THE COURIER JOURNAL (Thursday, January 5, 2006) - Child pornography perpetuates a hideous form of child sexual abuse. The Courier-Journal's Dec. 5 article, "Cracking down on child pornography," focused on a growing problem -- the Internet bringing these illegal images into homes.

The Internet is also a stomping ground for sexual predators' efforts to meet and victimize children. Parental controls from Internet service providers and software suppliers help, but parents must also actively monitor children's on-line activity with restrictions on chat rooms.

As harmful as some Internet use can be, it is more troubling that 93 percent of all child sexual abuse incidents are perpetrated by people already known to a child or his/her family. While there are valid concerns about strangers exploiting children, parents should be vigilant about where children go, whom they are with and how reliable supervision is. It is also important to teach children how to avoid, recognize and resist uncomfortable situations and behavior. . . .

Family & Children First operates the Child Advocacy Center for children who may be victims of sexual abuse in this region of Kentucky. Helping 1,000 children annually, we know that the trauma is difficult to cope with. All medical, mental health and law enforcement services to mitigate the harm are available at this center.

For more information, visit
http://www.familyandchildrenfirst.org or call 893-3900.

DANIEL FOX
Executive Director
Family & Children First
Louisville 40206