Disenfranchised-Help Now

Friday, April 29, 2011

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Education and Prevention

Thank you for visiting the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). On this site, you may encounter information about sex offenders living near you or your loved ones. An informed public is a safer one, and information will help you make better choices. What does it mean to live, work, or attend a school near a sex offender’s residence? What are the real threats to you or your children’s safety? What should you do if you suspect abuse is occurring or has occurred? All of these questions may come to mind as you view the results of your queries to this Website. The information contained on this portion of NSOPW will assist you in learning the facts about sexual abuse and help you protect yourself and loved ones from potential victimization. Below, you will find information organized into three groups: children, teens, and adults. Each section is prefaced by facts, which are followed by prevention and education materials and additional links to resources designed to assist parents and caregivers.

Teens

Facts:

Approximately, 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been the victims of sexual assault.⁷
33% of sexual assaults occur when the victim is between the ages of 12 and 17.⁸
82% of all juvenile victims are female.⁹
Teens 16 to 19 years of age were 3 1/2 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.¹⁰
69% of the teen sexual assaults reported to law enforcement occurred in the residence of the victim, the offender, or the residence of another individual.¹¹
Approximately 1 in 5 female high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.¹²
Approximately 1 in 7 (13%) youth Internet users received unwanted sexual solicitations.¹³
4% of youth Internet users received aggressive solicitations, in which solicitors made or attempted to make offline contact with youth.¹⁴
9% of youth Internet users had been exposed to distressing sexual material while online.¹⁵

Warning Signs in Children and Adolescents of Possible Sexual Abuse: Stop It Now! has developed a tip sheet(PDF) to help identify possible warning signs. Any one sign does not mean that a child was sexually abused, but the presence of several suggests that you begin asking questions and consider seeking help.

Behavior you may see in a child or adolescent:

Has nightmares or other sleep problems without an explanation
Seems distracted or distant at odd times
Has a sudden change in eating habits
Refuses to eat
Loses or drastically increases appetite
Has trouble swallowing.
Sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity, or withdrawal
Leaves “clues” that seem likely to provoke a discussion about sexual issues
Writes, draws, plays, or dreams of sexual or frightening images
Develops new or unusual fear of certain people or places
Refuses to talk about a secret shared with an adult or older child
Talks about a new older friend
Suddenly has money, toys, or other gifts without reason
Thinks of self or body as repulsive, dirty, or bad
Exhibits adult-like sexual behaviors, language, and knowledge

Behavior more typically found in adolescents:

Self-injury (cutting, burning)
Inadequate personal hygiene
Drug and alcohol abuse
Sexual promiscuity
Running away from home
Depression, anxiety
Suicide attempts
Fear of intimacy or closeness
Compulsive eating or dieting

If you have questions or would like resources or guidance for responding to a specific situation, visit the Stop It Now! online help center or call the national, toll-free Helpline at (888) PREVENT.

Materials:

The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.
NetSmartz Teens: Today’s teens have a knowledge of the Internet that often surpasses that of their parents. Because so many teens are Internet-savvy, it is imperative that they also have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them. Watch teens share their own “Real-Life Stories” about issues affecting them on the Internet, such as cyberbullying, online enticement, and giving out too much personal information.
NCMEC’s Prevention and Safety Education programs and materials contain information and tips that will help you keep children and teens safer.
Teen Victims Project: Teen Tools Sexual Assault Fact Sheet (PDF): The National Center for Victims of Crime have developed a series of Teen Tools fact sheets, written for teens, about how to recognize a crime, what emotions to expect, and how to receive or give help.
Understanding Teen Dating Violence Fact Sheet (PDF): The Centers for Disease Control’s National Prevention Center for Injury Prevention and Control developed a fact and resource sheet to help families understand and prevent teen dating violence.

Additional Resources:

CyberTipline: NCMEC operates the CyberTipline as a means of reporting incidents of child sexual exploitation, including the possession, manufacture, and/or distribution of child pornography; online enticement; child prostitution; child sex tourism; extrafamilial child sexual molestation; unsolicited obscene material sent to a child; and misleading domain names, words, or digital images. The CyberTipline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Make a report at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1.800.THE.LOST if you have information that will help in our fight against child sexual exploitation.
The National Center for Victims of Crime is dedicated to forging a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. The National Center's toll-free Helpline, (800) FYI-CALL, offers supportive counseling, practical information about crime and victimization, and referrals to local community resources, as well as skilled advocacy in the criminal justice and social service systems.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline, (800) 656-HOPE, operated by The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Your call is anonymous and confidential. You may also contact a counselor using the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline. The online hotline provides live, secure, anonymous crisis support for victims of sexual assault, their friends, and families. Both resources are free of charge and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you would like to search for a specific crisis center in your area, visit http://centers.rainn.org.

