To put an end to child abuse

BY JEAN PIPER

With the news reports on missing, exploited, and abused children, whose heart does not yearn to help? According to the World Health Organization, worldwide, about 40 million children are subjected to child abuse each year. In the US the number of children suffering from some form of abuse or neglect rises annually. Internet technologies and webcams have led to a new "epidemic" of trading child pornography over the World Wide Web. Between 2001 and 2004, the number of reports of child pornography sites to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children grew by almost 400 percent.

The number of cases to be investigated each day has overwhelmed the resources of police and law enforcement agencies. As a result, top priority is given to those children in immediate danger, while others remain in abusive situations and await intervention.

Last October a landmark bill, the Protect Our Children Act, became law in the US. By expanding the requirements for electronic service providers to report online child pornography, it will give law enforcement agencies greater access to the online records of suspected child predators. The bill will also supply additional financial resources to law enforcement agencies.

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