The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

PrioritiesThe Department is dedicated to decreasing child sexual exploitation in Indian Country. Towardthat end, the Department will continue its efforts to assess the scope of the problem and buildupon resources already being devoted to fighting this threat. A key partnership that must bedeveloped is between the Department and the Department of Education. The two should pursuedevelopment of prevention and education measures for schools in Indian Country. TheDepartment will also explore targeted grant funding for education, awareness and the promotionof reporting of child exploitation in Indian Country. The Department will also commit toassisting in the expanded training of first responders, investigators and prosecutors in IndianCountry. Further research into the scope of the problem will be necessary, and will be a priorityfor the Department.C. Programmatic GoalsIn addition to the priorities related to key areas examined by the Threat Assessment, theDepartment will pursue goals and priorities in the areas delineated below.1. Supporting and increasing outreach and education.The Department intends to continue to support and increase coordination with Internet Safetytraining programs. The Threat Assessment noted that children who are sexually assaulted aremost often victimized by those closest to them. Continued, and expanded, investment intoeducation, Internet Safety training, community-outreach, and public awareness must be a highpriority. As noted above, the Department has a robust set of programs relating to Internet Safetytraining and community outreach. A coordinated approach including the Department ofEducation will reach many more thousands of school children. Such coordination is alreadyunderway, and Department representatives have met with Department of Education personnel todiscuss programs in the future. In the next report to Congress, the Department anticipatesreporting on programs the two Departments will have implemented.2. Creating and disseminating a national database to aid in investigations.As described in the Threat Assessment, offenders are using advanced technology to avoiddetection, share strategies to abuse children, and to traffic in vile images of children. Lawenforcement, too, must have advanced tools to detect offenders. This include the creation of anational database to perform three critical functions: first, to allow federal, state, local, andinternational law enforcement to deconflict their cases with each other; second, to allow federal,state, and local law enforcement to engage in undercover operations from a portal facilitated orhosted by the database; and, third, to share information and intelligence, as well as conductanalysis, on dangerous offenders and future threats or trends. Especially as the level ofsophistication of offenders, and the newly-emerging threat of organized groups, rises, such atechnological tool is simply critical in the fight against the sexual exploitation of our children.The Department is currently working to develop this important tool. Many federal, state, andlocal agents currently utilize many different systems to conduct undercover operations,141