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Trace Mobile: Questions About Your Fiance?

photo credit: Steve Weaver

Feb. 9, 2006 — Fifteen-year-old “Debbie” is the middle child in a close-knit Air Force family from suburban Phoenix, and a straight-A student — the last person most of us would expect to be forced into the seamy world of sex trafficking.

But Debbie, which is not her real name, is one of thousands of young American girls who authorities say have been abducted or lured from their normal lives and made into sex slaves. While many Americans have heard of human trafficking in other parts of the world — Thailand, Cambodia, Latin America and eastern Europe, for example — few people know it happens here in the United States.

The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked in America today. They range in age from 9 to 19, with the
average age being 11.

And many victims are no longer just runaways, or kids who’ve been abandoned. Many of them are from what would be considered “good” families, who are lured or coerced by clever predators, say experts. “These predators are particularly adept at reading children, at reading kids, and knowing what their vulnerabilities are,” said FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus, who started the Lost Innocence project, which specializes in child- and teen-sex trafficking. [More...]

Also, Join us as we interview Somanjana C.Bhattacharya of Love146.org she is over the Public Relations & Communications Division… Soma has offered to be on our special guest on CHW Friday’s, show dedicated to: End Internet Trafficking and the Coalition that has been started to stop this on Craigslist and other legitimate business, that are facilitating these types of crimes…

Please Join us this Friday, 14th 2008 on our CyberHood Watch live radio show, and ask Soma your most pressing questions…

Your Online Security Authority

Bill Wardell

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Teen Girls’ Stories of Sex Trafficking in U.S.

Technorati Tags: sex slaves, Sex Trafficking

1) Know The Enemies

The most important way of preventing kids from being abused is to know what sexual aggressors typically do. When you understand how offenders think and how they go about the grooming process, you can greatly increase the safety of your child and that of other children.

The usual advances that sexual predators make always start with gaining the potential victim’s and the family’s belief and reliance. Then, after gaining the young victim’s trust, the aggressor will acquaint the child with different types of sexual contact and other unsuitable acts. In the end, the victim, or your child, will be exploited with the use of vile threats and deception to cover the act of sexual aggression.

2) Know The Friends

A large percentage of sexual crimes against children have been committed by people known or close to the victim. By knowing all the people who spends a lot of time with your child, you will be able to detect patterns in some of these people that may serve as early warning signals against a potential sexual aggressor.

Sexual offenders usually groom their victims by being extraordinarily pleasant and accommodating to their target victims!!! An older person who prefers the companionship of children may be signs that the person is a potential offender.

3) Trust Your Instincts

When someone is grooming your child, you will definitely feel it in your gut. A good parent knows that something wrong is going on with a child. And before something worse happens, like sexual assault, you should act immediately. It does not matter if your suspicions or instincts are mistaken, what is important is being able to save your child from a sexual offender.

4) Listen To Your Child

Your child’s stories are replete with clues and other information about the people they spend time with. By listening carefully to your child, you may uncover facts about personalities or characters that should serve as warning signals that your child is being groomed by sexual offenders.

5) Open Communication Lines With Your Child

By simply allowing an open communication between you and your child, the more chances that your child will tell you about the people in his or her circle. Children tend to be more open and descriptive about their stories if they are encouraged to freely have chitchat with their parents.

6) Educate Your Child

Equip your child with the knowledge of what happens in the real world. Teach your child about what makes a certain act or touch malicious; and this is not the time to be queasy about it. Knowing what constitutes bad-natured advances will allow your child to recognize threats early on.

7) Investigate Doubtful Behavior

There are times when your suspicions and instincts are wrong. While ensuring your child’s safety should be at the top of your list, you must also know the facts behind your suspicions. Investigating and validating your suspicious behavior will allow you to form a cohesive case for law enforcers to investigate; which in the long run, will also save other children from being victimized.

Cut Off Contact Between Child And Suspected Offender

As soon as you suspect that your child is being groomed by a sexual offender, you must cut off your child’s contact with that person. It is always better to stop the criminal intent before it actually happens to your child.

9) Teach Your Child To Say No

More often than not, potential sexual offenders will try to use all manner of allurement to groom and gain the confidence and faith of your child. The bribes come in all forms; from as basic as candies and other munchies to expensive favors like free carnival treats and the latest gadgets. Teaching your child to just say no to these favors may save him or her from sexual predators.

10) Be With Your Child

Nothing beats being with your child for most of the time. In their growing-up years, children are always looking for someone they could look up to. And who would play a better hero other than you? Making time for your child even if you have been busy at work will surely make your child feel special; when that happens, he or she will not need to seek attention from other people who, in the end, could be wolves dressed as sheep.

Protect yourself and your family!

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10 Powerful Ways To Prevent Your Kid From Being Groomed

Technorati Tags: crimes against children, criminal act, early warning, sexual aggression, sexual crimes, sexual predators

It’s difficult for kids not to love the internet. With the innumerable opportunities it presents as a source of information, entertainment and communication, the internet is just too good to pass up. Unfortunately, it is also a means with which kids can access the kind of information that can mislead or harm them in the future. If you are a parent of internet loving kids, here are 10 online monitoring tips you can use to protect them:

1. Agree on what sites they can access and which ones they can’t.
Before you allow kids to use the internet, agree on a set of rules first. This is important to establish what they can and cannot do, especially when it comes to accessing certain websites or communicating with certain individuals.

2. Install security software.
When you have internet loving kids, it’s almost irresistible for them to click on links and sites that offer plenty of games, music, images and download opportunities. The problem is, it can expose your computer to dangerous viruses and spyware. Security software will help prevent computer virus attacks and keep your computer safe.

