| Email I received | Subject: Watch Dog Site When you visit this site you can enter your address and a map will pop up with your house as a small icon of a house. There will be red, blue and green dots surrounding your entire neighborhood. When you click on these dots a picture of a criminal will appear with his or her home address and the description of the crime he or she has committed. The best thing is that you can show your children these pictures and see how close these people live to your home or school. Check this out!! This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted
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| My response |
Response The vast majority of sexual abuse offenses are a) not reported (approximately
90% are not reported) and even when reported conviction is fairly
rare, and b) perpetrated by someone the child knows and trusts (relative,
teacher, coach family friend, etc). This means that the little dots on the map are but the tip of the iceberg...and that one could get a false sense of security by forgetting the rest of the iceberg is there/here. The best defense is open discussion, empowerment for potential victims AND equally important but generally ignored, to teach our kids how to respect others and communicate with others so that they don't become offenders or become the sort of person who implicitly aids offenders by turning a blind eye. References: More information on child sexual abuse: |
Last update 17 January 2006 jjf@dynamic.uoregon.edu