Money from Stimulus Package Will Help Rescue Child Victims of Online Sexual Exploitation

Newly elected President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden are making the safety and protection of America's children a top priority. By stepping up efforts to combat child exploitation and making the funds available for the implementation of state and local law enforcement agencies, help will soon be on its way. Last year, then Democratic Senator Joe Biden, along with co-sponsors, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Republican Representative Joe Barton, helped get the PROTECT Our Children Act passed by the 110th Congress.

According to the PROTECT organization, last year the request for $30 million dollars was a struggle; today, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides $3 billion to the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG), with another $1 billion available to Community Oriented Policing Service for the COPS Hiring Program.

Individual states could use either source of funding to protect children from abuses, online exploitation and for the rescue of children who are currently being held captive by sexual predators. Currently the location of tens of thousands of these predators are already known. All that has been missing is the money to obtain the technology that is readily available, get the training and hire the manpower to go after these criminals who prey upon the innocent children of our nation. Thousands of America's children are waiting to be rescued from the hands of online predators and pedophiles.

Also, as part of the current stimulus package, $50 million has been appropriated to state and local ICAC task forces (Internet Crimes Against Children). This is all a huge step forward in both, punishing and preventing, the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of our children online.

Many law enforcement agencies are completely unaware of the problem as child exploitation is running rampant, even though the technology is available to track down these criminals. Money is available to better train state and local law enforcement agencies and to hire more officers who can go straight to the front door of these traffickers who choose to exploit America's greatest resource, its innocent children.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is designed to accomplish a variety of things, including:
1) "modernize the nation's infrastructure
2) enhance America's energy independence
3) expand educational opportunities
4) preserve and improve affordable health care
5) provide tax relief
6) protect those in greatest need"

According to White House.Gov, "On Friday, February 13, 2009, the House and Senate approved the conference report for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009." More information will soon be available. According to the Protect organization, "The U.S. House Economic Recovery Plan is short and sweet when it comes to Justice Department spending on law enforcement".

Sources:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1/show:
http://www.protect.org/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/arra_public_review/