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Senate Resolution

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A resolution encouraging the education of parents and

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children regarding the dangers of sexual solicitation and

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the abuse of youth.

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     WHEREAS, nationwide, one in three girls and one in six boys

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experience some form of sexual abuse before age 18, and

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     WHEREAS, sexual assaults comprise 67 percent of the crimes

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against juvenile victims, and

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     WHEREAS, by the end of 1998, more than 40 percent of all

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American homes had computers and 25 percent had Internet access,

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and children and teenagers constitute one of the fastest-growing

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groups of Internet users, with an estimated 77 million children

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having online access in 2005, and

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     WHEREAS, educating parents and children concerning the risks

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that are associated with the Internet is of paramount importance

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to the safety of children, and

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     WHEREAS, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children

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reports that only one-third of the households having Internet

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access are proactively protecting their children by using

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filtering or blocking software, and

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     WHEREAS, 75 percent of children are willing to share

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personal information online about themselves and their family in

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exchange for goods and services, and

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     WHEREAS, the website of the Department of Law Enforcement

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reports that only about 25 percent of the youth who have

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encountered a sexual approach or solicitation while using the

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Internet told a parent, and

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     WHEREAS, the Crimes Against Children Research Center reports

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that one in five teenagers in the United States regularly logging

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on to the Internet reports that he or she has received an

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unwanted sexual solicitation via the Internet, and

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     WHEREAS, research indicates that 69 percent of parents and

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76 percent of youth do not know where or how to report incidents

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of sexual solicitation on the Internet, NOW, THEREFORE,

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Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:

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     That the Florida Senate encourages parents and children to

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learn about the incidence of sexual abuse and the risks

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associated with online communication and urges parents to learn

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how to protect their children while they are online and how and

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where to report cases of sexual solicitation and exploitation

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which occur over the Internet.