In March, reports of suspected child sexual exploitation online were up 106 percent nationwide. That is pre-COVID. With children practically living virtually these days, it’s only getting worse.
The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office hosted a press conference outlining updates from the county’s Cyber Crime Task Force, which launched last year.
The State’s Attorney’s Office has more than tripled the number of child sexual exploitation prosecutions since 2019.
They’ve also been working on legislation to assist with investigations and beef up penalties and monitoring time for convicted offenders.
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “First- time offenders are far too often granted Probation Before Judgement (PBJ) by judges. Given the high recidivism rate among sex offenders and the severe trauma these young victims endure, we simply must do more to protect our children from predators.”
According to the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the state logged 3,248 cyber tips in 2019. So far, the number for 2020 stands at 5,422 and there are concerns it may actually be much higher since children are not seeing teachers, coaches and other adults they often confide in.