Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation of Children As the use of Internet increases, questions are being brought up on how sex offenders, using the Internet, are committing crimes such as child sexual exploitation. “Child sexual exploitation can involve the following: Possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography; online enticement of children for sexual acts; child prostitution; child sex tourism and; child sexual molestation” (Phillips, 2011, p. 1). There are a number of ways of sexual offenders utilizing the Internet to exploit children.

The police should have the right to utilize the undercover technique by law enforcement in addressing crimes of sex offenders. Countless children are being targeted and put in danger due to persistent perpetrators. Sex offenders often take advantage of the Internet in order to commit crimes regarding child pornography. These perpetrators know the latest trends in music, interests, and hobbies. Sex offenders will often listen and sympathize towards children with problems. These individuals attempt to gradually lower children’s inhibitions by slowly introducing sexual content into their conversations” (FBI, 2010-2012, p. 1). Through the Internet, sex offenders can also attain or exchange child pornographic images. There are a number of ways in sex offenders utilizing the Internet to exploit children. “These types of Internet sex crimes against minors have caused concern among parents, law enforcement agencies, lawmakers, educators and other child advocates and become a factor in the debate over Internet regulation” (Kimberly and Finkelhorb, 2000-2006, Vol. 0 No. 4). One way in perpetrators exploiting children on the Internet is by using chat rooms. They can convince children so that they have no way in escaping. A possible example of what a sex offender could say is that the child is responsible for their behavior. Sex offenders can also make children to think that no one will ever believe them even if they were to tell someone about the situation they are in. The Internet makes it easier for perpetrators because it allows them to be manipulative, where children are tricked to believing in false information.

There is a need for undercover police in order to address crimes such as child sexual exploitation. The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act created guidelines for states to be able to track sex offenders. There was a case study nearly 13 years ago where two agents worked on a case involving a missing child and had discovered that “pedophiles were using computers to transmit sexually explicit images of minors on a primitive form of the Internet” (FBI, 2006, p. 1).

Due to numerous cases of child sexual exploitation, the use of undercover cops will be able to gain information quickly and locate the sex offender. “For those with prurient interests there appears to have been an increase in the accessibility of images that involve more extreme sexual activity” (Elliot and Ashfield, 2011, p. 97). The worldwide web is a powerful source that sex offenders use to commit crimes such as child pornography. As time goes by, more children are victimized from crimes committed by sex offenders.

The Internet helps sex offenders to easily commit illegal use of the Internet to send sexual content to children. The use of undercover cops will increase the resolutions to crime cases regarding the exploitation of children. References FBI (2006, February 24). Innocent Images? Looking Back Over the Years… And Overseas. Retrieved from http://www. fbi. gov/news/stories/2006/february/innocent_images022406 FBI (2010-2012). Internet Safety. Retrieved from https://www. ctclearinghouse. org/topics/topic. asp? TopicID=47 Gregory A. Phillips (2011, August 16). Child Sexual Exploitation.

Retrieved from http://attorneygeneral. state. wy. us/dci/chexploitation. html Ian A. Elliot and Sherry Ashfield (2011, March). The use of online technology in the modus operandi of female sex offenders. Retrieved from http://content. ebscohost. com. offcampus. lib. washington. edu/pdf25_26/pdf/2011/H4O/01Mar11/59330002. pdf? T=P;P=AN;K=59330002;S=R;D=a9h;EbscoContent=dGJyMNXb4kSep7Q4y9f3OLCmr0qeqK5Ss6y4S7KWxWXS;ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGpskuwqbROuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA Kimberly J. M. ; Finkelhorb, D. (2010). Growth and change in undercover online child