Internet Child Porn And Abuse example essay topic

Abstract In the shadow world of child abuse, the Internet is a Stroke of luck. The sinister threat of an increasingly sophisticated and devious internet trade with dues-paying organizations promoting and condoning pedophilia over the Internet and the trading of meticulous records of their collections and victims are on the rise. By use of the computer, these groups can quickly organize material, communicate with others who share like interests and troll the net for potential victims, seek validation through communication with like minded abusers, and find comfort in the secret corridors of cyber-space. Child molesters can remain in teen and pre-teen chat rooms indefinitely without arousing suspicion. Up loading, exchanging, and often selling of detailed logs of their experiences and sexual conquests. Through these electronic arenas, pedophiles has unlimited and unrestricted access to vulnerable children.

Chat rooms makes it much easier and less risky to interact with children. Governments and law officials recognize the internet could lead to a substantial rise in child abuse. Delivering material into the home, putting ideas into people's heads, from fantasizing about abusing adolescents to actual live baby abuse and bondage. The fact that what people are watching an abuse actually taking place can make them think about doing it themselves Today, any man, woman or child with a modem can use the most effective tool for the distribution of pornography the world has ever seen. In recent years, the creation of these groups and the flood of pornography over the Web have terrified and enraged Americans some times to the point of vigilante justice. DARK SIDE OF THE WEB (CHILD ABUSE AND THE INTERNET) Children are innocent and vulnerable.

They are interested in obtaining knowledge. And the Internet provides a doorway to the information highway. Anything they want to know is at their fingertips. Unfortunately, the computer is a double-edged sword.

Even things they do not want to know nor need to know is out there also. There are people in the world of pedophiles, sex rings organizations and secret societies that prey on these innocent naive children for their perverted personal gratification. The judicial system is doing what it can, joining with other law enforcement and educating people to protect children. Parents are outraged and want to protect, not only their children, but all children from this exposure on the Internet.

In the world of the Internet, sex rings and secret societies have members enmeshed for the primary purpose of voyeurism, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation of children all over the world. By use of the computer, degenerates can quickly organize material, communicate with others of similar interests, and surf the net for potential victims. Child abusers, seeking justification through communicating with like minded others, find comfort in the shadowy corridors of cyber space. Pedophiles are just a few clicks away from each other.

(Malkin, pg 5) Before computers, pedophiles relied on newspaper ads, sex clubs, and prison contacts for interaction with others like themselves. They had to cruise the streets or visit parks and playgrounds where children play in order to locate victims. Undoubtedly, some of them still do this. But others can now hide behind the shadowy comfort of the Internet shield.

The Seattle Times reported that by 1998, more than 1,500 suspected pedophiles in 32 states have been identified through various chat rooms on one of America's most popular Internet service (Malkin, pg 4, 5). The easy access to pornography has many parents frightened and concerned. The language utilized tends to justify their interests. They attempt to legitimatize their behavior by claiming that sex between adults and the young is "pure,"kind,"gentle" and develop other descriptive labels that give the impression they are referring to some saintly endeavor other than the sexual exploitation and abuse of children (Carson, Butcher, and Mineka pg 217). This is a common trait among the preferential child molesters: they spend their lives attempting to justify their behavior in their own eyes. Since their attraction to children is a compulsion that many cannot avoid or deny, they seek methods to reinforce their belief that they are doing nothing wrong (Vito, and Holmes pg 286).

There is a fairly recent development, especially on the Internet, where groups of pedophiles view themselves as being persecuted by the rest of society. Such as used in a Pederasty site; "to end the oppression of men and boys". (Malkin, pg 6) It is as if they are talking about a political party rather than the sexual seduction of children. The Internet also provides child molesters who prefer children of a certain age or sex with unique opportunities. For example, they cannot hang around school property very long without arousing suspicion, but they can remain in teen and pre-teen chat rooms indefinitely while posing as teens themselves. Through these electronic arenas, the pedophiles have something that before the Internet Age they could only dream about: unlimited and unrestricted access to vulnerable children.

