As Attorney General Gonzales has said, "The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most disturbing crimes known to humankind." The Office of Legal Policy (OLP) takes the lead in developing DOJ policies to protect children from such exploitation. Some of OLP's recent efforts in this area have included working with Congress to secure enactment of the Adam Wash Act; drafting regulations to implement provisions of that Act, including regulations under 18 U.S.C. § 2257 to require pornography producers to document that they do not use under-age performers; drafting legislation to strengthen the laws against child pornography to prevent children from being inadvertently directed to pornographic websites when surfing the Internet; and developing procedures to ensure that convicted sex offenders are tracked through mandatory registration databases.

Project Safe Childhood

Testimony of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Laurence E. Rothenberg on Justice Department Proposals To Combat Child Exploitation over the Internet (October 17, 2007)

Remarks of Assistant Attorney General Rachel L. Brand before the Project Safe Childhood National Conference (December 5, 2006)

Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006

Regulations Requiring Pornography Producers to Maintain Records of the Ages of Performers

Department of Justice Proposed Child Pornography and Obscenity Prevention Amendments (2006)

Department of Justice Proposed Child Pornography Amendments of 2006 (May 15, 2006)

Department of Justice Proposed Child Pornography Prevention and Obscenity Prosecution Act (2005)

Other resources:

DOJ Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crimes Against Children Program

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

National Sex Offender Public Website