Human trafficking, this time taking the form of child pornography, is alive and well on Facebook. While the practice of pedophiles using the incredibly popular and powerful social networking website to shares images and videos of children being sexually assaulted is commonplace, what’s new and surprising is the lack of attention their crimes receive.
Having reported the practice to the FBI, individual state law enforcement, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Facebook itself, a small but growing group of citizens is now taking it upon themselves to monitor and document the activities of those posting images of and links to children, some only toddlers, engaged in sex acts with adult males and females.
The captions to some of these photos – which are illegal to possess even as digital files - tell the story of the horrible and twisted pride these abusers exhibit when boasting about the images they post on Facebook. "Barbara my model!” says one profile under the photo of a nude child. “She began sex at only 4 years! Now she is 17, a real slut nymphomaniac!" Another says, "She is one of my best lilmodels! Now she is 10 yo, but she began to do sex since 2 ys!”
Of course, few of these offenders use their real names for the Facebook profiles they create. However, criminal justice authorities and Facebook have the ability to track them down. “Some people who had used the screen names ‘Stephanie Stewart,’ ‘Lisa King,’ ‘Jenna Foltz,’ ‘Amy Farmer,’ ‘Buffy Tanner,’ ‘Katy Ellis,’ ‘Katy Cat,’ and ‘Katy Kat’ were recently indicted for using Facebook groups to share child pornography,” writes the “Watching Facebook” blogger, an excellent and dedicated investigator into child pornography on Facebook. “Theindictment also refers to a ‘Jodie Green’ account. How many of these defendants are female? None. The American defendants are James Paul Byrd, David Large, Brian Slott, Daniel Slott, and Henry Wright. In fact, Brian and Daniel Slott are registered sex offenders in Wisconsin. "Jodie Green" was actually Ian Green, a British sex offender who has already been sentenced to prison for his role in the groups.
Through this case it is obvious that law enforcement can do something about child pornography on Facebook when it focuses its time and resources on the problem. This was also the case in New York where Gene Wasneechak was arrested for possessing child pornography following a police investigation into his Facebook postings. They began investigating Wasneechak after he began several Facebook relationships with underage girls who are especially vulnerable to these solicitations.
“It's not hard to guess how these people found the photos of adolescents and young women that they used in their profile photos,” writes the “Watching Facebook” blogger. “We've also seen these people solicit nude photos from girls they believe to be underage. If they got one, they would almost certainly trade it with other like-minded people. Child pornography is a largely a barter-based economy, and images that had not previously been circulated would be valuable currency.”
The currency here is children being used for sex. The market in which they trade is Facebook – a virtual community most of us visit every day. Yet, in the back alleys of this new village square crimes are being committed against children; nightmarish crimes most find hard to believe. Yet they continue to be perpetrated by a growing number of criminals who – except for a few isolated cases – go undisturbed in the practice of their giddy perversions and violence.
The objective here is to motivate Facebook to utilize its vast intellectual resource in bringing an end to these crimes taking place on their website. No matter what they might be doing now, it is clearly not enough. Through a mounting collection of videos and images, these crimes against children are growing every day.
Comments
Raymond, Thank-you for bringing this very important subject to attention. For those of us in the community on the front lines of this horrific astrocoity to our children, we are desperate for more help from the FBI, law enforcement, and the community of parents themselves
This is serious and is not going away anytime soon. As a survivor of child porn and trafficking, I can tell you that these children will be scarred forever with little hope for rehabilitation.
Our country spends more of its time and energy rehabilitating pedophiles who they themselves openly admit, that they don't have a disease, we do.
Our children deserve this money to get well and men who use them, Johns of prostitued children as well, in my opinion deserve the gas chamber because they are effectually murdering the mind of that child.
Pedophiles have no remorse and believe our children are there for their pleasure. We are at fault for making our children feel guilty for keeping them from haveing sex. What an infant? I saw several of those being openly raped on Favebook and Windows live.
My heart screams for real justice against these people who have no regard for a child's life or well being.
Forgiveness is me and you to get well. Justice is so me and you and our children can be safe.
I am a member of a small group, parents and concerned adults that are on facebook, we put links to profiles on the wall to be reported to law enforcement. It is sickening that facebook does nothing to police the site and if they get reports they simply remove the profile. This is damn right irresponsible on there behalf, these sickos only have the inconvienience of making a new profile to get there pictures and videos out in the open again. We have noticed though that they are tightening walls and are now making secret groups on facebook in which to share there sick images.
These people both men and women are getting away with this and poor innocent children/babies are violated in the most horrendous way.
we should Not report to face book at all! It should first & only be reported to the Missing & Exploited Children website. Face Book removes the profile/Content & the evidence goes away.
I wonder what Mr. Zuckerberg thinks of this or if he even cares. A social website that allows for this heinous crime should be shut down immediately, not continue to grow in popularity!
Here is the biggest issue, no one has been addressing this. Who is going to protect children in the developing countries on Twitter & FB on other open social sites.. that keep sprouting up like water ??? some IO & NGOs are pump ing away their social sites... no one is addressing the dangers... I have been addressing this issue since 2004, do you think the UN or UNESCO's of the world care. or give a damn.... all they do is promote themselves now that they found a new buzz word called social revolution on FB...Unfortunately we will now be experiencing more threats & dangers and if developing countries don't address these issues, gov will have to dea with all this.
I am working with several tech leaders to find me a solution so when I work with youth, women at least some of us are being accountable to make sure children & youth in developing countries are working in a safe environment via social sites.
Internet is a blessing at the same time dangerous.
Raymond if you interested we should speak. I had sent you an email and did not get a respond.
I am tech evangelist & tech activist working to find a end user security protection and working with many tech leaders to help me find a solution. Best Ashie
i belong to 10 different groups where we expose , shut down and make public of these people and help get maximum prosecution for those who choose to harm children.we all must keep the never ending battle to keep them safe. human trafficing is just totally wrong and needs to be stopped. i watch facebook also being on 24hrs. i will not stop until we can find a solution or draw my last breath. you can also find me on facebook
this needs to be stopped and people involved brought to justice
Amazing write-up! This could aid plenty of people find out more about this particular issue. Are you keen to integrate video clips coupled with these? It would absolutely help out. Your conclusion was spot on and thanks to you; I probably won’t have to describe everything to my pals. I can simply direct them here!
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