NEWS RELEASE
Monday
March 10, 2008
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Contact:
Communications Department
(703) 837-6111
media@ncmec.org
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NATIONAL CYBERTIPLINE MARKS 10 YEARS OF OPERATION
More than 570,000 Reports Allege Sex Crimes Involving
Children
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The CyberTipline, www.cybertipline.com,
the nation’s system for reporting suspected sexual exploitation of children
will celebrate 10 years of operation this week. Operated by the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the CyberTipline has
processed more than 570,000 reports of sex crimes against children, some
as young as two weeks old.
Estimates are that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized
in some way before they reach the age of 18. NCMEC-funded research
reports that 1 in 7 children who are regular Internet users are sexually solicited
online.
Created by Congress in 1998, the CyberTipline serves as the nation’s
online “911” for reporting suspected child pornography and other
sexual exploitation crimes against children. It is staffed by dedicated
personnel in NCMEC’s Exploited Child Division (ECD) who analyze and
develop the leads, which are then referred to law enforcement for investigation
and prosecution.
The CyberTipline operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Since
it was created, NCMEC has observed a dramatic increase in the number of
reports received.
“In the first 10 months of operation, the CyberTipline received a total
of 4,500 reports,” said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen. “For
the 12 months during 2007, that number exploded to 105,000. The increase in
the number of reports of child pornography and online sexual solicitation
of children is alarming. The child pornography images we are receiving
are more violent and the victims much younger, even infants.”
In addition to the reports received by the general public, the CyberTipline
also receives reports from the U.S. based Electronic Service Providers (ESPs). Each
individual report may involve several dozen or even hundreds of images. To
date, ESPs have reported more than 5 million images of child pornography to
the CyberTipline.
CyberTipline Statistics
Reports to the CyberTipline are organized into seven categories: Child Pornography;
Child Prostitution; Child Sex Tourism; Child Sexual Molestation; Online Enticement
of Children for Sexual Acts; Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child;
and Misleading Domain Name.
According to NCMEC, the possession, manufacture and/or distribution of child
pornography has remained the highest reporting category representing 87% or
approximately 497,000 reports.
The breakdown for the remaining six categories included: Online Enticement
of Children for Sexual Acts- 35,221 reports; Child Sexual Molestation – 13,906
reports; Misleading Domain Name – 6,787 reports; Child Prostitution – 6,343
reports; Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child – 6,338
reports, and Child Sex Tourism – 2,691 reports.
Comparison of CyberTipline Reports for 1998 and 2007
Type of Report |
1998 Reports
(Mar. 10 - Dec. 31) |
2007 Reports
(Jan. 1 - Dec. 31) |
| Child Pornography |
3,267 |
83,959 |
| Child Prostitution |
142 |
1,821 |
| Child Sex Tourism |
79 |
655 |
Child Sexual Molestation
(not in the family) |
365 |
2,523 |
| Online Enticement of Children for Sexual
Acts |
707 |
11,422 |
| Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child |
NA* |
1,920 |
| Misleading Domain Name |
NA** |
2,961 |
| TOTAL REPORTS: |
4,560 |
105,261 |
* This category was added in 2002
to reflect reports received.
**This category was added in 2004 to reflect reports received.
CyberTipline Success Stories
Many reports to the CyberTipline have resulted in the arrest and successful prosecution
of thousands of offenders worldwide.
One recent report from an ESP to the CyberTipline has led to the identification
and arrest of a 55-year-old California man, charged with sexually molesting
his six-year-old daughter live via webcam. Using the information provided
and a still image of the sexual abuse, an ECD analyst searched online photo
albums for matching physical characteristics, including a convicted sex offender
registry.
Further analysis of his tattoos and background confirmed that he was a registered
convicted sex offender living in California. Within hours of receiving the
CyberTipline report, Sherriff’s Deputies executed a search warrant at
the suspect’s home, where he surrendered to police and confessed to
molesting his two young daughters. Both girls were home schooled by the suspect,
who rarely allowed them to leave the residence. The girls are reportedly doing
well in foster care. The suspect is charged with his third felony conviction
in California and is facing a possible sentence of 25 years to life.
In another case, a concerned father in Oregon reported to the CyberTipline
that his 13- year-old daughter was having an inappropriate email relationship
with a 32-year-old male. The father submitted the emails between the suspect
and his daughter, which revealed graphic comments about the girl’s body
and the suspect’s desire to engage in sexual activity. The suspect
included reminders that the relationship was “their little secret,” and
encouraged her to delete the messages. ECD analysts reviewed the information
and determined that a meeting was planned between the suspect and teenager. Law
Enforcement was notified, and the suspect was arrested at a local park possessing
both condoms and gifts for the young teen. The suspect was charged with
attempted second degree sodomy and first degree attempted sexual abuse.
Anyone who believes a child is being sexually assaulted or exploited is asked
to contact the NCMEC CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or
1-800-843-5678 immediately.
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About the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children®
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 112,900 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.
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