Oprah Protects the Children

http://www.EmploymentCrossing.com Influential TV presenter Oprah Winfrey is calling on her viewers to support Senate Bill 1738, which authorizes funds to fight online child exploitation. The PROTECT Our Children Act would authorize $320 million over the next five years to fund law enforcement to investigate child exploitation; mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding; and allocate funds for software that can track down Internet predators. Winfrey says that in 2007, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who trafficked in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Winfrey also says “hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year.” This claim is only true if inappropriate online comments constitute “sexual abuse.” The incidence of such “unwanted sex talk” is alarmingly high – one in five online child users say someone has sent them an inappropriate comment. But the proportion of these children who have received a sexual flirtation from an adult followed by a request to meet in person is only one percent. In addition to an expanded federal and law enforcement effort, parents and guardians must take the time to monitor and guide their children’s’ Internet use.