WASHINGTON, D.C.—Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday a first-of-its-kind national strategy to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. In addition to releasing the 144-page report—the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction—which was sent to Congress, Holder and other top cops addressed the issue of child sexual abuse before a crowd gathered at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va.
“Since the Justice Department launched the Project Safe Childhood initiative in 2006, investigations and prosecutions of child exploitation crimes have increased dramatically,” said Holder. "Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a historic rise in the distribution of child pornography, in the number of images being shared online, and in the level of violence associated with child exploitation and sexual abuse crimes. Tragically, the only place we’ve seen a decrease is in the age of victims.”
According to the report, since the inception of Project Safe Childhood, federal prosecutions have increased by 40 percent, more than 8,600 defendants have been indicted, and more than 2,400 alleged sex offenders were indicted in 2009 alone. Still, said Holder, the national effort to protect children from sexual abuse needs to be escalated.
“This new Strategy provides the roadmap necessary to do just that—to streamline our education, prevention and prosecution activities; to improve information sharing and collaboration; and to make the most effective use of limited resources,” he said. “It also details specific steps that are being—and will be—taken to reduce and overcome current threats.”
The national strategy encompasses seven broad goals:
First, the DoJ will continue to partner closely with state, local, tribal and non-governmental entities, as well as other federal agencies and the public sector, to implement the National Strategy in a coordinated fashion.
Second, the department will build on the success of the Project Safe Childhood initiative.
Third, the department will increase its commitment to a leadership role in finding a global solution to the transnational problem of the sexual exploitation of children.
Fourth, the department will work toward improving the quality, effectiveness and timeliness of computer effectiveness investigations and analysis.
Fifth, the department will increase its commitment to effective and sophisticated training for prosecutors and investigators.
Sixth, the department will continue to partner with industry to develop objectives to reduce the exchange of child pornography.
Seventh, the department will explore opportunities to increase the education and awareness of federal, state, local and tribal judges of the difficult issues involved in child sexual exploitation.
Of note, the report makes clear that there is no relationship between what is commonly referred to as “child pornography” and sexual content produced by the adult entertainment industry.
“Child pornography is unrelated to adult pornography,” the report states on page 8.
The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction can be read here.
