Are Child Predators Fooling You? It’s the headline of an email I received this morning from Yello Dyno.
“We’ve been fooled for too long. The old adage ‘out of sight, out of mind’ has become the social norm, much to the delight of child predators.” Yello Dyno email continues.
Yes, I agree that predators have been fooling us for a long time, and society is also being fooled by Yello Dyno. Yello Dyno’s approach to child sexual abuse looks at the predator of child sexual abuse outside of the family. This is totally misleading. Studies reveal that 80% of children who are sexually abused are abused by a family member; 19% are abused by people the child knows and trusts.
Yello Dyno techniques will help children who are targeted by a known person outside of the family. However, most children are being sexually abused by a family member. Government statistics report that only 1% of children who are sexually abused are abused by a stranger; however, that is what the media reports. Thus, the media are helping to deceive society.
ABC Dateline reporter Chris Hansen hosted a series, “To Catch a Predator.” Using decoys that act as minors on the Internet’s instant messaging system, predators are lured to a house where a decoy is waiting and Dateline’s hidden camera crew is recording the event, while police watch nearby waiting to arrest the predator. as soon as you have entered. the house and learned from Chris Hansen that it is a trap.
On May 22, 2006, the second session of the 109th Congress declared June Internet Safety Month. Recently, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communication released a very concerning survey of youth ages 13-17 about their use of the Internet.
o 4 percent of children surveyed have had face-to-face encounters with people they met online. For a teenager to meet a stranger is too much.
o 30 percent said they have considered meeting someone face-to-face that they only know online.
o 71 percent reported receiving messages online from someone they did not know.
o 45 percent said they have been asked for personal information.
The list of tips for parents to protect their children online implies that a predator could walk through the computer screen and drag the child into an abyss.
The best advice for protecting your child from any potential online child predator is to give them the love, nurture, guidance, connection, and time they need to thrive in life. Children who have high self-esteem and strong family ties are rarely attracted to a predator. The guidance they need regarding Internet conversations, regardless of the website, is the same as when a stranger calls on the phone or rings the doorbell.
o Never tell a stranger online any personal information, as well as NEVER tell anyone over the phone that you are home alone or reveal any identifying information.
o Never trust a stranger online, no matter how nice or friendly they appear to be, or if they say, “I know your mom/dad.”
o Never meet an internet friend (stranger), same as NEVER opening a door for a stranger or getting into a stranger’s car.
I am baffled that so many parents argue against what I say when I speak at teacher conferences, PTO meetings, day care centers, and pediatricians’ offices. “That will never happen in my family or in my neighborhood.”–they argue. It seems they only believe that neighborhoods on the other side of town are vulnerable to sex offenders. Studies reveal that sex offenders come from all walks of life and walks of life.
When will the majority come out of their well-guarded denial and stop the proliferation of pedophiles/ephebophiles? Jailing sex offenders after the damage is done does little to stop the crime. Most sex offenders get out of jail in four years: 85% reoffend. Not to mention, most sex offenders are in the family. We need to change the focus to stop this insidious crime.
Stopping this crime starts at home. http://www.gen-assist.com