Child Safety, and Your Thoughts on an Epidemic

[Zukien]

WARNING: This Post contains material that is not suited to young or sensitive audiences. This is for informational and discussion purposes only.

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The U.S. Department of Justice reports

• Nearly 800,000 children younger than 18 are missing each year, or an average of 2,185 children reported missing each day.
• More than 200,000 children were were abducted by family members.
• More than 58,000 children were abducted by nonfamily members.
• 115 children were the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. These crimes involve someone the child does not know or a slight acquaintance who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.

-National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Yearly Data

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In Loving Memory
Christopher Meyer
January 5th, 1985- August 8th, 1995

This Epidemic is real. Child predators, pedophiles (actually pronounced peh-doe), and abusers are all over the United States, and the world. Under the radar, these monsters evade our Government, Police Forces, and continue to commit heinous crimes and not get caught. In fact, most predators do not get arrested their first time until they have abused, sexually assaulted, or sexually molested children for their 30th time. That is thirty children getting hurt by a single person, or one child getting hurt 30 times, or a combination thereof. Any way you put it, it is inexcusable and unforgivable.

Why am I telling you this? I have experienced this cruel reality firsthand. At the age of ten, in 1995, my brother Christopher Meyer was abducted from our hometown of Kankakee, Illinois (we lived there at the time). He was only two blocks from our home, swimming and playing with his friends during summer, when a man approached the children, offering for them to see some deep-sea fishing lures he had brought in. The children enjoyed the spectacle, but Christopher had been told to be home for dinner at 5 o'clock. It was 4:45 when he left the river on his bike. THe man who had talked to the kids got into his car and followed.

That was the last time anyone saw Christopher alive. Eight days later, after an extensive search, his body was found in a shallow grave over 50 miles away. He had been stabbed repeatedly, castrated, and it was later found out that he did not die after the first stab wound. It took 17 stabs to destroy Christopher's life, as he fought tooth and nail to survive. But no one ever taught him how to fight back.

If Christopher and all of the other children that have been abducted over the years (Polly Klaas, Samantha Runnion, and Elizabeth Smart for example) had known the skills they needed to get away safely, then the tragic incidents that had hurt them or taken their lives would not have occurred. My brother would still be with my family today.

In the end, many of the criminals who commit heinous crimes like these are repeat offenders. The man who killed my brother murdered a five year old girl at the age of 13, that's right, I said 13. There is no rhyme or reason for their behavior. Some say it is a bad childhood that drives them, others that they are born the way they are. No one truly knows, or may ever know.

I have, for my whole life, lived in this reality where I know the facts of what goes on daily in the world. How the U.S. is the number one distributor, seller, and producer of child pornography in the world, and how there are so many child molesters, that per every square mile in the U.S., there is an average of one predator. Think about that for a moment. It is not a small number. Of all of these criminals, only a percentage of them are caught and prosecuted, the rest continuing what they are doing to today's children. I have taught over 600 children in the area I used to live in on how to stay safe in all aspects of life. Everything from pool safety and fire safety, to resistance against abduction. So that, if they were grabbed, they would know what to do.

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So, onto the reason I made this thread. It is not to depress, insult, or hurt anyone. It is to inform, to tell my story, and to let everyone know that this is going on in the world. I would like your opinions about this subject, but please, be respectful. This is not an area to troll or otherwise. Let me know what you think.

Also, condolences are welcome, and I thank you for them in advance, but what I really would like is for this to never happen again, for the planet to be safe for our future generation to live in peace and not have to worry about going to the river with their friends, or riding their bikes on a warm summer day.

Thank You For Reading,
Z.

[Dark]

My condolences for your loss. What is the maximum sentencing for such cases ?

[Zukien]

The max sentencing varies state by state. However, there were acts put in place to increase sentence lengths, as well as to make sure there was no repeat offenders out on the street. Some states have given triple life sentences, while when the man who murdered my brother committed his first atrocity against a five year old he was only given 15 years. Three months after getting out of prison, he killed Christopher.

And thank you, I only intend to inform people what is happening around us.

[Christiefries]

I agree... I wish the world was a safer place. I wish there would finally be peace. Certain things I believe should be punished more harshly than they currently are...

I would say more on this topic, but I won't because of personal reasons. I'm not so brave as you are to speak of certain things, especially when not asked to do so. Therefore I'll just keep it to myself unless someone pokes me harshly, or if I work up the courage to write it in my diary. For the moment I am too uncomfortable to do so.

I'm sorry, once again, for your loss. You teach children safety, and for that I am very proud of you. I hope they retain that knowledge and continue to pursue more skills in fighting as they grow older.

[Gwazi Magnum]

I am also sorry for your loss.

But as for the reason you made this thread.
You said you made this thread to help prevent, but how exactly are you planning to do that?

Note: Any criticism here is not meant to insult but to help your cause.

We currently have some numbers and a story of something terrible happening, but many good causes have this backing them.
But until it affects someone personally people will spend a night feeling bad about it and then waking up the next day forgetting all about it, and if they still feel bad about it, they usually feel as if there's no way they can help and/or don't know of a way to help.

So really, what I'm asking is what exactly are you hoping for us to do after reading this?

