Part 2
Situational offenders or predators?
According to Huffington Post contributing member, Debbie Wolf, “Most child sex offenders are not pedophiles. They are situational offenders.” She goes on to conclude: “We tend to assume that the tourists who abuse children are pedophiles, people with a clinical disorder and an exclusive sexual inclination for pre-pubescent children. We imagine them carefully planning their trips, with children front and centre. But the fact is, the majority of child sex tourists are in fact "Situational Offenders". They're presented with a situation where they can have sexual contact with a child, and they seize it.
The anonymity of being a tourist or traveler often influences their decision, convincing them that they won't get caught.”
I beg to disagree
These men and women are still pedophiles in that they have sex with children. To try to make them situational offenders does a disservice to the children they harm. Child survivors of exploitation carry with them the trauma of extreme sexual and mental abuse. This stays with them for the rest of their lives even if they are rescued. These people are not situational offenders and you cannot whitewash such horrific abuse by using such a term.
Debbie does suggest steps to take if you see child sex happening but that is about all I can say about the article. In any case, I have given money to World Vision multiple times but I never will again.
To read more click here.
Regulations
Regulations to protect children in other countries are not as robust as they should be because of the money sexual tourists bring in. In other countries child marriage, some as young as 6 or 7 is acceptable while in others children are simply not valued. Children in these countries are vulnerable and at risk from predators coming from other countries, the United States included.
The new International Megan’s Law will require offenders to register if they are going out of country. If you see child sex tourism report it. If you don’t you are complicit so take note.
Can it happen in California?
In July of 2016 a monk from Riverside and an Australian man were in Southern California wanting to buy a 6-year-old-boy.
They were among 238 people arrested during a 2 month operation targeting child predators. “Operation Broken Heart III, was conducted by the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes against Children task force who were targeting offenders wanted for the exploitation of children, child prostitution, sex tourism, and possessing and distributing child pornography,” said Deputy Chief Matt Blake of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Child trafficking does not just happen overseas. It happens in my home state of California. It is happening in your state too and unless and until we start to take this crime seriously it will continue to happen in our country and around the world. In 2016, human trafficking rose by 35%.
The top 5 states for trafficking are, starting from bottom to top:
5. New York
4. Ohio
3. Florida
2. Texas
1. California--a fact I never knew.
More arrests
On February 1, 2017 almost 500 people were arrested for human trafficking in California. 28 children were rescued, some of which had been reported missing. In addition to the children 27 adults were also rescued most claiming they they been coerced into prostitution. What I find amazing about this story is that I never saw it reported on the news or in a newspaper. I find this extremely disturbing.
In part 1 I asked my Facebook friends to comment on the issue of whether or not child trafficking is covered on the news, specifically, the major news networks, NBC, CBS, FOX, MSNBC, CNN etc.
Here are a few more answers:
Kitty: I can't think of any time at all.... perhaps a few times on FOX but none of the others that I can remember.
Lila: Not enough to shine the light on the children that are victims.
Denise: Very rarely. Yes
Part 3 coming soon.
