NCJ Number
170023
Date Published
April 1998
Length
11 pages
Publication Series
Annotation
This videoconference focuses on the nature and prevalence of
child sexual exploitation through the Internet, the methods used
by pedophiles to seduce child users of the Internet and to
transmit child pornography among themselves, the methods law
enforcement can use to counter such crimes, and what parents and
other strategic parties can do to prevent child exploitation
through the Internet.
Abstract
The format of the videoconference involves the presentation of a
video clip of a police investigation of a computer-related crime against a child, followed by a critique of the investigation by a
panel of experts. In addition to the critique of the video clip,
panel members discuss their work in the field of online child
sexual exploitation and answer questions from callers about
various aspects of detecting, investigating, and preventing such
crimes. Members of the panel include a prosecutor who has
specialized in child abuse cases, a trainer in the field of
computer crime investigations, an FBI specialist in the
investigation of cases that involve the online seduction of
children into illicit sexual relationships, a county law
enforcement officer who has specialized in cases of child sexual
exploitation, and the director of the Exploited Child Unit of the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The simulated
case presented in the video clip involves a missing child who was
seduced into meeting a pedophile she met in an Internet chat
room. The case begins with the parents' report that the child is
missing, and the investigation traces how police determined the
Internet contact between the offender and victim and then traced
the identity of the offender and the location of the place to
which he had lured the missing girl. The panel's critique of the
simulated investigation focuses on the legal parameters for
obtaining evidence in crimes that involve online contact
between offenders and victims. Also discussed are the training
requirements for law enforcement investigators in
computer-related crimes. Other topics addressed in panel
discussions of the video clip and in answers to questions from
callers include how offenders identify and seduce potential
victims on the Internet; how pedophiles exchange child
pornography through the Internet; what constitutes a crime in
online textual exchanges between sexual predators and potential
victims; and how various resources can be used to prevent,
detect, and solve online sexual exploitation of children. The
video concludes with a listing of relevant resources provided by
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Date Published: April 1, 1998