3. Implement parental controls.
Use your computer system’s parental controls to monitor and regulate what your children accesses online. This will prevent them from viewing websites that contain inappropriate content. If you’re unsure how to use parental controls on your system, check your vendor’s website for tips and advice.

4. Use ISPs that provide parental controls.
There are internet service providers like AOL and MSN that offer parents a means to monitor and restrict their children’s activities online. You might want to check with your ISP to see if this service is being offered.

5. Use filters.
Parents with internet loving kids frequently use content and spam filters. These filters help block content such as texts and images that contain inappropriate material. They can also prevent spam, which can both be nuisance and a threat, if they contain spyware or links to sites with materials of violent or sexual nature.

6. Keep the computer in a common room.
Since you cannot watch over what your kid does online 24/7, most experts recommend that you bring the computer out of their rooms and keep them in a public room, such as the living room or den. That way, kids will be reluctant to view websites with questionable content.

7. Use a common family e-mail user account.
This is a good idea for internet loving kids younger than 12, since parents can monitor the e-mails that they receive, particularly if they sign up for memberships to websites or enter games and competitions. In case there are e-mails that threaten, bully or sexually provoke your child, you will be aware of what they are and where they are from.

8. If your kid is a member of a social networking group, ask for his or her URL.
Social networking groups such as MySpace are popular with internet loving kids because they are given the opportunity to meet new friends, share news and gossip and even post and view personal photos. Each member of these groups is assigned his own URL or online address.

Ask what your kid’s URL is and access his webpage from time to time to check what images and information are posted. If you find something that you don’t approve of, immediately tell your child to remove it. Better yet, set the rules prior to posting to ensure that they never give out personal information or post photos that might embarrass them or encourage a stalker or pervert.

9. Limit your kids’ internet viewing time.
Although this can mean a lot of sacrifice for internet loving kids, it’s always best to set time limits on their online access. Designate a few hours per day for them to use the internet for either research or entertainment. If they need an extension, allow it only for school related work. Otherwise, don’t let them spend more time than is necessary online.

10. Become involved for your child’s welfare.
If you see something that is inappropriate or a practice by a website or your ISP that is unsafe, contact them immediately. You can also get in touch with websites and groups that advocate for children’s online safety. If you’re a parent of internet loving kids, you need to actively participate to ensure that they are kept safe and secure online.

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10 Online Monitoring Tips For Parents With Internet Loving Kids

Technorati Tags: block content, computer system, inappropriate material, innumerable opportunities, parental controls, spam filters

If you don’t know what to do to safeguard your child’s safety from bad elements on the Net, read on the tips below:

Be On The Know

According to a famous cartoon series in the 80s, Knowing Is Winning Half The Battle. It is true. If you want to protect your child from online sexual predators and other fraudsters, you need to know about the Internet, what sites kids frequent and other things that might interest the youth of today.

Many sexual offenders and unscrupulous individuals do extensive research on the Web and what kids like and do not like. They may actually know your kids better than you do. So if you want to protect your kids from these types of wily people, you need to beat them in their own game.

Look For Resources And Groups That Can Help You With Your Cause

If you want to succeed in protecting your children from cyber predators, you need as much help as you can get. Seek help from organizations and groups whose objective or aim is Internet safety for kids. Visit their websites or participate in their campaign so you will have all the knowledge and tools to guide and protect your children.

Talk With Your Kids About Internet Safety

As soon as you buy a computer and subscribe for an Internet connection, you need to teach your kids about Internet safety. Failing to do so is just like allowing your child to enter the lion’s den.

It would be best to ask them to team up with you in protecting your family’s identity and privacy. This way, they will feel responsible not only for themselves but also for the whole family as well. They will be warned that personal information they give to people and friends they meet online might cause harm to the whole family.

Impose Rules Regarding Internet Use and Meeting Online Friends

After talking to them about Internet safety, you now need to follow it up with imposing rules. Do not make harsh or very strict rules because they might get rebellious and they may feel that you don’t trust them. Ensure that the rules you impose are reasonable. Explain to them the reason why you are imposing such rules.

According to a study conducted by Media Awareness Network in 2005, imposing a rule regarding meeting online friends prevents such incident from happening by 50%. It is good to know that many children still listen to their parents.

Put Computer In The Common Area

To make it harder for online predators to send sexually explicit materials or converse with your children inappropriately, you have to place the computer in the common room, where it would be easier for you to monitor your kids Internet activities. If you put the computer in the children’s bedroom, you won’t be able to monitor them as much as you can.

Encourage Your Kids To Use Family E-mail Account

Set up a family email account and tell your kids to use it. It may be better if you are the one to teach your child to use the email to discourage them from setting up their own account.

Maintain Open Communications With Your Kids

Be open with your kids and ask questions about their friends, school and other activities. It really pays if you are genuinely interested in what they are saying. You know kids, once they feel that you are just asking to snoop around, they will get rebellious. Learn and setup rules for Keeping Our Children Safe!

Install Pertinent Software

There are software programs available on the market that can help parents monitor the computer use of their children. Although you may not be able to read their conversations, at least you will know what sites they visit, what files they are downloading, etc.

Seek Help From School And Other Parents

It is always advisable to seek the help of parents and teachers with regard to Internet safety of children. Since kids can access the computer at school and at their friends’ house, you need to ensure that these computers are safe and protected too.

Monitor Your Kids’ Internet Usage and Behavior

As mentioned earlier, you need to monitor your kids’ Internet usage. Furthermore, you need to be aware of the subtle changes in their behavior. Know the tell tale signs of how children who are being groomed by online sexual predators behave and interact with people. If you want the very best system on the planet to protect your children use this Managed PC Care…

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10 Simple Tips to Avoid Letting Your Kids Fall into the Trap of Online Predators

Technorati Tags: cyber predators, cyber world, internet safety, sexual predators