BY: JENNIFER MADRIGAL and LEAFF Member Det. Syvock

L.E.A.F.F. Eastvale

With the rise of internet and app use among a younger and younger generation, the cases of child molestation cases has also continued to rise. Sadly, the age of children being victimized continues to get younger and younger as pedophiles continue to get braver and bolder in their pursuits. Many parents think that they are monitoring their children well enough to avoid any of these incidences from happening to “their child”, but the sad reality is that even the most vigilant parents can miss the signs.

First and foremost, there are some key words that define the “lingo” of the child pornography world: Collectors– Collect images of child pornography.  Collectors can and will transition to chatters.  Chatters– Chatters will surf the social media and gaming sites (Xbox, Play station, etc…) known to be used by children.  These chatters are looking for children to communicate with and the topics will transition to discussions involving sexual contact.  Chatters can and will become Travelers. Travelers– Adults that will meet with children for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities.  Travelers could be from the town/city next door or may travel across country to meet children.  Travelers can and will become manufacturers of child pornography as they will document their meetings in videos and photographs. Manufacturers– Manufacturers will produce images and videos depicting children being exploited (Child Pornography) to share with other likeminded individuals via the internet or through mailings.

According to Detective David Sycock, who is part of the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, once contact between the predator and the child has been established, the grooming process begins. These predators are able to spend more time with our children daily, through the internet, than a predator who has face to face access. They will often shower the victim with attention. This gives the child a sense that the predator cares about them because they are so patient and they listen so intently. The relationship will then progress to a relationship with an “us/them” mentality as it relates to parents or authority, which helps establish the groundwork for abuse. The predator will encourage the child to share secrets and try and earn their trust. The predator needs to make sure that the child will feel “safe” with them to ensure that the relationship and the eventual face to face meeting will remain a secret. Unfortunately, this is where sexual topics are gradually introduced in an effort to gauge the child’s reaction and willingness to move forward towards the face to face meeting. The predator will at this point encourage the child to share images with them. Images will usually be innocuous at first, but will transition into more graphic images involving sexual images. Some predators will even send the victim a camera or other gifts to take pictures with. The ultimate goal of the predator is always a face to face encounter, “Meeting In Real Life” (MIRL), where the physical sexual abuse will begin.

Once the abuse occurs, how do we as parents discover our child has been victimized? Usually, parents stumble onto graphic text messages, pictures, videos, etc. between the child and the predator. The child will often be uncooperative as the predator has spent so much time grooming them to believe that the predator is the good person and the parents are the bad people. Again, the “Us vs. Them” mentality is continued and encouraged by the predator, as they often have already coached them on how to respond. The difficulties with parenting the child will continue to get worse as the child will withdrawal further as they are confronted by parents. Parents may notice the child becoming more of a “loner” by separating themselves from family and social events, and problems in school will often increase as grades and attendance decrease.

So what can we do to make sure our children don’t become victims? First, be involved and vigilant. Know your way around the computer, smart phones, video games, etc. Do not give your children devices that you yourself do not know how to operate. Second, set house rules and stay firm. Have times and perimeters for internet use. Monitor their time and what sites they are on, and set boundaries on where children are allowed to use their internet devices. As a parent, you own the device and thus should be actively monitoring and checking your children’s devices for inappropriate content.

If you have any questions or think your child may be a victim please call your local law enforcement agency.