U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Homeland Security Investigations Recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Month

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to focus on the safety and well-being of our children.  U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Alabama James G. Hernandez­ remind parents to be vigilant of their children’s online activity.

“During this time of uncertainty, one thing remains certain is that our office and law enforcement partners remain vigilant in protecting victims of abuse.  Our resolve must especially protect our children,” Town said.  “Our justice system will not tolerate those who prey on innocent children. Parents are, and remain, the best first line of defense to the practice of digital and cyber hygiene and making certain that online predators cannot access our children.”

“During this time when kids are at home and online, parents need to be more vigilant about monitoring what their children are doing and who they are interacting with because there are many dangerous predators lurking online,” said James Hernandez, HSI Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Alabama. “Identifying and catching these predators is one of HSI’s top priorities, but we can’t do it alone and need your help to keep children safe.”

U.S. Attorney Town and HSI offer the following tips to help protect children online:

•  Review and approve games and apps before they are downloaded
•  Make sure privacy settings are set to the strictest level possible for online gaming systems and electronic devices.
• Monitor your children’s use of the internet and check profiles and what they post online.
• Keep electronic devices in a common area of the house.
• Explain to your children that images posted online will be permanently on the internet.
• Make sure that children understand online risks, only chat with people they know, block people they don’t know or trust, and trust their instinct—if something makes them feel uncomfortable, tell a parent, guardian or other trusted adult about it.

To report suspicious activity or instances of child sexual exploitation, contact your local law enforcement agency. Tips can be submitted online at www.ice.gov/tipline, by phone at 866-DHS-2-ICE or by contacting your local HSI office. Reports can also be filed with NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST or online at www.cybertipline.org.