Press Release
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND U.S. ATTORNEY R. ALEXANDER ACOSTA UNVEIL NEW PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTSTO COMBAT ONLINE EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN
December 9, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Campaign Educates Parents, Targets Potential Online Predators
MIAMI – The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta today unveiled an innovative national public service announcement (PSA) campaign to educate parents about the potential dangers that their children face online and to warn potential online predators that exploiting a child online is a serious federal offense.
The four new PSAs were developed jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Project Safe Childhood partners INOBTR (“I Know Better”), iKeepSafe and the Hispanic Communications Network.
“One of our highest priorities at the Department of Justice is combating the sexual exploitation of children," said OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores. “Our message to parents is--know where your kids go on the Internet, and to would-be predators we say--your illegal activity will have lifelong consequences."
United States Attorney Acosta noted, “Today, Project Safe Childhood Coalition members are reaching out to teachers, parents, school boards, and other interested parties to educate them on how sexual predators seek out our children using the internet. Through education and community awareness programs, including the PSAs unveiled today, we hope to promote the success of Project Safe Childhood’s greatest goal – protecting our children. Although we are committed to bringing on-line sexual predators to justice, we recognize that prosecution is a last resort; it often comes too late, after harm has been attempted or accomplished. Prevention is the key to keeping our children safe.”
“The internet is no place for a child to explore unchecked and alone,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "We need both the watchful eyes of parents and the aggressive prosecution of online predators."
iKeepSafe developed one of the PSAs, entitled “Know Where They Go,” to highlight the risks children face on the Internet. The PSA, illustrates how, in the digital world, children can travel anywhere, and why it is important that parents monitor what sites their children visit and who they are talking to. Elements of this campaign include television, print, radio and Web advertisements. For more on this PSA, please go to www.KnowWhereTheyGo.org.
INOBTR created a PSA entitled “Exploiting a Minor Is a Major Offense.” This cutting-edge campaign is designed to warn potential online predators that exploiting a child online is a serious federal offense. Elements of this campaign include television, movie theaters, print, radio and Web banners. For more on this PSA, please go to www.stopanonlinepredator.org.
The Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) produced two separate series of Spanish-language PSAs for television, radio, print and the Web. The first targets parents, while the second targets potential predators. The potential predator PSA seeks to inform low-level offenders or individuals looking for child pornography images online or attempting communication with minors that law enforcement is actively pursuing them, and that their illegal activity could have lifetime consequences. Like the INOBTR ad, it gives a compelling message to stop and think about the consequences of this serious federal crime. The Spanish-language information can be found on www.ProtegelosAhora.org for the parent campaign and www.NoTeArruines.org for the potential predator campaign. In addition, HCN produced an English-language short video for online distribution. The video, or Webisode, illustrates the dangers children face online and urges parents to become informed and involved, and to supervise their children’s Internet and mobile phone activity.
Launched in May 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department’s Criminal Division, and Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood and the public service announcements, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Attachments:
South Florida’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (“ICAC”) (PDF)
Federal Chile Exploitation Indictments SDFL FY 2005 - FY 2008 (PDF)
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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