Sexual predators of young children in the Internet Essay

Sexual predators of young children in the Internet - Essay Example The online security risk of children from pedophiles has been made all the more higher because of easy access through the Internet. As the government tries to secure children however, where parents could be rest assured of some security, pedophiles have become wiser in securing information as in library files or through other means.Parental advice have been made available.As technology advances, information conveyance also advances. Thus the risk of various crimes such as human trafficking, including pedophilia, and illegal material trade caused by online incidents is all the more high. This paper looks into pedophilia particularly its risk on children as aided by the Internet.According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000), pedophilia is under the case of paraphilia. It is described as a psychosexual disorder in which a person fantasizes or is committing an act of sexual activity with pre-pubertal children (APA 2000). For online pedophiles, there are two categories: the dabbler and the preferential offender (Bennett and Hess 2001).The dabbler is essentially a typical adolescent searching for pornography, a curious adult with a newly found access to pornography; or a profit-motivated criminal. The other category named preferential offender is usually a sexually indiscriminate individual with a wide variety of deviant sexual interests or a pedophile with a definite preference for children (Bennett & Hess 2001).Historical antecedents... As reported in Christian Science Monitor (Ford 2004), there is even an open child-sex market identified as being in the German-Czech border district that began in 1996 with child prostitutes, the youngest being 6 years old. The pedophile case in the U.S. ranks second in the crimes being reported in the news (Killias 2000). Current importance. The Internet has become a primary medium by which pedophiles exchange images and experiences with one another. Many of these pedophiles belong to international organizations and web rings that are known to distribute pornographic images of children as well as other related material (Lesce 1999). Through Internet chat rooms, podcasts and streaming radio, pedophiles from diverse backgrounds are able to share information, swap stories, politically organize and even give tips on how to distribute to children a printable booklet that extols the benefits of sex with adults. Despite the illegality and societal outrage having sex with minors, the Internet support groups help them justify their behavior (Dawson, 2006). Many online pedophiles that target youngsters are aware of the needs and desires of the young and use their knowledge to exploit the youth through seduction or manipulation (U.S. Department of Justice 2007.). The trouble is that as stated by California's Megan's Law Online, not all sex offenders are caught and convicted (Office of the Attorney General 2007). Controversy. Some pedophiles regard themselves as pushing for legalization of child pornography and the loosening of age-of-consent laws. They view themselves as fighting for children's rights to engage in sex with adults. A Dutch group, in fact, formed a pedophile political party, and celebrated when a Dutch court