Press Release

REPORTS OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY TO THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN CONTINUE TO RISE

ALEXANDRIA, VA - January 27, 2005 - New statistics released today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) show child pornography reports to its CyberTipline, a congressionally mandated mechanism for reporting child sexual exploitation, jumped 39 percent in 2004. Since the CyberTipline was established in 1998, reports of these illegal images have dramatically increased every year.   

"This is the seventh year that our statistics show a significant and steady increase in child pornography reports to the CyberTipline. This upward trend is very disturbing and shows the seriousness of this issue,” said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC. “The images transmitted on the Internet portray brutal sexual assaults of children and the harm does not end upon completion of the assault. Every time a child pornography image is sent out on the Web, that child is victimized again."

NCMEC believes the growth in reports can be attributed, in part, to new technologies including digital cameras and videos and peer-to-peer networking as well as an increased public awareness about the issue and a federal law [42 U.S.C. 13032(b) (1)] requiring ISPs to report incidents of child pornography to the CyberTipline. However, only 142 of the more than 3,000 electronic communications service providers in the U.S comply with the federal law.

 “ISPs have been instrumental in helping law enforcement crack down on child predators,” said Allen. “We are encouraged by their participation, but there are thousands more that should be joining this effort to keep children safer.”

Since 1998, NCMEC has handled more than 300,000 reports of all types of child sexual exploitation including child pornography, child molestation (outside the family), child prostitution, online enticement of children, child sex tourism, unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, and the federally mandated reports of child pornography from Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

While fighting child sexual exploitation is a tough battle, NCMEC’s CyberTipline has had success in helping law enforcement solve many of these cases.                                                             

CyberTipline Success Story: In October 2003, the CyberTipline received multiple reports concerning an individual who was allegedly posting illegal content to an ISP group. CyberTipline analysts reviewed the reports and found numerous images of child erotica. Searches on the suspect's e-mail accounts established a possible name and location. Analysts contacted the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Colorado and in March of 2004, investigators from the Westminster Police Department executed a search warrant on the suspect's home. They found 500 pornographic images of children and over 80,000 images of child erotica on the suspect's computer. Investigators also discovered that suspect had a prior history of crimes against children in both Florida and Texas. On October 1, 2004, the suspect pled guilty to one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children, a Class 4 Felony.  He was sentenced to 10 years-to-life requiring that he spend a minimum of 10 years in prison without parole.                                                               

BACKGROUND:  The CyberTipline is operated by NCMEC in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces, along with state and local law enforcement.

Citizens who have information that will help in the fight against child sexual exploitation should contact the CyberTipline by calling 1-800-843-5678 or go online to www.cybertipline.com. Leads will be forwarded to law enforcement for investigation and review, and, when appropriate, to the ISP.

Editor's note: More CyberTipline success stories are available online at www.cybertipline.com

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which serves as a national clearinghouse for information and a resource for child protection. It works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 300,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 104,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 89,000 children. For more information, please visit www.cybertipline.com or call toll-free 1-800-THE-LOST.

CONTACT:
NCMEC Communications
703-837-6111