For most of us, the Internet is a harmless recreational tool for finding movie listings, driving directions, and airline flights. But there are people who use it for a very evil and disturbing reason indeed -- as a way to find and publish child pornography.
In 2006, the Internet Watch Foundation discovered that 29% of reported Web sites featured graphic pictures of child sexual abuse. (This is a sharp increase from 2003, during which only 7% of reported Web sites featured such content). Furthermore, most of these Web sites are hosted right here in the United States -- over 80% of child pornography Web sites originate in the U.S. and Russia.
How can such horrific acts of child abuse be so easily accessed on the Web? For one thing, child pornographers are not the only ones profiting. Credit card companies also benefit from this illegal content, as they're often a payment option on these sites. Every time a credit card is used, the credit card company receives a portion of the transaction -- even from a child-pornography Web site. Thus, big-name credit card companies like Visa and MasterCard are essentially profiting from child sexual abuse.
When I contacted Visa and MasterCard about this, I was told they take child pornography very seriously. Whenever they're notified of their credit cards being used for illegal activity, they take every effort to shut the Web site down. However, as of August 21st, I discovered five child porn Web sites that offered Visa and MasterCard as a form of payment. (In order to protect the children, I will not offer those URLs here.) Thus, even though Visa and MasterCard have policies against such tragedies, these policies have not yet proven effective.
Rather than wait for these child porn Web sites to be reported by other concerned members of society, Visa and MasterCard need to become proactive in the fight against child pornography. When it comes to child sexual abuse, we all have a responsibility to be a mouthpiece for these victims.
I encourage all my readers to consider the fight against childhood sexual abuse as you make common consumer choices. Select businesses that do not benefit directly or indirectly from child pornography. And if you discover a child porn Web site, report it to the CyberTipline at http://www.missingkids.com/.
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