Child Sexual Predators: Help Stop Them

As 2014 comes to a close, think about this. Between three and four million children have been sexually abused this year in the United States. But only about 100,000 of these cases have been reported to the police. Most children who are sexually abused never tell anyone about it.

Whether you realize it or not, your children and grandchildren and nieces and nephews are in danger.

• One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18
• Ten percent of these children will be abused by an adult they encounter in their own school sometime between kindergarten and their graduation.
• At a minimum, six percent of sexually abused children will go on to become abusers, themselves.

Most of us know that child sexual predators gravitate toward organizations that serve children—schools, churches, scouts, sports teams, and so on. And we also know that within the last decade most of these organizations have implemented a background investigation requirement for anyone who works with children. Those of us who have served in child oriented organizations know this because we’ve experienced undergoing such investigations.

What most of us don’t know is that these background investigations provide virtually no deterrence whatsoever to the child sexual predator. Predators blow right through these barriers because most have never been caught.  (more...)

Child Sexual Predators: Help Stop Them