Victims of Child Pornography Can Get the Help They Need

Walter Bera: Child porn is a growing global concern

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/75287852.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

By Patrick Noaker

This article by Walter Bera reminds me of the ever present dangers of child abuse and exploitation in the form of child pornography. Through our work with survivors of sexual abuse, we have come in contact with child pornography in a number of ways. Some like Fr. Michael McGrath in St. Louis, filmed children performing sex acts as an extension of the sexual abuse that he perpetrated. Others like Fr. Harry Monroe in Indianapolis, used sexually explicit images in grooming and manipulation of children to normalize the sexual behavior. Clearly, the production and consumption of child pornography by pedophiles directly relates to and even intensifies their sexual misconduct with children. Given the state of technology and the related trends in child abuse, no child protection effort can be complete without addressing child pornography.
That is why our law firm has joined the fight to combat child pornography. Specifically, a federal law provides, among other things, the right of any person who is a victim of child pornography to file a civil suit. This law provides that a victim of child pornography has a federal case against any person who produced, distributed, or even possessed any visual depiction of the child victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Under this law, a victim can recover actual damages of no less than $150,000 along with attorneys’ fees and costs of the suit. This federal law will open the courthouse doors to many more cases of child pornography and the related public disclosure of the names of those who are exploiting children. With these recent legal tools, our law firm will not only help victims of child pornography, but also deter future abuses of these childhood victims.