteristics that distinguish Internet crimes from other crimes committed against children:
First, PHYSICAL CONTACT between the child and the perpetrator does not need to occur for a chid to become a victim or for a crime to be committed. Innocent pictures or images of children can be digitally transformed into pornographic material and distributed across the Internet without the victim's knowledge
Second, the Internet provides a source for REPEATED, LONG-TERM VICTIMIZATION of a child that can last for years, often without the victim's knowledge. Once a child's picture is displayed on the Internet, it can remain there forever.
Third, these crimes TRANSCEND JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES, often involving multiple victims from different communities, states, and countries. The geographic location of a child is not primary concern for perpetrators who target victims over the Internet. Often, perpetrators travel hundreds of miles, even to different countries to engage in sexual acts with children they meet over the Internet. Many of these cases involve local, state, federal, and international law enforcement entities in multiple jurisdictions.
Fourth, many victims of Internet crimes DO NOT DISCLOSE THEIR VICTIMIZATION or even realize that they have been victims of a crime. Whereas children who experience physical or sexual abuse may disclose the abuse to a friend, teacher, or parent, many victims of Internet crimes remain anonymous until pictures or images are discovered by law enforcement agents during an investigation. The presumed anonymity of Internet activities often provides a false sense of security and secrecy for both the perpetrator and the victim.
By knowing the warning signs that your child may be at risk, and knowing safety tips for on-line activity, you can protect your child from these predators. Here are some of the warning signs that your child might be at risk on-line:
1. Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night:
Most children who fall victim to computer-sex offenders spend large amounts of time online, particularly in chat rooms. They may go online after diner and on the weekends. Parents should consider monitoring the amount of time online. Children online are at the greatest risk during the evening hours.
2. You find pornography on your child's computer:
Pornography is often used in the sexual victimization of children. Sex offenders often supply their potential victims with pornography as a means of opening sexual discussions and for seduction. Child pornography may be used to show the child victim that sex between children and adults is "normal". Parents should be conscious of the fact that a child may hide the pornographic files on diskette from them. This may be especially true if all family members use the computer.
3. Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize:
While talking to a child victim online is a thrill for a computer sex offender, it can be very cumbersome. Most want to talk to the children on the telephone. They often engage in "phone sex" with the children and often seek to set up an actual meeting. While children may be hesitant to give out his/her phone number, they computer sex-offenders will give theirs out. With caller ID, they can readily find out the child's phone number.
4. Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know:
As part of the seduction process, it is quite common for offenders to send letters, photographs, and all manners of gifts to their potential victims.
5. Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room:
A child looking at pornographic images or having sexually explicit conversations does not want you to see it on the screen.
6. Your child becomes withdrawn from the family:
Computer sex-offenders will work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and their family. Or at exploiting their relationship. They will accentuate any minor problems at home that the child might have. Children may also become withdrawn after sexual victimization.
7. Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else:
Even if you don't subscribe to an online service or Internet service, your child may meet an offender while on-line at a friend's house or the library. Most computers come preloaded with on-line and/or Internet software. Computer sex offenders will sometimes provide potential victims with a computer account for communication with them.
So what can you to minimize the chances of an on-line exploiter victimizing your child?
Here are some tips:
1. Communicate and talk to your child about sexual victimization and potential on-line danger. Teach your child to end any experience online when he or she feels uncomfortable or scared by logging off and telling a trusted adult.
2. Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favorite on-line destinations.
3. Discuss the difference b/w advertising and educational or entertaining content and show your child examples of each.
4. Tell your child not to give out personal information unless they have permission from you.
5. Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer sex offender to communicate with a child when their computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
6. Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider or block software. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored.
7. Always maintain access to your child's on line account and randomly check their email.
8. Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line. There is much more to the on-line experience than chat rooms.
9. Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, the public library, and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places, outside your normal supervision, where your child could encounter an on-line predator.
In addition to these preventative measures, there are tools that you can use to help control what your child does online. There are 3 primary places in which parents can obtain parental control tools
You can contact your Internet service provider. Most offer a range of control features, often for free
Your local computer rental store. Here you can buy "blocking and filtering" software, such as Cyber Patrol and CYBER sitter, that includes features similar to the ones provided by an Internet service provider.
Your Web Browser. You can use certain web browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, to enforce parental control rating systems.
Conclusion
The future holds many challenges for those fighting Internet crimes against children. Cases involving Internet crimes against children are complex and labor intensive for both the police and prosecutors. The time between victimization and arrest can be lengthy. These cases are usually multi-jurisdictional, which presents challenges in the investigation and prosecution of a case and can present problems for the criminal justice system, the child victim, and the family in terms of resources, travel, and court appearances.
Without question, child victimization on the Internet is a complex matter. The full impact of such victimization on children is not completely understood. Family dynamics often play a significant role in children's denial of a crime and their willingness to participate in the investigation and prosecution. A child's ability to acknowledge and accept the crime can be linked to family values, peer pressure, and feelings of guilt, shame and embarrassment. Denial and recantation can be common among children who unwittingly participated in the crime. Becaue of these issues, the greatest challenges facing law enforcement and victim service professionals are to identify the victims, protect their privacy, and serve them without further victimization. This growing problem is spreading like a fungus and it needs to be stopped.
Written by: Angela D' Alessandro, Law student and Executive Member of Victims for Justice.
