Posted on 09/05/2004 4:31:47 PM PDT by freedom44
DALLAS - The arrest of a 12-year-old boy on charges that he molested a 4-year-old girl at a fast-food restaurant playground may point to a growing problem of sexually aggressive children, child-abuse experts say.
The boy was arrested Wednesday in suburban Houston on charges of indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault. Police would not discuss in detail what happened to the girl, other than to say her mother said she'd been touched inappropriately.
The arrest came a week after the Dallas Independent School District expelled two first-grade boys after one performed a sex act on another during class. While their teacher passed out textbooks, one boy slipped beneath his classmate's desk and performed oral sex on him, district spokesman Donald Claxton said.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the number of sexually inappropriate incidents among children is increasing, though it is difficult to track such cases, said Sharon K. Araji, a University of Alaska sociology professor who wrote a book on understanding sexually aggressive children.
The problem may be worsening because children are exposed to more graphic sexual imagery at a younger age through racier television programming, the increased availability of Internet pornography and declining parental supervision, clinical psychologist Toni Cavanagh Johnson said. Some sexually aggressive children also are victims of sexual abuse, she said.
All children mimic things they've seen at home or on television, but normal sexual experimentation in the elementary years usually doesn't go far beyond "I'll show you mine, you show me yours" play, Araji said.
The Dallas school district, however, handled about 25 cases of kindergartners who committed sexual assault last year, Claxton said.
While he declined to release details, "suffice it to say there were some fairly graphic things that happened last year involving younger kids," he said.
There are 1,331 juveniles 16 and younger registered on Texas' sex-offender database, Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lisa Block said. While children 10 and older can be prosecuted in Texas, Block could not break down the number by age.
The Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, which is handling the 12-year-old boy's case, receives two or three similar cases each month, said Tyra McCollum, the assistant district attorney in charge of the juvenile division.
"Unfortunately we see it quite often," she said. "It's obviously not as common as theft or drugs. It's also not unusual."
The 12-year-old boy, who is not being identified because of his age, is being held in a juvenile detention center while prosecutors weigh the case.
Prosecutors can seek one of two punishments if he is convicted, McCollum said. The lighter sentence would allow the court to have jurisdiction over him until his 18th birthday. He could face up to 40 years in prison under the harsher punishment.
In the Dallas case, an investigator with Child Protective Services also will examine the boys' home lives for an explanation of their behavior, agency spokesman Geoff Wool said.
In such situations, Wool said, CPS caseworkers talk with the child's parents about age-appropriate activities and try to make sure the child is not being abused or abusing others.
While criminal prosecutions are appropriate in severe cases or for repeat offenders, it is important for authorities to make sure sexually aggressive children and their families get counseling, Araji said. Many adult sex offenders began behaving inappropriately at a young age, she said.
"If we get these children when they're very young, when they're beginning the sexually aggressive behavior, we would have a much greater success rate in stopping sexual abuse from continuing," Araji said.
OK. Here is something to think about. Why should an instance of two children having sex even be a crime?
And is there a perpetrator and a victim and how do you tell one from the other?
Homeschool bump.
Soon the schools won't even have to bother teaching "sex ed" - the kids will be teaching them ... maybe that's been the plan.
That's terrible. The 12 year old molesting a 4 year old girl at a fast food restaurant happened in Houston. It was news that time. Man, what is with today's kids???????? Seriously, I never heard such a thing like that back then.
I've only started seeing the term "Sex Positive" recently, but I already don't like it! Not that one's husband would care for "sex negative," but that's another issue ...
As I mentioned on another thread, I don't think any sexual activity among youngsters is appropriate, even if both participants are minors. Obviously, there's some variation - some 17-year-olds are very mature, and ready for marriage and parenthood - but most teens simply don't the reasoning capacity to make good decisions about anything so permanent.
Elementary kids aren't coming up with this stuff on their own. It's got to come from somewhere in their environment - home, friends, daycare, school. Grounds for a child neglect case - unless the authorities are "sex positive" too!
Ick. I'm going to have to discuss our internet security with my husband, again. I shouldn't even have been able to access those sites!
Not blaming you! But it seems like the "parental control" on our network should have blocked those.
I'm glad you mentioned the library. I'll have to take a look at the "homework and research" computers next time we visit. Some of the employees have already shown hostility towards the idea that children should have limited access to any materials ... although they seem to follow the rules when a child presents a restricted card.
Garbage in, garbage out.
My husband works for the local school transportation department. One of the bus drivers caught a first grade girl giving, um, oral sex to a third grade boy.
The parents didn't want to believe it, of course. But I would be willing to bet they frequently watch R rated movies (or worse) with their little girl and think nothing of it.
Depends on the ages of the children involved. A 12 year old assaulting a 4 year old is a crime in my book. Yeah, he needs counseling - but he also needs to know he has committed a crime.
He does it again, he goes down the river.
Filter software considers these sites to be "educational" and "kid safe".
Additionally, the ALA's website reportedly told kids how to circumvent such filtering.
You are right about homeschooling. We decided to pull our daughter out of school for a similar reason. A kindergarten student was exposing himself to her and others during their lunch break. He was a student that was constantly in trouble and never taken out of the classroom for very long. We were fortunate to be able to take her out and begin homeschooling her and it has been a real benefit.
OH, great. Thanks for the information :-). Our children are not at this point looking to challenge us on what we do for their protection, but I'm concerned by what they could run into accidentally while do searches for approved purposes.
The software is supposed to help with that ... shoot, it kept me from going to NRA.com to update my address!
That'd be my guess - or they are witnesses to it in their own house,which amounts to the same thing.
Good heavens
I don't suppose 'fisting' and other sexual familiarity lessons in school by perp organizations cannot be faulted for teaching children to be sexually pre-occupied years ahead of their age and sexually pro-active well beyond their ability to consider the concept of self-control and self-responsibility.
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