References

Kilpatrick, D., Acierno, R., Saunders, B., Resnick, H., Best, C., Schnurr, P. "National Survey of Adolescents." Charleston, SC: Medical University of South Carolina, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1998.
"Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics." U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.
"Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics." U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. "National Crime Victimization Survey." U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.
"Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics." U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.
Silverman, J. G., Raj, A., Mucci, L. A., and Hathaway, J. E. "Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality." Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 286, (No. 5), 2001.
Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., Finkelhor, D. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2006. Available online: http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf.
Ibid.
Ibid.

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Department of Justice

Education and Prevention

Teens

Facts:

Approximately, 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been the victims of sexual assault.⁷
33% of sexual assaults occur when the victim is between the ages of 12 and 17.⁸
82% of all juvenile victims are female.⁹
Teens 16 to 19 years of age were 3 1/2 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.¹⁰
69% of the teen sexual assaults reported to law enforcement occurred in the residence of the victim, the offender, or the residence of another individual.¹¹
Approximately 1 in 5 female high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.¹²
Approximately 1 in 7 (13%) youth Internet users received unwanted sexual solicitations.¹³
4% of youth Internet users received aggressive solicitations, in which solicitors made or attempted to make offline contact with youth.¹⁴
9% of youth Internet users had been exposed to distressing sexual material while online.¹⁵

Behavior you may see in a child or adolescent:

Has nightmares or other sleep problems without an explanation
Seems distracted or distant at odd times
Has a sudden change in eating habits
Refuses to eat
Loses or drastically increases appetite
Has trouble swallowing.
Sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity, or withdrawal
Leaves “clues” that seem likely to provoke a discussion about sexual issues
Writes, draws, plays, or dreams of sexual or frightening images
Develops new or unusual fear of certain people or places
Refuses to talk about a secret shared with an adult or older child
Talks about a new older friend
Suddenly has money, toys, or other gifts without reason
Thinks of self or body as repulsive, dirty, or bad
Exhibits adult-like sexual behaviors, language, and knowledge

Behavior more typically found in adolescents:

Self-injury (cutting, burning)
Inadequate personal hygiene
Drug and alcohol abuse
Sexual promiscuity
Running away from home
Depression, anxiety
Suicide attempts
Fear of intimacy or closeness
Compulsive eating or dieting

If you have questions or would like resources or guidance for responding to a specific situation, visit the Stop It Now! online help center or call the national, toll-free Helpline at (888) PREVENT.

Materials:

The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.
NetSmartz Teens: Today’s teens have a knowledge of the Internet that often surpasses that of their parents. Because so many teens are Internet-savvy, it is imperative that they also have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them. Watch teens share their own “Real-Life Stories” about issues affecting them on the Internet, such as cyberbullying, online enticement, and giving out too much personal information.
NCMEC’s Prevention and Safety Education programs and materials contain information and tips that will help you keep children and teens safer.
Teen Victims Project: Teen Tools Sexual Assault Fact Sheet (PDF): The National Center for Victims of Crime have developed a series of Teen Tools fact sheets, written for teens, about how to recognize a crime, what emotions to expect, and how to receive or give help.
Understanding Teen Dating Violence Fact Sheet (PDF): The Centers for Disease Control’s National Prevention Center for Injury Prevention and Control developed a fact and resource sheet to help families understand and prevent teen dating violence.

Additional Resources:

CyberTipline: NCMEC operates the CyberTipline as a means of reporting incidents of child sexual exploitation, including the possession, manufacture, and/or distribution of child pornography; online enticement; child prostitution; child sex tourism; extrafamilial child sexual molestation; unsolicited obscene material sent to a child; and misleading domain names, words, or digital images. The CyberTipline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Make a report at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1.800.THE.LOST if you have information that will help in our fight against child sexual exploitation.
The National Center for Victims of Crime is dedicated to forging a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives. The National Center's toll-free Helpline, (800) FYI-CALL, offers supportive counseling, practical information about crime and victimization, and referrals to local community resources, as well as skilled advocacy in the criminal justice and social service systems.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline, (800) 656-HOPE, operated by The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Your call is anonymous and confidential. You may also contact a counselor using the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline. The online hotline provides live, secure, anonymous crisis support for victims of sexual assault, their friends, and families. Both resources are free of charge and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you would like to search for a specific crisis center in your area, visit http://centers.rainn.org.

References

Kilpatrick, D., Acierno, R., Saunders, B., Resnick, H., Best, C., Schnurr, P. "National Survey of Adolescents." Charleston, SC: Medical University of South Carolina, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1998.
"Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics." U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.
"Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics." U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. "National Crime Victimization Survey." U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.
"Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics." U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000.
Silverman, J. G., Raj, A., Mucci, L. A., and Hathaway, J. E. "Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality." Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 286, (No. 5), 2001.
Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., Finkelhor, D. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2006. Available online: http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf.
Ibid.
Ibid.

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Saturday, March 19, 2011

How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting

PARENTING: How To Prevent Teenagers from Sexting and Protect Them From Other Teens Who Do...

