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This is an editorial written by Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), Seventh District of Virginia
The school bells have rung again, and students have
found their way to their classrooms. As parents,
our job is to make sure our children are safe as they go to and from school, play in the neighborhood, or visit their friends.
There have been many recent stories of children being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and killed by sexual predators. These are crimes being committed against our most vulnerable by our most cruel. What is truly shocking is that, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as of June 2005, there are 11,873 registered sex offenders in the Commonwealth of Virginia alone.
Recently I cosponsored the Children’s Safety Act (H.R. 3132) that was introduced in Congress. This month the House of Representatives will be voting on this bill to find stronger ways to protect our kids from sexual predators. Sixty-seven percent of the victims of sexual assault are juveniles under the age of 18.
When convicted sex offenders move, they should be forced to register their new address with law enforcement authorities. Of the 563,000 registered sex offenders nationwide, an estimated 100,000 are lost. That means there is no record of where they live or where they work.
Facing such disturbing statistics, Congress is acting to stop this trend and to protect our children. A mandatory sex offender registry is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal, to prevent sexual crimes against children. The Children’s Safety Act creates a stiff penalty of a mandatory five years or more in prison for sex offenders who fail to keep their registration information current. The legislation also requires a state to notify, another state when it is aware that a registered sex offender Has moved to that state.
Parents must also be informed about sex offenders in their area. Currently, no single official government Web site exists to give parents access to a central database of all sex offenders registered in the United States.
Under the Children’s Safety Act. each state’s Attorney General will ensure that its states sex offenders’ registry is up to date and available on the Internet. Information from all 50 states would be linked together on one Web site allowing parents to access the name, address, picture, and criminal history. By allowing parents and law enforcement access to up to date information on sex ' offenders, we can protect our children from those who would prey on them. I am proud to support the Children’s Safety Act. It represents a significant step forward in protecting our children.
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