Possession, Manufacture, and Distribution of Child Pornography Child pornography
has been defined under federal statute as a visual depiction of a minor (child younger than 18) engaged in sexually explicit
conduct (18 U.S.C. 2256).
Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts Use of the Internet to entice, invite,
or persuade a child to meet for sexual acts, or to help arrange such a meeting, is a serious offense (18 U.S.C. 2425).
Prostitution of Children Prostitution is generally defined as performing, offering,
or agreeing to perform a sexual act for any money, property, token, object, article, or anything of value (18 U.S.C. 2431,
2423(a)).
Sex Tourism Involving Children It is against the law for any United States citizen
to travel abroad to engage in sexual activity with any child under the age of 18 (18 U.S.C. 2423(b)). Individuals who partake
in this illegal activity are subject to prosecution in the United States even if they committed the crime on foreign soil.
Child Sexual Molestation (not in the family) Child sexual exploitation (not in
the family), also known as extra-familial child sexual abuse, includes all sexual exploitation of a child by someone other
than a family member.
Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child It is an unfortunate reality of the
Internet that children will encounter obscene material online. Many times this material is attached as an image(s) or hyperlink(s)
sent to a child in an unsolicited E-mail or “spam.”
To combat this problem NCMEC takes reports of unsolicited obscene material sent to a child. It is a
violation of criminal law for any person to knowingly or attempt to send or transfer obscene material to another individual
who has not attained the age of 16 years (18 U.S.C.A. 1470).
Please report any incidents where a child may have received visual depictions of persons engaging in
sexually explicit conduct that is obscene.
If you are an adult who is concerned about adult obscenity not involving children on the Internet,
please make a report to www.obscenitycrimes.org.
Misleading Domain Name It is a federal offense to use a misleading domain name
on the Internet with the intent to deceive a minor into viewing material that is harmful to minors, regardless of whether
the material meets the legal definition of obscenity (18 U.S.C. 2252B). Please report the use of a misleading domain name
that has directed a child to a web site containing harmful materials to children.
Adults who are concerned about obscenity that has not been accessed by a child on the Internet may
file a report at www.obscenitycrimes.org. |