Yes, Virginia, sexual assaults against children are extremely common in the United States. They run the gamut from indecent exposure, physical fondling of children, engaging in sex acts with minors, showing pornography to or using children in porn films, exposing minors to sex acts of adults (in real time or through media), and continue all the way to prostituting minors or enslaving them for sex trafficking. Just in the most extreme measures alone-selling children to be raped for profit (prostitution of minors), estimates of 200,000 to 300,000 children annually in the United States are introduced into this vile life.
Many people in the United States have trouble believing that it happens here. Sure, they will acknowledge that children are raped and sexually abused and sold as prostitutes in countries like Cambodia or Zimbabwe, partly because such things are in the news rather frequently. But really? Here in the United States? It is hard to understand how that could occur in our country until you start seeing the headlines again . . .and again. . . and again. A society that tolerates or ignores smaller scale sexual abuse of minors will soon find itself looking at a mushroom effect of degradation and violence against children that makes child sex slavery seem not too far out of the ordinary.
Here are just a few such stories of sexual assaults against children just since Christmas.
- Articles about the Super Bowl and the expected influx of prostitution activity, often involving minors, into the Dallas/Arlington area
- The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 The fact that this bill passed in both chambers of congress shows the bipartisan recognition of the need for services for the youth who have been forced into child prostitution and the sex trades
- Human Trafficking in Hawaii
- Sex Still Very Much for Sale on Craig's List (Numerous Craig's Lists ads were depicting underage girls)
- The need for safe houses for women and girls who get out of the sex trades in Manhatten Beach, CA
- New websites joining the cause against Sex Trafficking
- Child porn cases (There is a conclusive relation between the use of porn and sexual assaults on children)
- Indicted Child Porn Distributor Used Facebook
- South Orange man is arrested on charge of possessing child porn
- Iowa man gets prison in federal child-porn case
- Man Charged with 10 Counts of Child Pornography
- Agents: Man Sent Child Porn Between Detroit, Dallas
- Computer repair shop reports child porn to police
- Former Hertfordshire County Council legal chief on child porn charges
- Police: San Jacinto man arrested after Illinois police give child porn tip
This was the partial result just for the search words sex trafficking and child porn. The list would be ten times longer if these terms were included: human trafficking, sex tourism, child molesting, child prostitution, selling of children, child rape, sex crimes against children and sex crimes against minors.
Well, Virginia, it seems there is a strong case for saying that sexual assault against children is at epidemic--no, pandemic proportions. Everyone of us is either part of the cause, or we can choose to be part of the solution.
Comments
I dont understand how people can hurt other children like that. do you?
It is beyond my comprehension, too. It needs to STOP.
Danielle, it is really amazing to see how often children get hurt like this. it is heartbreaking.
Merle,
Thanks for reading. I totally agree with you. It is up to the rest of us to take a stand when we see children being mistreated, even in smaller ways.
Its scary what happening out there.
What is really scary is the vast number of headlines every day on this matter, and this article only accounts for a few that day.
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