"Trust" is Described as a Frightening Call to Action that Every Parent and Teenager Needs to See

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) today praised director David Schwimmer for his new film, "Trust."  The movie tells the story of a typical child predator who uses the Internet to gain access to a young victim, preys upon her vulnerability, wins her confidence and ultimately victimizes her.      

"It is a riveting drama.  It is also an important film because, even though it is fiction, it shows how offenders seduce their victims by being patient, methodical and building confidence and trust over a long period of time," said Ernie Allen, President & CEO of NCMEC.  "Most of these offenders do not match society's stereotype.  Many of them are charming and attractive.  All of them are manipulative.  Law enforcement uses a chilling term to describe the slow, methodical process by which they gain a victim's confidence.  They call it 'grooming.'"

The film is also a powerful depiction of the human dynamics associated with these terrible crimes.  These crimes are the ultimate violation of a child's trust.  They shatter a child's sense of being and shake a family foundation to the core.  

Yet, despite this stark, disturbing portrayal, there is hope.  The film also demonstrates that more is being done today by the FBI and others than ever before to address these crimes, track these offenders and protect America's children.

David Schwimmer's "Trust" is a film that every parent and every teenager needs to see.  The film is frightening and disturbing but it is also a call to action.  We hope the film will awaken the nation and motivate America's parents to learn more and do more to keep their children safe.

An estimated 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before they reach the age of 18.  NCMEC is working to educate parents and empower youth so that they will not become compliant victims.    

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is the nation's leading nonprofit organization that deals with the issues of missing children and sexual exploitation of children.  

The organization operates the Congressionally-mandated CyberTipline which serves as the nation's 911 national reporting mechanism for suspected child sexual exploitation.  To date the CyberTipline has handled more than 1,072,490 reports.  The organization's Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP) has analyzed more than 47,403,780 images and videos in an effort to assist in the prosecution of child sexual exploitation cases and locate victims of child pornography.  The analysts use sophisticated technology and tools to determine the region where a child is located and then works with law enforcement to locate and rescue the child.  The organization's Sex Offender Tracking Unit works with the U.S. Marshals service to locate and track down the more than 100,000 noncompliant and missing registered sex offenders.    

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children's hotline which has handled more than 2,528,730 calls.  It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 157,720 children.  The organization's CyberTipline has handled more than 1,072,490 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 47,403,780 pornography images and videos.  The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.

SOURCE National Center for Missing & Exploited Children