Paedophiles can exploit the anonymity and lack of monitoring of internet chatrooms to befriend children, often posing as children themselves. According to a report by the Guardian, one child in five is estimated to have entered a chatroom, and one in ten will arrange a “real life” meeting with a stranger they met on the internet.
The Times reports that the Sexual Offences Bill will include a specific offence of “grooming” children for abuse and introduce a new civil protection order designed to stop suspected sex offenders contacting individual children in any way. The newspaper reports that it will also be illegal to contact minors with “harmful intent through e-mail, telephone, text message, or even hanging around outside schools.”
The UK Government has already attempted to deal with the issue, by establishing a high-tech crime unit, the Internet Task Force, last March.
The Home Office is expected to publish its proposals this autumn, according to Reuters. The move will be part of a more general action plan against sex offenders, which was outlined by Home Secretary David Blunkett in June.