Why so many mugshots ? Exposure is necessary to create awareness and protect innocent children
By Andrew Harris
Reading about children being harmed, exploited, and preyed upon in the most unimaginable ways is hard. Trust me, as a parent of three young children, it is hard to report about this almost every day. A daily scan of local police reports almost always includes some sort of violence against children. It makes you sick, then it becomes normal, and that makes you sicker.
The problem is so prolific that recent data reports that 6 OF 10 CHILDREN IN AMERICA ARE VICTIMS OF ABUSE. About a third of that abuse is sexual in nature. Yes, three of every ten children you see in a classroom or on a sports field are victims of sexual violence according to the data. If the children are a minority demographic or live in poverty stricken area, that data only gets worse.
The problem isn’t new but clearly the internet has made it much worse by turning child prostitution, child pornography, and child trafficking into a big industry. Last week, we have reported felony arrests for child molestation, creating child pornography, and possession of child pornography. One of the perpetrators was a church pastor, one of them was a repeat offender.
Deviants have always been forced to lurk in the shadows to access child pornography. Now they just log in, a whole universe awaits, if you are willing to pay. Sure you can get caught but law enforcement is clearly dealing with a widespread issue. Similar to DWI, arrests reflect a small percentage of those who are driving under the influence. To put the problem in context, consider this headline from Reason.com:
“The Number of Men in Federal Prison for Viewing or Sharing Child Pornography Has Nearly Septupled Since 2004”
Let’s be clear that while women certainly are involved in the crimes against children in some instances, this is predominately a social cancer perpetrated by men. Of course women are arrested all the time for abusing children, but rarely for sexual violence or child pornography.
The scourge of child pornograhy is clearly causing an increase in violent assaults against children.
In my opinion, sexually abusing a child is on par with murdering a child. While they may survive, leading a normal life is almost impossible. Many victims of these crimes also become perpetrators, their natural sexuality being permanently warped. This is a cycle which haunts the lives of THREE OF EVERY TEN CHILDREN.
The anger that this situation creates is hard to deal with. I can not imagine the level of emotional and mental fortitude that law enforcement officers must have to remain non-violent in the face of such non-stop tragedy. It makes me want to hug the victim, tell them they are not to blame, and then exercise a lethal judgement against the deranged criminal using sex as a weapon against an innocent child.
In many places around the world, that is the justice system, and it works. Not in our system. We can incarcerate to keep the public safe from individuals but that doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, our system seems to be making the problem worse.
Awareness, honest awareness is one of our only tested weapon in this war. We all must be keenly aware, vigilant, and educated on the risks. As a media outlet, the Sun will be dedicated to keeping the uncomfortable reality of child abuse and exploitation front and center.
This danger to our children, families, and futures is growing due to technology. The mugshots of accused perpetrators and the crimes they committ should make you angry, sad, but most importantly: Hyper aware of the reality.
Our hope is that each time we report on felony child abuse(pornography is abuse), including the name and picture of the accused, you will become increasingly aware. That increased awareness will prompt you to ask more questions, have more direct conversations with your young children, and be able to identify and report suspected abuse.
Read more data on the subject:
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens
Do you suspect child abuse, neglect, or exploitation? These are urgent emergencies, please contact a trusted law enforcement officer or, call 911.