Chat rooms makes it much easier and less risky for predators to interact with children. The brazen attitude of these groups is shocking to most people. For example, the motto of the Rene Guyon Society is "Sex Before Eight or It's Too Late!" (Neustatter pg 6) In recent years, the creation of groups such as the Rene Guyon Society and the flood of pornography over the Internet has outraged Americans. Today, any man, woman or child with a modem can use the most effective tool for the distribution of pornography the world has ever seen. Whereas a child cannot easily look through sexually graphic magazines in a public store, on the Internet it is a simple action.

And most children already know how. The accessibility of child pornography via the Internet has many parents worried. A Time CNN poll recently asked teenagers: "Do you use the Internet for things like email, chat rooms or visiting Web sites?" Eighty-two percent said yes. Time also asked during the same poll: "Have you ever seen Web sites that are x-rated or have sexual content?" Forty-two percent said yes (Hopkins pg 16).

Law enforcement agents have found that many pedophiles are compulsive personalities with predictable behavioral patterns. Some will keep meticulous records of their collections and victims. They often write detailed logs of their experiences and sexual conquests (Adler, Mueller, and Laufer pg 386). Police are well aware of these habits and in these type of cases will quickly obtain a search warrant to seize any computer owned by a suspected child molester.

Police have also discovered many due-paying organizations that promote and condone pedophilia over the Internet. Groups, like the North American Man Boy Association (NAM BLA) and the Rene Guyon Society, are constantly monitored by the police (Stout, pg 22). In 1998, U.S. Customs officials smashed one of the largest organizations of child pornographers ever uncovered. More than 200 suspects were arrested across the world in a strike named Operation Chesire Cat. The target was an Internet-based organization called The Wonderland Club, whose name was derived from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, long a symbolic favorite of the pedophilia underworld according to a F.B.I. National Press Release (C- Span, March 18, 2002). The club trafficked in some of the most vile child pornography ever seen, including the rape of children.

They also broadcast over the Internet live sexual abuse of children to their members. The victims were often members' relatives. The qualification for entry into this club was said to be the possession of more than 10,000 images of child porn on a potential member's computers hard drive (Montero and Mangan, pg 9) The investigation began in 1996 after another pornography ring called The Orchid Club was broken up in San Jose, California. Information gleaned during that case led investigators to England and Western Europe. Undercover agents made repeated attempts to break into the secret society of the Wonderland Club. But club members used secret passwords to meet in private chat rooms that constantly changed to avoid federal agents.

The police, fearful of the molestation of future victims, decided to act. In September 1998, U.S. Custom's officials coordinated a simultaneous worldwide raid in 14 countries (Stout, pg 22). Evidence gathered during these search warrants indicated membership in the club in 47 other countries. Shortly after these police raids, four of the club members, including a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, committed suicide.

Exposure can be a pedophile's worst enemy. Hundreds of child welfare professionals, including police officers, care workers and teachers, have been identified as 'extremely high-risk' pedophiles by an investigation into Internet porn. The discovery came after United States authorities passed on more than 7,000 names of United Kingdom subscribers to various American-based child porn websites. (Bridis pg 11) The dramatic increase of child porn on the Internet has not gone unnoticed.

Projects are already in place to fight this new threat to our children. But the pornographers and child predators are clever and the unique mode of the crime poses special problems for police investigation. These cases are essentially technical in nature and require specially trained investigators. (Montero and Mangan, pg 9) Since Internet child porn and abuse are a recent development, there is a lack of case law on the subject and some jurisdictional confusion. Several agencies have established special Internet investigation units, like the Internet Crime Against Children Task Force in New York and the Northeast Regional Child Exploitation Task Force in New Jersey, whose sole purpose is to cruise the Web looking for potential molesters and pornographers (Stout, pg 22). In a case that made national headlines, a top executive of Disney was arrested in Los Angeles in 1999 and charged with crossing state lines for the purpose of engaging in sex with a minor.

The suspect met the "13-year-old girl" over the Internet. This "girl" turned out to be an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, a member of a task force who daily searched the highways of cyberspace for sexual marauders (Arlington web-site). Despite the unprecedented success of Operation Chesire Cat, which disrupted the Internet world of organized pedophiles, the abuse of children by way of the computer still continues. Outlaw groups like The Wonderland Club continue to fester in cyberspace and it requires a mammoth effort on the part of governments to bring these criminals to justice. Since United States Customs and the FBI affected hundreds of arrests across the nation on child sexual exploitation charges in 1998. (Montero and Mangan, pg 9) There have been several large-scale police operations against child pornographers and pedophiles.