[Zukien]

I would say more on this topic, but I won't because of personal reasons. I'm not so brave as you are to speak of certain things, especially when not asked to do so. Therefore I'll just keep it to myself unless someone pokes me harshly, or if I work up the courage to write it in my diary. For the moment I am too uncomfortable to do so.

I'm sorry, once again, for your loss. You teach children safety, and for that I am very proud of you. I hope they retain that knowledge and continue to pursue more skills in fighting as they grow older.

Thank you for supporting me, and yes, it is hard to talk about this subject or one of similar dynamics. Many people have been abused themselves and it is a very touching thing for them to talk about. But the one thing that all victimized people, not just children, need to know is that: It is NOT their fault, and they CAN tell someone. If anyone tries to hurt you, trick you, or make you feel wrong inside, you are not to blame, and have a right to let someone know.

I am also sorry for your loss.

But as for the reason you made this thread.
You said you made this thread to help prevent, but how exactly are you planning to do that?

Note: Any criticism here is not meant to insult but to help your cause.

We currently have some numbers and a story of something terrible happening, but many good causes have this backing them.
But until it affects someone personally people will spend a night feeling bad about it and then waking up the next day forgetting all about it, and if they still feel bad about it, they usually feel as if there's no way they can help and/or don't know of a way to help.

So really, what I'm asking is what exactly are you hoping for us to do after reading this?

Preventive action is knowledge. When more people know about what is truly happening, it can open some eyes and shed light onto this subject. The truth is, your right. Most people will read this, feel bad for a moment, then move on. But reaching out to those few that will actually strive to help is key.

There are many ways that you can help, including:

• Contacting your local or state legislators, telling them how you feel and what you think should be changed (believe me, it will get through)
• Researching and learning about the things that are going on. Again, knowledge is key.
• Looking up child safety or community service events that include children. Go to one of them, they are actually a lot of fun and you will get to help and talk to a lot of people.
• Find charities that help children in your area, and get in contact with the Executive Director or other Board Members to find out how you can help.
• Being a good Samaritan. If you see a child lost in a store, help them find their parents or bring them to the front desk. If you see a child in the street by themselves, keep an eye on them.

There are many more options, but there are just a few for you to see. What I am hoping for is that for those who read this and want to do something about it, they ask questions or voice their opinions, as this subject is as relevant as anything else in OT Discussion.

[MorningWood]

There are always bad persons doing bad things. It's a good thing that you teach these kids some awareness on safety issues, it's always better to prevent the vase from shattering than 'repairing' it afterwards. But in most cases, the vase simply can't be repaired and then it's a matter of distributing the shards to the victims. Society and the judicial system are more focussed on 'fixing' issues rather than preventing them, and in a way it makes sense because the latter isn't practical in most situations. Yes, you can raise awareness and try take some preventative measures on these issues, but sadly it won't prevent bad people from doing bad things either way. Yes, you can also implement far more severe punishments on these crimes, but it also won't prevent bad people from doing bad things. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't say that taking measures won't have any effect at all. Some criminals will be deterred by harsher punishments, and some criminals won't see their plans come to fruition due to a far higher level of caution among possible victims. I'm also not saying that taking preventive measures or implementing harsher punishments are pointless, not at all. It'll help lower crime rates, but crime won't disappear because of it. In an ideal situation, it would make crime disappear, but then again we probably wouldn't need law enforcement at all in an ideal situation in the first place. If a bad person commits a crime, then it isn't the law's fault, but that person's, yet there's always room for improvement.


tl;dr: I respect you because you raise awareness on these matters and because you do your best to stop these things from happening, but bad persons will be bad persons and most of them don't care about the consequences regardless.

[Zukien]

Yes, it is true that we cannot get all of the monsters that inhabit today's society off of the streets. What we can do is continue to provide support and teachings, helping the children and families of today protect themselves.

The mindset of "It won't happen to me or my kids" is one that is very disturbing, as my mother did not think it would happen. Ed Smart, Erin Runnion, Ahmad Rivazfar, and Mark Sconce did not think it would happen to their children either. But it does, and that is why we all do what we do to help prevent the vicious cycle from continuing.

Increasing punishment may not stop it from happening again, but it can provide a sense of justice to console a family that has gone through this tragedy. Letting these monstrosities out of prison so that they can repeat their crimes is a flaw of the justice system that needs to be changed. However, the only way it will be changed is when a loud enough voice is heard. Unfortunately, many take this information and brush it off, their minds rationalizing that it is not their issue; when it surely is. There is no way to know when lightning will strike, but will you go out during a thunderstorm and put a piece of metal on your head?

As time moves on, there are moral imperatives that those who lobby and enforce their stances are following. It is to protect and serve in their own right, and to spread awareness to all they can, in hopes of enough people wanting to make a difference.

[Vocal]

You always hear of these things happening on the news and such, but you would never think of them entering your own personal life. It really is sad. I've never really experienced anything like this, but my heart goes out to the people who have. My condolences, Zukien. It really takes courage to share something like that on this site.

[Dark]

The max sentencing varies state by state. However, there were acts put in place to increase sentence lengths, as well as to make sure there was no repeat offenders out on the street. Some states have given triple life sentences, while when the man who murdered my brother committed his first atrocity against a five year old he was only given 15 years. Three months after getting out of prison, he killed Christopher.

And thank you, I only intend to inform people what is happening around us.

Well, out here we execute them.