[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 14, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H7873-H7874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN SUPPORT OF THE CHILDREN'S SAFETY ACT
(Ms. HARRIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, sometimes numbers paint a dramatic picture.
According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, one
in five children 10 to 17 years old are recipients of unwanted sexual
solicitations online. One of every seven victims of sexual assault is
under the age of 6. One in five girls will be sexually exploited before
they reach adulthood.
[[Page H7874]]
And one in 10 boys will become victims before they become men.
According to the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children,
the whereabouts of 100,00 to 150,000 of some 500,000 sexual offenders
currently registered in the United States are unknown.
What is known is that we are not powerless. I fully support the
measures included in the Child Safety Act. The passage of this bill
will do nothing to bring about the safe return of children like Carlie
Brucia, a Sarasota Girl Scout who was brutally victimized and murdered
by a sexual predator. However, it will save other families the most
undeniable anguish of losing a child to the most unthinkable acts of
violence.
This bill takes commonsense steps toward ensuring sex offenders are
not free to prey on the most vulnerable members of our society. H.R.
3132 will require States to alert other States when sexual offenders
seek other locations.
There are many, many things that keep parents awake at night. Passage
of this bill should not be one of those.
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