My nine-year-old sister was targeted by a 40-year-old man online
He stole a piece of her childhood
Four years ago, my sister started having extreme temperamental issues without reasonable explanation. Then one day, my mother received a call from the elementary school guidance counselor with the news that a forty-something year old male had been inappropriately messaging her on social media.
For days after we found out, my sister would not speak. The embarrassment and shame registered so clearly on her face—an obvious case of self-inflicted victim blaming.
Eventually, the truth about the entire situation came out – the predator had initially contacted a friend of my sister’s on the app, Kik. After a few days of inappropriate messaging, the friend went to my sister for advice on the situation. My sister, being the valiant nine-year-old she was, got the pedophile’s username and messaged him on Kik, telling him he had better leave her friend alone.
However, this obviously did not work, as predators tend to feed off of this stuff. The man then focused on my sister as well, sending videos of himself engaging in explicit acts, explaining things to her that no nine-year-old should ever know, and requesting pictures of her not-even-developed body.
My mother went to the police as soon as she found out, as any concerned parent would do. Unfortunately, the Kik app is based in Canada, meaning that the pedophile could not be punished under American law. The predator walked free with absolutely zero repercussions, and there is no doubt in my mind he has continued to target young girls since.
I wish I could say my sister’s situation was unique, but the truth is that things like this happen all the time, and they don’t always end with the victim safe and physically unharmed. These atrocities are not unique to young girls either. A study by the Crime Victims’ Institute at the Sam Houston State University revealed that 37.1% of college students have experienced stalking during their academic career. More information about the study can be found here.
If you or anyone you know is targeted by a predator, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind. First, try cutting off communication with the predator entirely, and seek help elsewhere. On top of this, try blocking them from contacting you again. Come up with a new username if you still feel unsafe after that.
You can also contact the administrator of the website or forum, perhaps there is a way that this predator can be blocked from their site entirely. Save your conversations with predators, and take legal action if possible.