In addition, there has also been a new public awareness concerning Internet crimes and the watchful eyes of parents and other adults have also yielded positive results. Law enforcement has taken a crash course in computer related offenses and many large cities have initiated training programs and seminars specifically designed to tackle high tech crimes. Information gathered in major sweeps like Operation Chesire Cat and the FBI's Innocent Images sting operation have furnished law enforcement with investigative leads, which generated additional crackdowns both at home and abroad (Stout, pg 22). The United States led the way in late 2001 when it informed German National Police that a German citizen was exchanging child pornography over the Internet with customers and friends in America (Bridis pg 11). This case resulted in the arrests of eight additional people and provided investigators with critical intelligence about other child porn rings. Computer hard drives are a wealth of information to investigators.

As these offenders seek to find ways to encrypt, conceal and delete illegal data and photos, computer technicians work relentlessly to research and overcome those obstacles. Successful prosecution in these type of cases are a priority. "It is clear that a new marketplace for child pornography has emerged from the dark corners of cyberspace", said Attorney General John Ashcroft recently at a press conference. "These offenders have tried to use technology and anonymity of the Internet to trade child pornography, and these individuals must be stopped", he added. (Malkin pg 5). In March 2002, the FBI announced that it had broken a major child porn ring that flourished on the Internet at Yahoo. com.

(Bridis pg 11) The investigation began in Houston in May 2000. More than 89 persons in 20 states were arrested in the initial phase of this investigation called Operation Candyman. The suspects have already admitted to molesting at least 36 children (Stout, pg 22). Some of the people arrested represent a cross-section of American society that is truly frightening.

The suspects arrested included Little League coaches, a teacher's aide, a school bus driver, at least one former police officer, a child photographer, two Catholic priests and six others members of the clergy (Smit pg 12). They ranged in age from 17 to 70. Hundreds of searches were conducted and dozens of computers were seized. Operation Candyman was named after an Internet group under the same name that provided a location where members could upload and download child porn images. According to the FBI, the group claimed more than 7,000 members with the majority of members residing in the United States. (Bridis pg 11) Yahoo is aware that some of its customers form outlaw groups using their service, but is unable to completely stop the practice because of technological limitations.

Yahoo always cooperates fully with FBI requests for subscriber information on pedophile groups. FBI director Robert Mueller recently said to the L.A. Times: "We will diligently shut down any and all Web sites, e-groups, bulletin boards and any other mediums that will foster the continued exploitation of our children". (Malkin pg 23). The web site for CANDYMAN described the site as the online place "for people who love kids". The images on the site were child porn of the worst kind. This site contained everything from soft to hard core porn featuring children.

(Smit. pg 12) On this site, people with child preferences could post any type of messages or pictures or video. Images seized from the confiscated hardware will be dramatic evidence against those arrested. Log-in times, phone records, Internet service provider records, credit card transactions and other evidence add to the mountains of documents that are necessary to prosecute these cases. Where those records will ultimately take FBI and Houston investigators is yet to be seen.

(Bright and Harris, pg 12) The police involved in the investigation reported to the FBI, they are hoping for "several hundred arrests". (Stout, pg 22). Like the Wonderland Club case, the repercussions of Operation Candyman in 2002 will extend far into the future. Investigative leads and hard data gathered during the prosecution of these defendants will keep cyberspace detectives busy for years. Parents can take some simple steps to protect their child from on-line invasion by these predators.

They should become more aware of what their children are doing online. They should not let small children access the Internet in the privacy of their own room or in a secluded place. (Hopkins, pg 16) Parents should also, check in once in a while to actually see where their children go on the Internet. Parents should tell children not to chat with adult strangers without supervision and should never fill out a personal information profile for anyone.

Children should be taught that it is best not to open unsolicited email or email from strangers, this mail is often a cover to sell or provide online pornography. If a child received pornography via the Internet or someone has made inappropriate contact with a child, parents should contact their service provider or notify the local police. Internet sites like web and web have joined in the struggle against pedophilia and online pornography and may offer parenting tips. Software companies have devised filtering and blocking programs like CYBER PATROL, NET NANNY and SURF WATCH that can be installed on a computer. This software will automatically scan Web sites for objectionable content and prevent access. Still, the problem is enormous: "This country now has over 20,000 outlets selling hard core pornography which would be found illegal by educated citizens in most American communities.

