Sex predators go after gamers

Sexual predators in Japan and elsewhere are increasingly turning their eyes on underage gamers. According to the Asahi Shimbun, sex crimes against girls using apparently harmless gaming and social networking websites more than doubled in 2008 from a year earlier. Last year in Japan, 82 underage girls fell victim to child prostitution and other sex crimes after meeting people through such sites.  By contrast, only 48 girls met and were assaulted by sexual predators after meeting them on dating sites.

A law was passed last year requiring that all dating sites to register with the government to prevent anyone under the age of 18 from using their services. Japanese dating sites were known hotbeds of child prostitutions where underage girls either willingly sold or were coerced into sexual services.  This year, the police have noted a marked decline of sexual crimes instigated by meetings arranged from such sites. Sexual predators have unfortunately moved onto more innocuous sites, which are under less scrutiny and do not have age restrictions.

Lest you think this phenonemon is purely a Japanese phenomenon, recently Ohio police arrested a man who is accused of raping a young boy who he met through the Xbox Live gaming network. Another man from Virginia has just been extradicted to Arkansas where he solicited a young boy for nude pictures over the Xbox network. That man has been charged with a felony and held on a $20,000 bond.

It appears that underage gamers and their guardians must be vigilant even when playing games.