The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

IV.FIGHTING THE THREAT GOING FORWARDWhile the Department has vigorously fought all aspects of child exploitation, much more workremains to be done. This work includes better coordination among all the nation’s investigators,better training for investigators and prosecutors, advancing law enforcement’s technologicalcapabilities to stay one step ahead of the exploiters, and better research to help us understand theabusers of our children in order to make more informed decisions on deterrence, incarceration,and sex offender monitoring. It also includes an expanded commitment to public awareness andcommunity outreach.Ever-changing technologies and tactics by offenders demand nimble and innovative training forlaw enforcement. The Threat Assessment revealed a growing problem that will require moreinvestment in investigators, prosecutors, technology, tools, and research to search out and findoffenders. The market that demands younger victims, violent images, and on-demand sexualassaults must be diminished. The Threat Assessment revealed troubling links between those whotraffic in child pornography and those who participate in the production of the images or molestchildren offline. Well-trained investigators are critical to finding and arresting those who profit,in money or otherwise, from the pain of our children.The Department’s goals and priorities include: (1) broad goals to direct the National Strategy; (2)more specific goals to address the dangers identified by the Threat Assessment; (3)programmatic goals that can provide some measurable information and results to help guide theStrategy going forward; and (4) individualized goals by each of the relevant Departmentcomponents that are designed to support both the broad goals of the Strategy and theprogrammatic goals of the Department.At its core, the goal of this National Strategy is to reduce the incidence of the sexual exploitationof children. This goal is the guiding principle for all the Department’s current and future efforts.The sexual abuse and exploitation of children rob the victims of their childhood, irrevocablyinterfering with their emotional and psychological development. The cost to society is profound.Working toward reducing this blight on society will include a coordinated effort to achieve thebroad Strategy goals, specific goals to address the current threats identified, the programmaticgoals of the Department, and the goals of each of the components.A. The National Strategy’s Broad GoalsAs noted above, the guiding principle of all of the Department’s work must be to reduce theincidence of the sexual exploitation of children. This Strategy recognizes that investigation andprosecution will not alone defeat the threat our children face. A multi-disciplinary approach tothe problem is required because of the complexity of the threats involved. Solving this problemmust include not only investigators and prosecutors, but social service providers, educators,medical professionals, academics, non-governmental organizations, and members of industry, aswell as parents and families.137