More than 570,000 Reports Allege Sex Crimes Involving Children

    ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The CyberTipline,
 http://www.cybertipline.com, the nation's system for reporting suspected
 sexual exploitation of children will celebrate 10 years of operation this
 week. Operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
 (NCMEC), the CyberTipline has processed more than 570,000 reports of sex
 crimes against children, some as young as two weeks old.
 
 
 
     Estimates are that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually
 victimized in some way before they reach the age of 18. NCMEC-funded
 research reports that 1 in 7 children who are regular Internet users are
 sexually solicited online.
 
 
 
     Created by Congress in 1998, the CyberTipline serves as the nation's
 online "911" for reporting suspected child pornography and other sexual
 exploitation crimes against children. It is staffed by dedicated personnel
 in NCMEC's Exploited Child Division (ECD) who analyze and develop the
 leads, which are then referred to law enforcement for investigation and
 prosecution.
 
 
 
     The CyberTipline operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
 Since it was created, NCMEC has observed a dramatic increase in the number
 of reports received.
 
 
 
     "In the first 10 months of operation, the CyberTipline received a total
 of 4,500 reports," said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen. "For the 12
 months during 2007, that number exploded to 105,000. The increase in the
 number of reports of child pornography and online sexual solicitation of
 children is alarming. The child pornography images we are receiving are
 more violent and the victims much younger, even infants."
 
 
 
     In addition to the reports received by the general public, the
 CyberTipline also receives reports from the U.S. based Electronic Service
 Providers (ESPs). Each individual report may involve several dozen or even
 hundreds of images. To date, ESPs have reported more than 5 million images
 of child pornography to the CyberTipline.
 
 
 
     CyberTipline Statistics
 
 
 
     Reports to the CyberTipline are organized into seven categories: Child
 Pornography; Child Prostitution; Child Sex Tourism; Child Sexual
 Molestation; Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts; Unsolicited
 Obscene Material Sent to a Child; and Misleading Domain Name.
 
 
 
     According to NCMEC, the possession, manufacture and/or distribution of
 child pornography has remained the highest reporting category representing
 87% or approximately 497,000 reports.
 
 
 
     The breakdown for the remaining six categories included: Online
 Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts -- 35,221 reports; Child Sexual
 Molestation -- 13,906 reports; Misleading Domain Name -- 6,787 reports;
 Child Prostitution -- 6,343 reports; Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a
 Child -- 6,338 reports, and Child Sex Tourism -- 2,691 reports.
 
 
 
     Comparison of CyberTipline Reports for 1998 and 2007
 
 

     Type of Report                1998 Reports          2007 Reports
                                (March 10-Dec. 31)   (January 1-Dec. 31)
     Child Pornography                 3,267                  83,959
     Child Prostitution                  142                   1,821
     Child Sex Tourism                    79                     655
     Child Sexual Molestation            365                   2,523
     (not in the family)
     Online Enticement of Children
      for Sexual Acts                    707                  11,422
     Unsolicited Obscene Material
      Sent to a Child                     NA*                  1,920
     Misleading Domain Name               NA**                 2,961
     TOTAL REPORTS:                    4,560                 105,261
 
 
     *This category was added in 2002 to reflect reports received.
 
     **This category was added in 2004 to reflect reports received.
 
 
 
 
 
     CyberTipline Success Stories
 
     Many reports to the CyberTipline have resulted in the arrest and
 successful prosecution of thousands of offenders worldwide.
 
 
 
     One recent report from an ESP to the CyberTipline has led to the
 identification and arrest of a 55-year-old California man, charged with
 sexually molesting his six-year-old daughter live via webcam. Using the
 information provided and a still image of the sexual abuse, an ECD analyst
 searched online photo albums for matching physical characteristics,
 including a convicted sex offender registry.
 
 
 
     Further analysis of his tattoos and background confirmed that he was a
 registered convicted sex offender living in California. Within hours of
 receiving the CyberTipline report, Sherriff's Deputies executed a search
 warrant at the suspect's home, where he surrendered to police and confessed
 to molesting his two young daughters. Both girls were home schooled by the
 suspect, who rarely allowed them to leave the residence. The girls are
 reportedly doing well in foster care. The suspect is charged with his third
 felony conviction in California and is facing a possible sentence of 25
 years to life.
 
 
 
     In another case, a concerned father in Oregon reported to the
 CyberTipline that his 13-year-old daughter was having an inappropriate
 email relationship with a 32-year-old male. The father submitted the emails
 between the suspect and his daughter, which revealed graphic comments about
 the girl's body and the suspect's desire to engage in sexual activity. The
 suspect included reminders that the relationship was "their little secret,"
 and encouraged her to delete the messages. ECD analysts reviewed the
 information and determined that a meeting was planned between the suspect
 and teenager. Law Enforcement was notified, and the suspect was arrested at
 a local park possessing both condoms and gifts for the young teen. The
 suspect was charged with attempted second degree sodomy and first degree
 attempted sexual abuse.
 
 
 
     Anyone who believes a child is being sexually assaulted or exploited is
 asked to contact the NCMEC CyberTipline at http://www.cybertipline.com or
 1-800-843-5678 immediately.
 
 
 
     About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
 
 
 
     NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation
 with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and
 Delinquency Prevention. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted
 law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in
 the recovery of more than 112,900 children. For more information about
 NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its
 web site at http://www.missingkids.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE National Center for Missing & Exploited Children