In fact, .".. there are more outlets for hard core pornography in the United States than McDonald restaurants" according to Newsday (Bridis pg 11). Children are more resilient than they are given credit. Children whose parents take a proactive response to child exploitation tend to recover the best from sexual abuse. People can only do that by being armed with the tools of knowledge and vigilance.

It is up to each individual, the caretakers, guardians of safety and dreams, to assume control, cast off the terrible bonds of sexual abuse and bring these nightmares to an end. There are many dedicated people and organizations that fight child sexual assault and the threat of Internet pornography every day. More information can be found by visiting a variety of Internet sites aimed at the destruction of the webs use in child abuse. Theses sites may benefit children as well as adults. Such websites include: web informs children, parents, and educators of safety issues regarding children and adults. It also offers an Internet safety pact between parents and children that can be read and signed. web promotes child safety and abuse prevention with a guardian angel theme. web is a Web site that protects children from pornography and online predators. web is one of the oldest Web sites in existence.

It works in conjunction with law enforcement to combat pornography and child seduction on the Internet. web is the home for Inside Pandora's Box, a wealth of information regarding children and Internet access. web provides information on the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in the State of New York web offers hundreds of links to a wide array of police agencies in every state in America, no matter what area. In America, parents have access to pictures and details of all registered pedophiles. This right is known as 'Megan's Law' and is named after seven-year-old Megan K anka, who was found strangled near her New Jersey home six years ago (U.S. Department of Justice). Her parents campaigned for the police to notify communities when pedophiles moved in.

There are more than 18,000 people on the Sex Offenders Register (although that also includes offenses against adults). However this list somehow makes the risk of child abuse seem calculable. The sinister threat of an increasingly sophisticated and devious Internet trade is not. It is a business that relies on images of children being abused, many in front of a camera.

The pictures show toddlers manacled to beds, blindfolded babies being tortured, children raped and buggered. (Va sagar, and Glover, pg 2). Most chillingly is the ongoing police investigation into 2,000 middle-class professionals including police officers, magistrates, teachers and civil servants demonstrates yet again, society's caretakers probably pose a greater risk than the seedy man by the school yard (Carson, Butcher, Mineka pg 17). Pornography on the Internet is big business and never more than a few clicks away.

But the cost and the difficulties of regulating pornography on the Internet is overwhelming as parents, cyber-cops and government officials are discovering. An American survey found that some three-quarters of people using child porn were also abusers (Fass pg 31). In such a climate, it is hardly surprising that parents react to the threat with fear, loathing, and with vigilante justice, driving known child sex abusers from their home towns. In conclusion, the children of the world should remain innocent and interested in obtaining knowledge. The Internet provides a doorway to the a world of information. However, this information is not always of positive character.

Sometimes this information may corrupt or hurt adults and children alike. There are people in the world, pedophiles, sex ring organizations and secret societies that prey on these innocent na " ive children for their personal gratification. These adults should be tried as murderers with penalties at least in the same category as drug charges. The judicial systems of the world are doing what they can but more needs to be done. Joining with other law enforcement agencies world-wide and educating people to protect children is a good first step.

Perverts, monsters, evil creeps is our gut reaction to men who harm children. Yet, to contain the menace of pedophilia, we also need to be aware of what drives the abusers. Society should stay outraged and want to protect not only their children but all the children from exposure to the dark side of the web.

Bibliography

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Retrieved 10/04/2002 from the world wide web web Bridis, Ted.
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Butcher, James N. and Mineka, Susan. (1998).
Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. New York City, NY: Longman. Fass, Paula (1997).
Kidnapped: Child Abduction in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. New York Post February 20, 2000 Federal Beau of Investigation, National Press Release Operation Candyman, C-Span, March 18, 2002, Hopkins, Nick, "Police warning on child stalkers", The Guardian, October 17, 2002 Neustatter, Angela " Sympathy for the Devil?" The Observer, October 20, 2002 Malkin, Michelle.
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Stout, David. 90 Are Arrested in Inquiry Into Internet Child-Sex Ring. New York Times, March 19, 2002.