Jim Sensenbrenner: “Mr. Speaker, children today are more at risk than ever to falling prey to sexual predators. Sexual exploitation of…”

“Mr. Speaker, children today are more at risk than ever to falling prey to sexual predators. Sexual exploitation of children, a prime motive for kidnapping, is on the rise. When it comes to abduction, rape and murder of children, the United States must have a zero tolerance policy. Our children are not statistics, and no level of abductions is acceptable. H.R. 5422, the Child Abduction Prevention Act of 2002, will send a clear message that child abductors will not escape justice. This legislation strengthens penalties against kidnapping, subjects those who abduct and sexually exploit children to the possibility of lifetime supervision, aids law enforcement to effectively prevent, investigate and prosecute crimes against children, and provides families and communities with immediate and effective assistance to recover a missing child. An abducted child is a parent's worst nightmare. We must ensure that law enforcement has every possible tool necessary to try and recover a missing child quickly and safely. Prompt public alerts of an abducted child could be the difference between life and death for that innocent victim. To accomplish this, H.R. 5422 establishes a national AMBER Alert program to expand the child abduction communications warning network throughout the United States.”