Child stalkers

The article I chose to read was Beware of Cyber Stalkers by Clint Van Zantz and the website is:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11101454/.   The article talks about how back before the internet predators had to actually go into the community and entice children and adults to go with them.  Now, all you need is a computer.  Predators will go onto sites such as myspace, facebook, or other blogs to find children or adults to fulfill the sick need they have.  These sites have little bits of information that predators need such as a hometown, interests, and the school the child attends.  This gives the predator a window of opportunity, a way to speak with the child and find common interests to try and lure them to a secluded place and hurt or kill them.  One older woman, she was 70 years old, she was called the “internet black widow.”  She would lure in older men and poison them once they were married at an attempt to take their money, she did this for fifteen years. 

Children are lured out and killed.  One such girl was a freshman in college.  She had a “space” (that’s what the article called it)  she had her picture posted, her likes, dislikes, interests, and activities on her site.   The girl was very trusting and met this man who killed her during rough sex.  She never knew that with so little information she gave the predator so much to work with.  These two cases are by far the only ones.  The article states that nearly one in five children are sexually solicited online usually by an adult or teenager posing as a child.

As for how to change this, that is a tough question.  I know myspace will not allow you have an account if your under fifteen, but you can lie about your birthdate so it is really not a deterrant.   Putting in a credit card (even though the site is free) would help some.  Children do not have credit cards so an adult would have to open the account.  These sites could also be monitored more than what they are now.  I also believe there should be tougher penalties for crimes against children as well as those on the internet.  Someone I do childcare for, their brother-in-law is on probation for sexually molesting a child.  He isn’t supposed to be on the computer or be alone with children.  It was proven that he is dating a girl with kids and he is alone with them.  He was caught and nothing happened.  But, my husbands wife is in prison for aggrivated theft and she received 19 months.  How is this?  A crime against a child is WAY worse than theft!! 

“However, it is a far less dangerous act to e-mail a hateful message or view a racist Website from a public computer than to stand in the middle of a town square in a white robe and pointy hood”  (Wood and Smith p. 189)  Although this is talking of members of the KKK, child predators can be in this group also.  It is easier to sit at your computer and stalk children in private than to go out in the community driving around looking for an unsuspecting child. 

Many people today just let their children roam free, both around town and in the internet.  Many children are home alone and have no supervision from an adult.  As a community this shows that our values have gone down, this is sad.  Children need their parents even as adults.  Leaving them to figure things out for themselves is reckless and negligent.

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