Florida gets tough and proactive on finding, and arresting child predators across multiple states.  This was a very successful campaign and it is our hope that other states and law enforcement follow their operation. 

Nearly 30 people are under arrest for child-porn and child-exploitation after a joint federal crackdown.

The arrests stem all over Central Florida and even into other states. It was a joint operation of local, state and federal agents cracking down on those authorities are calling sexual predators. They say these men were preying on children enjoying their summer vacation.

"Kids are going to be out we know people are going to be on the internet," said Brevard County Sheriff Lt. Tod Goodyear. "Lets put something together lets actively go after them."

It was dubbed Operation Safe Summer. It went from late May to the end of July. Finally on Thursday, the last of the 26 so-called predators were under arrest, facing charges of child pornography, traveling to have sex with a minor and other crimes that will likely land them in federal prison.

Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker was at a news conference announcing the arrests. "The way offenders today are able to migrate across jurisdictions and use computer technology to affect and impact our children who are living in other areas we have to work together," he said.

Standing out in this crowd is a Information Technology worker with Brevard Public Schools, a Lieutenant from the Kentucky State Police, and registered sex offenders. Authorities also say they found thousands of pictures, files, and videos of child porn on their computers.

"Removing these predators from access to children is one of the most important responsibilities we have," said Susan McCormick, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. They also put possible predators on alert.

"You can not hide, we will find you. we will arrest you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," McCormick said.

This operation was initiated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide inititative combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.

How Do I Teach My Child About Personal Safety?
By Nancy McBride, National Safety Director

Many parents and guardians feel challenged to keep their children safer in our fast-paced and global society. They may wonder at what age they can begin teaching their children about personal safety.

Unfortunately, “one size” doesn’t fit all. A child’s ability to understand safety skills and put them into practice is determined not just by age, but also by the child’s educational and developmental levels.To truly learn new safety skills, children need to model, rehearse and practice the skills to incorporate them into their daily lives.

• Speak to your child in a calm and reassuring way. Fear is not an effective teaching tool; confidence is.

   

• Speak openly about safety issues. If you approach child safety openly, your children will be more likely to come to you with problems or concerns. 

   

• Don’t confuse children by warning against “strangers.” Danger to children is much greater from someone you or they know than from a “stranger.”

   

• Teach children that no one has the right to force, trick, or pressure them into doing things they don’t want to do.

   

• Practice safety skills by creating “what if” scenarios. An outing to a mall or the park can serve as a chance for children to practice safety skills, such as checking with you before they go anywhere or do anything, and locating adults who can help if they need assistance.

   

• Supervise your children. It is vital to their protection and safety. Children should not be put in the position of making safety choices if they are not old enough or skilled enough to make those choices.

   

• Check out adults who have access to your children. The more involved you are in your child’s life, the less likely it is that your child will seek attention from other, potentially dangerous adults. 

Simple Rules for Children When They Need Help

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has a signature safety publication, Knowing My Rules for Safety, to help parents and guardians teach personal safety skills to children. The rules are simple and concise and provide encouragement and options for children who need an adult’s help.
 

Copyright © 2006 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved.

I work from home now and have had the opportunity to watch much of Oprah's last season, much like her first seasons when I was at home raising my children. 

Her message is consistent, short and oh so very powerful.  She said on her farewell show that the lesson that she wants people to take away from her show:

"You are responsible for the energy that you send out to the world – "No matter what your momma did or your daddy didn't do."  YOU are responsible for Your Life and what you do with it. 

She also reminded us that everyone has a purpose, that we all have a platform in which to share our message, wether it's your mirror or your kids, family and friends or your circle is on a larger scale and you have the opportunity (and responsibility) to use that platform to share your energy and message. 

Some of her last words on the show were of her one shortfall:

"People ask, Do I have regrets? I have none, really, about this show. But the one thing I feel I was not able to bring enough attention to, although I tried in 217 shows, was the sexual seduction, molestation and rape of children, worse now with the Internet than it was 25 years ago…"

Oprah has fought this fight throughout her 25 year long reign as the Queen of Talk Shows.  There are over 180 videos on her YouTube channel about sexual predators and over 80 pages of articles on Internet Sexual Predators. [/caption]

I have been given the opportunity for THIS platform that you are reading on right now.  KidSafe.com has been a passion of mine since I started with the company several years ago as the Executive Assistant to the founder and CEO of a company wholly dedicated to keeping kids safe online and provide a platform where kids can play safely on the internet.   My boss saw my passion and my ability over the years and named me Content Manager.   

