Missing and Exploited Children Site
	Erika Lyn Smith BellaOnline's Missing and Exploited Children Editor

Child Exploitation - Who to Trust
Most child predators know their victims personally and intimately through one or both parents. Yes, that means the people closest to the mother or father maybe the very one hurting your child. Find out what to look for before your child is a victim.

Child Pornography
Child pornography exploits children sexually. Read these articles and learn how to keep children safe.

Childhood Exploitation - What Does Exploited Mean
We know what the word missing means, but does anyone know what the word exploited means. According to Dictionary.com, exploited is defined, “To employ to the greatest possible advantage” or “To make use of selfishly or unethically.” Put simply, exploited means to manipulate.

Dangers of Abuse of Authority
Parents teach children from an early age to listen to adults, and to respect adults, especially those who represent authority figures. By teaching children to respect authority and elders, unequivocally, and without question, is in reality setting up a child for exploitation.

Designer Thrills - Teen Prostitution Among Middle and Upper Class Teenagers
Designer sex is the term given to teen prostitution or teen prostitutes that have sex for thrills or the money to buy designer items they want but not necessarily anything they need to survive.

Designer Thrills for Teens
Have you heard the term “designer sex” or “designer thrills?” The term designer sex describes teen prostitution, or the act of teen performing sexual acts for the thrill, but more likely for the money to buy designer items the teen desires but cannot afford. Find out if your teen is in danger.

Exploitation
Many sex offenders who will abuse a child are either a well-known family friend or a direct relative of the victim. This means the offender is someone the child already knows and trusts and NOT a stranger hiding in the bushes. So how do you keep your child safe?

Is it Real or is it Virtual?
Most people agree that child pornography crosses the line, especially when it comes to harming a child, for another’s sexual pleasure. What was surprising was to realize that on the World Wide Web exists both virtual pornography and virtual child pornography, which is legal.

Recognizing Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation
Tragically, everyday children survive abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Even more tragic is that someone ignores the red flags or obvious acts of abuse and does nothing to help.

Sextortion
Sextortion is the art of blackmailing someone for sex acts. If you have a web cam you may be at risk for someone to "peek" into your private life and later use that information against you. Teens are expecially at risk. Learn how to protect you online live.

Sexual Texting or Sexting
Before sending photos by cell phone or email to friends one should consider carefully what might happen to that picture if the relationship ends on a bad note or if the picture falls into the wrong hands. Sextual texting is ruining lives. Find out how.

Teens Using Web Cams
Does your teen use a web cam online? Is it possible your teen is a webcam teen? Webcam teens make money by undressing in front of their computers. Most webcam teens are from middle and upper class homes. Is your teen a webcam teen?

The Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP)
Have you seen a child being exploited? Do you know what to do if you suspect a child is part of a child trafficking ring? Read this article to learn how to help and report cases to the NCMEC.

The Exploitation of Children
The exploitation of children includes child pornography. Child pornography in its simplest terms is sexually explicit pictures of children. Sexually explicit pictures that get a pedophile excited, can be as a child playing in his or her bath at an early age.