Jul 9, 2020
Some of society's problems are just so upsetting that it's hard to imagine that they continue to exist, or in fact, are spreading.
Well, this episode explores one of the worst: Internet child pornography and sex trafficking.
Internet pornography been called the largest unregulated social experiment in history.
Ushered it into the cultural mainstream, it enjoys increasingly widespread acceptance. But while it’s well known that the internet has been hijacked by the sex industry, what’s less understood is that it provides children free and easy access to all types of pornography, and sexual predators' easy and anonymous access to children.
“Much of the content that is out there is hardcore, it's extreme. Kids under 10 years old are getting hooked on it, addicted to it. And it's free. It's mostly prosecutable under U.S. law. But it's not being prosecuted. Then you've got sex trafficking, which is one of the largest organized crime businesses in the United States,” says Donna Rice Hughes, CEO of Enough Is Enough.
The New York Times reports that last year, tech companies reported over 45 million online photos and videos of children being sexually abused — more than double what they found the previous year. Smartphone cameras, social media and cloud storage have allowed the images to multiply at an alarming rate.
“It's a profound problem for society. Yet, it's such a difficult topic. No one really wants to talk about it,” explains Colby May, Senior Counsel and Director of the Washington Office of the American Center for Law and Justice.
Dedicated to promoting child dignity in the digital world, Enough is Enough, raises public awareness about the harms of Internet pornography, sexual predators, cyberbullying, sex trafficking and other dangers.
Join me as Donna and Colby describe this very troubling world.