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Capitol Comment
by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Protecting Our Children From Predators
August 17, 2007
Nearly every day, we read a newspaper story or see a TV report about child predators who go online in search of young prey. The social networking site, MySpace, recently took down the profiles of more than 29,000 sex offenders who had registered on their site. According to a new study, 1 in 5 children receive a sexual solicitation within the first year they use the Internet.
The increased interaction of young people in cyberspace is a new problem that MySpace and similar Web sites can't solve on their own. A real solution to this challenge requires parental common sense along with new legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to bust these criminals. I am working to advance that legislation.
Before adjourning for August recess, the U.S. Senate held a hearing on protecting our sons and daughters when they're surfing the web. One of the witnesses was the reigning Miss America, Lauren Nelson, who's made Internet safety her platform issue. She told the committee, "When I was 13, my friends and I made the bad decision to share personal information on the Internet with someone we later learned was a sexual predator ... We told our parents about what we had done, and the situation was defused without incident. Unfortunately ... not all stories dealing with the potential dangers of the Internet end without serious incident."
Miss America stated that education is one of the best weapons we can use against the predators. She is right. The days of locking our doors to keep predators away from our children are gone. At a time when kids can access the Internet at any time and from a variety of places, including cell phones, parents need to be active in informing their children about online dangers.
Our local schools can also play a positive role. Last year, Virginia became the first state in the country to require Internet safety to be integrated into the public school curriculum. This is an excellent idea that should be adopted in Texas, and elsewhere.
While education is essential, we also need to give our law enforcement officials the resources they need to catch online criminals, and to prevent the crime from even happening, wherever possible.
I've seen first-hand how parents, law enforcement officials, and elected leaders can work together in a positive way to protect our kids. In 2003, I introduced a bill to create the National AMBER Alert Network to find abducted children. This legislation built on the success of the original AMBER Alert program, which was founded in North Texasto help local police find missing boys and girls. In the four years since the nationwide network was created, we have returned 336 children to their loving parents.
Earlier this year, I traveled to Austin to join First Lady Laura Bush and other leaders in announcing the creation of the Texas Regional Office for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. During our visit, we learned how sexual predators are using loopholes in our current legal system to evade law enforcement, and put our children at risk.
To prevent future sexual crimes from happening, I have cosponsored a landmark bill called Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007. This legislation will require convicted sex offenders to provide their email address, instant message screen names, and other forms of online identity to the National Sex Offender Registry.
In the past, advocacy groups like the ACLU have opposed efforts to register sexual offenders because of privacy concerns. I respect the right to privacy; however, criminals in general, and sex offenders, in particular, forfeit their privileges, including privacy protections, when they molest the most vulnerable, and innocent, members of our society. I believe that a parent's right to protect his or her children supersedes a sexual predator's right to privacy.
In the months ahead, I will work hard to pass this measure through the U.S. Senate, and have it signed into law. But no law – no matter how rigorously enforced – is a guarantee of safety.
As parents, we must remain vigilant in our children's defense. In the battles ahead, knowledge is power. I strongly encourage you to visit the Web site of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com. This outstanding organization has excellent tips for moms and dads to keep their kids safe. Through both education and tougher laws, we can make Texas the wholesome place we love to call home.
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