JACKSON, Miss. – Child exploitation is on the rise in Mississippi. Either more of incidences are happening, or law enforcement are just catching more of the bad guys. John Shehan with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children say it is a little bit of both.
“You look at high speed Internet access, as it’s proliferating, more people are coming online and connecting with one another. There are people out there that are seeking to find individuals like themselves who have a sexual interest in children,” said Shehan. “On the other side, law enforcement is doing more and industry is doing more than ever to combat this issue.”
Shehan says any time the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tip line receives a report related to suspected child exploitation in Mississippi, they send that report down the Attorney General’s office. There, they operate an Internet crimes against children task force and will investigate the leads.
If you have information related to suspected child exploitation you can file a report at www.cybertipline.org and file a report or call at 1-800-843-5678.
