Child Molestation

Child molestation, one of the most unfathomable crimes I can think of, can be extremely damaging to the victim both physically and emotionally. The median age of the victims of convicted sex offenders was less than 13 years old. These children grow up not knowing what appropriate sexual behavior is. As with physical abuse, the likelihood of a victim growing up to commit the same type of crime is very high.

With the growing popularity of the internet, pornography is now at the fingertips of these child molesters. Statistics show that 90 percent of the predators who molest children have had some type of involvement with pornography which shows us that pornography does play a role in molestation. We need to prosecute the people who are running child pornography websites. If we make an example out of these people we can help alleviate some of the problems that come along with child pornography.

When a child is sexually abused, it’s common that they keep quiet about it and if they do tell someone, they usually have to tell multiple people before the authorities are called. It’s estimated that only 35% of sexual abuse is reported. Children are afraid and confused when they are sexually abused. In some instances, children don’t know it okay to tell somebody about the molestation. One-third of the convicted offenders had committed a crime against their own child and about half of the convicted offenders had a relationship with the child, either through friends or family. A child should be able to confide in their parents when they are being sexually abused, but it complicates it when the parent or someone close to the parent is the abuser. More education needs to be given to children at a young age regarding what is inappropriate behavior and how to talk to an adult about it.