Stephanie Murphy's anti-child predator bill heads to Trump's desk

The Pedophile or child predator, without question, is the lowest form of individual that unfortunately walk on the face of the earth.

Every year, thousands of cases of child sexual abuse are reported and the list of people being added to the sexual predator list is growing expeditiously.

The rise of child pornography and pornography as a whole via the “Dark Web” and the mainstream internet has certainly fueled pedophilia, prompting legislators to continue action on curbing the heinous crimes that sexual predators continue committing.

Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D) helped write the “Combat Online Predators Act” which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and has now passed in the U.S. Senate.

The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk and is expected to be signed into law.

“Adults who stalk or harass children online or in our communities commit a serious crime. Our bill will ensure federal judges can give convicted defendants the prison sentence they deserve,” said Rep Murphy in 2019. “It’s an honor to work with Congressman Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, and with Senators Toomey and Casey, and we will do everything within our power to get this bill over the finish line in this Congress.”

According to Murphy, the bill “gives federal judges the power to impose longer prison sentences on adults who are found guilty of severely stalking children whether they commit this crime through a computer or in our communities,” adding that her bill ensures that predators get the justice they deserve.

Murphy spoke for many of us parents who wake up every morning cognizant of the dangers they face, and who are actively looking for ways to keep them safe.

“As a mother of two young children," said Murphy. "I know we have no more important responsibility than protecting our kids from adults who seek to harm them."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ has reported these unfortunate and disturbing statistics regarding child sexual abuse.

• 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse;
• Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident;
• During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
• Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
• Children are most vulnerable to CSA between the ages of 7 and 13.

According to a 2003 National Institute of Justice report, 3 out of 4 adolescents who have been sexually assaulted were victimized by someone they knew well

A Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows 1.6 % (sixteen out of one thousand) of children between the ages of 12-17 were victims of rape/sexual assault