Sexual Abuse of Children is one of the most disgusting and disturbing crimes a human can ever commit. It is a direct affront to a child made in the image of God. The damage to the child is permanent. Knowing how horrific and traumatic it is to children, sex trafficking is at an all-time high. The people that participate in this crime do so because they believe the children are on this earth for the pedophile’s own pleasure. A top psychologist shared what a pedophile admitted that he picked out the child that looked the most innocent, the one who laughed the most, so that he could destroy that child’s innocent laughter.
An Ideology that creates pedophiles
We believe that there are five primary ways modern secular humanist ideology creates, protects and supports pedophiles:
- Sexualization of children at an early age
- The belief that humans are no different from animals
- Easy access to pornography
- Celebrations of perverted sex in college
- Attempts to redefine the crime of pedophilia
As a society, we need to acknowledge that this is a major issue that must be fixed. Our younger generation cannot long survive if degenerate behavior like this is allowed to continue unchecked. The consequences for the next generation will be unimaginable. Think carefully, if this vast number of children are sexually abused, how many of them will grow up to be abusers themselves? Left unchecked we cannot stop this vicious cycle.
Traffickers target young children
The average age of a trafficked child is twelve years old. Traffickers are continuously targeting children. The internet is the primary source of luring children. Here’s just a few recommendations that parents should be doing to help protect their children from online dangers. These suggestions are provided by the National Child Protection Task Force (NCPTF).
- Have Healthy Discussions Around the Dinner Table at Night
- Educate your child on Internet Safety
- Establish Guardrails for Technology Use
- Learn the Apps your Children Are Using
We will add a fifth one to this list. Check your child’s text messages and any social media messages they are receiving regularly. Here is a sixth one: Keep your young children off the internet. Frankly, a child under 17 shouldn’t have a smart phone.
Most traffickers are someone the child knows
Approximately 41% of all trafficking is done by someone in their family. It could be a mom, a dad, grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, or a cousin. The other common ways children are trafficked is through people who groom them. They provide them with gifts. They spend time getting to know the child, so that they can manipulate them. They will also frequently expose the child to sexually explicit images.
A great deal of trafficking starts with text messages
Here is one example of text messages/DMs used by traffickers. These are used to groom children. When you see these text messages, it should break your heart that children are being exposed to this. The real question that parents should be asking themselves is: Are my children receiving and responding to text messages and DMs like these? Remember, the parent’s job is not to be your child’s best friend. Our primary job as parents is to protect them.
Hidden dangers of sleepovers
Well intended parents want their children to have a fun sleepover with friends or family members. But the risks are high. A criminal defense attorney explains why she does not allow sleepovers for her children. In an article providing alternatives to sleepovers, it also covers the reasons why they should not be allowed. These hidden dangers are easily missed. According to the article, about 50% of the sexual abuse cases involve a trusted non-family member and 40% of the cases involve a family member.
The Average Trafficker has Thirteen Victims in their Lifetime
Think this through… These statistics are coming from traffickers that have been caught. How many of these traffickers have not been caught? How many have they abused? Tim Tebow recently shared a map from the Department of Justice. The map has over 111,000 unique IP addresses tracked in the U.S. over a 30-day period, sharing images of abuse of children under the age of 12. Approximately 55% to 85% of those sharing images are also committing these unspeakable attacks. They are brutalizing children.
Children are a Precious Gift from God
A precious gift… It’s imperative to remember that. Behave appropriately. Carefully consider who you give access to your children, whether it is in person or online. This would include family members, people in positions of authority; teachers, counselors, coaches, priests, pastors, youth group leaders, and members of the local church. Sadly, this means being careful even with your family and friends. Though others may do their own vetting, we as parents need to carefully and thoroughly examine every situation before granting access to our children. God brought these child/children into your life. They are your responsibility. Keep in mind that these demonic perverts can target children as young as toddlers. We cannot assume that a child is too young to become a victim.
In this series of graphic text messages, a despicable human describes what he wants to do to a three-year-old child. Though it’s unimaginable, we cannot continue to turn away because it’s too egregious. If it’s too much for us to handle, how do we expect the most vulnerable to be able to handle it? They can’t. They shouldn’t. It’s our God-given responsibility to stand in the gap for them.
Those Who Cover Up Abuse Are Just as Guilty
Recent events in our community have sparked the discussion and we cannot ignore it. Remember the statistics that the Tim Tebow foundation shared, 41% of the time the abuse comes from family members. We cannot make excuses for those that know about a child’s abuse and fail to report it. Those that knowingly cover it up are complicit to the sexual abuse.
Resources
Here are some valuable resources that we can all learn from, share with others, get to know the warning signs, and alert others.
The Innocent – Providing Law Enforcement Support to Stop Child Trafficking
Tim Tebow Foundation – Changing Lives Through Faith, Hope & Love
https://timtebowfoundation.org/
Tim Ballard – Subject of the dramatic feature film, “Sound of Freedom”
