Today computers are common in businesses, homes, and schools. The Internet has provided instant access to news, shopping, and banking. People routinely use the Internet to take college courses, play games, listen to music, and view videos. Chat rooms and e-mails are now replacing telephones as our favorite means of long-distance communication. The proliferation of computer technology obviously has enhanced our lives in many ways. Unfortunately, criminals use the same technology to prey on innocent victims. Computers and the Internet have made the predator’s job easier. 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.
Studies reveal that 1 in 5 children who regularly access the Internet received a sexual solicitation last year. One in 33 received an aggressive solicitation where the predator attempted to reach the child outside of the Internet, either by phone, mail, or in person. Predators can now use the Internet to contact hundreds of children without ever leaving their homes. With over 77 million children regularly using the Internet today, the potential number of victims is staggering.
The Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recognized that these crimes rendered the traditional jurisdictional boundaries useless and the highly technical nature left many law enforcement agencies ill equipped to handle them. In 1998 OJJDP established the first five Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, these task forces approached the victimization of children on the Internet through a cooperative, multi-agency approach. The task forces have grown to 46 today covering all 50 states. These task forces are made up of Federal, State, and Local agencies that investigate and prosecute predators preying on our children.
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