Although the internet has made access to information very easy and is a useful tool, it is also just as easy and consequently dangerous for children to be lured into uncharacteristic behavior. Sexual predators are very adept and skilled in luring children into acts of deceit and careless behavior. Sexual predators will not concentrate on only one victim at a time but will actively entice four, five or even more unsuspecting children. They derive as much, if not more, pleasure from their enticing grooming as they do from their conquests. They will spend a great deal of time perfecting their rituals to orchestrate their contacts to perfection. They often pose as a child and strike up relevant conversations to lure children, attempting to meet them in person and commit sexual crimes.
Remember that as a parent your responsibility is to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.
Most sexual predators have very specific preferences in their victims. Although they are extremely paranoid about their behavior within the community, they tend to be a little careless and brazen on the internet. By being chronically predictable in their behavior, tracking by the authorities is made easier; however, the victims need to report all inappropriate activity on the web. These pedophiles often use the same rituals to entice their victims. They would use webcams and broadcast images of child pornography from a designated room where all the tools of their obsessions are kept. Examples of their tools would be in the form of fetish objects like condoms, vibrators, Viagra, towels, lubricants, pictures and a host of other objects. They will encourage children to keep small secrets, such as gifts. Once the first step has been achieved they will push for bigger secrets, like alcohol and drugs and finally allow the children to defy their parents.
CHILD PROTECTION IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO STAND BY AND WATCH!
The following definitions are applicable to Sexual Predation as well as Pornography and will therefore be dealt with again in the article on Pornography.
Collectors are predators who start on "static" sites collecting photos and pornography but who generally graduate to "dynamic" sites, i.e. real-time chat rooms, where they can meet potential victims and seek ways to realize their fantasies.
Travelers are the most dangerous type; these predators will send gifts and use enticements to draw the child away from the safety of the home. They will go great distances to meet their prey (even other countries). Generally they look for vulnerable lonely children who crave attention and they're quite persistent, as well as skilled.
Manufacturers distribute pornography to others and sometimes partake themselves, but are mostly in it for the money.
Chatters like to engage children in chat rooms and talk about sex but don't often graduate to meeting offline.
