Child Predators

Research Paper # 75066

Computer and Technology > Technology
Criminology > Public and Crime
Psychology > Child and Adolescent

Child Predators

This paper describes how child predators use the Internet to exploit their victims.

2,244 words () | 8 sources | APA | 2006 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the Internet can introduce new dangers for children. The author describes how accessing the Internet creates a link with millions of people. Today, many children use the internet. With so many children online, child predators can easily find and exploit them. The paper concludes with a list to be used if one suspects their child is being exploited on the Internet.

From the Paper:

"Children have at all times been susceptible to oppression. Their gullible natures and innocence make them faultless targets for perpetratorsaE"both people they know and those they don't. As children grow into adolescents, they remain vulnerable to victimization. Youth are time and again 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 2005, just about 77 million kids will be online. 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 and groom children for criminal purposes such as producing and distributing child pornography, contacting and stalking children for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts, and exploiting children for sexual tourism for personal and commercial purposes. The temperament 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 instance, 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 offenders 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. (Warren, R. (2003)."