With the ubiquity of ever more powerful cell phones, sexting has become an increasing concern for the parents of teenagers and preteens. This article describes how you can protect your child from the dangers of sexting, an activity that has major implications for long-term online reputation and electronic privacy.

Sexting refers to sharing nude or near nude pictures, usually via a mobile phone. Most experts distinguish between sending naked photos, an activity with serious privacy, health, and legal implications, and simply sending suggestive text messages, which is less harmful.

Understand why teenagers engage in sexting

Although teens are less concerned with online reputation management than adults, that doesn’t mean they are unaware of the electronic privacy implications of sexting. Teenagers sext for completely understandable reasons, so drop the “my child would never do that” attitude. According to two recent surveys (PDF), approximately 1 in 10 American teenagers have sent sexts, and approximately 1 in 3 have received them.

Some of the reasons teenagers send sexually explicit photos include the following:

- Peer pressure or cyberbullying
- Self-esteem issues
- Rebelliousness, or the sense that they should be allowed to decide
- As a romantic gesture
- Because it feels naughty, liberating, or grown-up
- As a sexual favor in exchange for other services

Below are some other statistics useful in developing a rounded picture:

- Girls are slightly more likely to send explicit photos than boys.
- Of teenagers that do send sexually explicit photos, about 10 percent willfully send them to people they don’t even know. One teen girl even sent nude photos of herself to an entire school hockey team.
- Approximately 80 percent of young people in the U.S. under the age of 18 believe sexting is wrong, although some of those same teens do it anyway.
- Most teens that send sexts never get caught.

Learn about the actual dangers of sexting

As it turns out, teens are fairly well educated as to the dangers of exposing private information or photos digitally. They also understand the impact on their online reputations, at least among their peer groups. Datafrom the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire suggests that sharing personal information electronically does not on its own correlate to an increased risk of harm. According to a survey of American adolescents, 3 out of 4 get it right when they say that sharing personal information or photos online falls between “somewhat safe” and “somewhat unsafe,” similar to the danger of underage drinking.

Where teens fall short is in their understanding of the legal ramifications of sexting. Simply stated, sending sexts of people under 18 years of age is illegal. Beyond online reputation, teens that send sexually explicit photos can be convicted of child pornography charges and have their names permanently placed on registered sex offenders lists. This has already happened: One Florida youth received five years probation and registration as a sex offender when he send nude photos of his ex-girlfriend to her entire family and school.

This scenario is made worse by the fact that teens are highly likely to share the sexts they receive, with little regard to the electronic privacy of the sender. Even if your child would never engage in sexting under normal circumstances, the temptation to forward unsolicited naked photos of a classmate, like the ones sent by the Florida teen above, can be hard to resist. But it can land your child in jail.

Educate your teen respectfully

You will not stop your teen from sexting by adopting a stern, draconian attitude. They can outwit you technologically and they know it, so prevention is the best form of protection. Show your children that you understand the actual dangers and the pressures they face.

Sit down with your teen in a non-confrontational, non-threatening environment. Tell your child that you want to talk about digital privacy, and ask if they know if their peers engage in sexting. (Chances are they do know, whether or not they tell you about it.)

Next, explain that you understand why teens sext, but also emphasize the legal dangers. Explain that if he or she receives a sext, it should under no circumstances be distributed because distribution is a violation of privacy laws. Also explain that if you find child pornography on the child’s phone, you may be legally required to take it to the police.

If you have already found evidence that your child is sexting, consider counseling through your teen’s school or with local law enforcement. An embarrassing slap on the wrist is better than a child pornography conviction. For teens whose online reputation has been tarnished by a sexting mistake gone bad, contact a web reputation management firm like Reputation Defender.

Adopt a healthy digital environment at home and engage in appropriate monitoring

Teens who engage in more destructive forms of sexting often also have other problems, ranging from abuse of drugs or medications to binge drinking or over-reliance on anti-depressants. The best way to cope with this type of sexting is to maintain a healthy home environment where teens feel like part of a connected family.

For starters, ban cell phones at the dinner table or during other family activities. (Yes, that means your BlackBerry is banned too.) Additionally, insist that phone chargers stay in the parents’ bedroom, where children won’t have access after bedtime. This prevents round-the-clock peer pressure caused by the 100 text messages that the average American teen girl sends daily. And when it comes to sexting, the best form of privacy protection is lack of access.

Next, instigate routine monitoring at random times, when you and your teen sit down together to go through multimedia phone messages. Stay away from your teen’s texts, only look at photos and videos. You want to show respect for privacy and that you’re only concerned with protection. Also, allow the child to operate the phone during these sessions, though make sure you know how the phone works so that they can’t dupe you. Knowing that their phone will be observed will help children to stay on the straight and narrow.

Sexting is yet another modern danger for parents to worry about, but if you adopt family-centric, respectful parenting techniques combined with education, you can rest assured that your child is likely to make the right choice.