I had always secretly wanted to be a writer, and teacher to help kids grow up and be the very best kids they could regardless of their station.  To share the message that:

Where you are born or to whom you are born makes NO difference in the eyes of your creator.  It is just enough that YOU were born and that you have a responsibility to yourself and the world to make the very best of what you do with YOUR life.

So here I am writing, and hopefully making a difference in someones life today.   I look forward reading your comments and feedback and working with you to help keep kids safe on the internet from sexual predators, bullies, hate crimes, and damaging irresponsibility. 

Kymberley

The Cyberbullying Research Center is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents.  Cyberbullying can be defined as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices."

"Well i always get bullied and i hate it i feel like killing myself sometimes." (13 year-old girl from Victoria, Australia)

We have included some new reports on Electronic Dating Violence: A Guide for Educators and Parents and Cyberbullying Fact Sheet: Cyberbullying and Sexual Orientation.

Summary Fact Sheet - Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention, and Response. If you only have time to read one of our pages on Cyberbullying to get up-to-speed about the problem and what you can do, read this one!

COHOES – Everyone at Cohoes High School heard about the Facebook page, but no one knew who created it. It was called 'Cohoes Flame'.

The anonymous creator cut and pasted pictures of Cohoes High Students, and wrote nasty things underneath each picture. "They were just degrading everybody on there, it was ridiculous," said Cohoes High School student Ryan Goergen.

Goergen's name ended up on that page, he never knew who put it there until NewsChannel 13 told him who police arrested, 16-year-old Marquan Mackay-Meggs. "Are you serious? He's my friend. Wow. That's crazy, that's crazy."

Another student held her hand over her mouth in disbelief. "Oh my god, wow. I thought it was someone else," she said.

Cohoes Police spend more than six months investigating this case. Detective Jason Johnston even created a Facebook account to send a message to the then anonymous page creator. "He replied by telling me that if I could prove to him who I was, then he would take the page down,' said Johnston. Detective Johnston then took a different route, contacting Facebook directly.

Eventually the page came down. And, through tracking IP addresses, police found Mackey-Meggs. "He thought he was being funny." . . A neighbor came out, completely shocked to learn why NewsChannel 13 was there. "It's crazy to hear about it, I don't know why he would do that to hurt somebody," said Christina Beliven. "Even my friend was on it and it said how she was nasty and all these hurtful things."

Albany County law makers recently passed a cyber bullying law. This is the first arrest. Cohoes Police Chief William Heslin says he's pleased the case is resolved, but it was extremely draining for a small department to tackle a cyber bullying case. He says cases like this need help from the federal level. "They can pass all the county laws they want, you're still dealing with out of state companies that you need the information from."

May I suggest that you contact your local Congressman and push for a federal level bill against cyber-bullying?

1. Share your values with your child in a way that is not going to be perceived as you trying to mold your child into who you are. 
2. Demonstrate self-respect and self-esteem with healthy actions in all areas of your life, including your conduct on the Internet.
3. Be independent and adventurous about your life experience
4. If you take medications, talk about why you are taking them and how they help you.  Do not abuse any drugs, even prescription.   
5. If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly
6. When dealing with stress, allow your child to see you handing the situation in a healthy way
7. Share your successes, challenges, joys, tears and fears with your child.  They will know that you will understand when it is time for them to share those same things with you.
8. Demonstrate love and affection for family and friends.
9. Discuss people of all cultures and backgrounds with your child and help them find an appreciation for human kind
10. Become interested and involved in your child’s school and activities, particularly in the new age of technology.  Don’t be afraid to get involved in their online networking and  cell phone activities.  You will be amazed by how many opportunities you have to be a wonderful role model by helping them to learn how best to handle challenging text messages, online bullying or peer pressure. 

Your values, life experiences, opinions, and example of self-love and communication carry a lot of weight with your child, even if they don’t know or want to admit it.