Another Predator Outed

“The younger the girl, the better”. These were the words of a chilling text message allegedly sent by former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle to a 17 year-old girl the day after he paid to have sex with her.

He was fishing for someone even younger than her to have sex with, prosecutors say. It is the tip of the iceberg of allegations facing the 37 year-old made famous by his huge weight loss and endorsement of Subway food chain.

He faces several charges of engaging in sex acts with minors and receiving images of children involved in sexual acts.

It is the latest sickening story that puts “child pornography” or online child abuse material in the spotlight.

The Growing Problem

It’s a disturbing problem that has many facets to it. Not only is there an overlap between those who view the material and those who engage in contact sexual offences, but the outsourced  images allow it to seem like a victimless crime to those viewing it.

It plays a big role in the continued sexual abuse of children. For survivors, knowing that the images of their abuse continue to be viewed and distributed extends the trauma of the original crime.

In the case of former Subway spokesman Fogle, he allegedly obtained child pornography “on multiple occasions” that were secretly produced by friend and former Executive Editor of the Jared Foundation, Russell Taylor, 43, over the past four years. (The Jared foundation is a nonprofit organization set up by Fogle and focused on raising awareness about childhood obesity.)

Twelve victims, boys and girls as young as 9-years-old, appeared in photos and videos allegedly taken with hidden cameras at Taylor’s home. It is alleged Fogle knew some of the victims’ names, where they lived and in some cases, even met them during social events in Indiana, it is alleged.

The Fight Against It

There is an ongoing attempt to stop the dissemination of such material both nationally and globally.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority investigates and removes explicit material. It reported a 550% increase in investigations into online child abuse material, last month. Technology giants such as Google and Microsoft have also helped in the development of technology to identify and remove child abuse material from the internet.

But there is still a world of barriers due to the sheer scale of the problem and flailing resources. Those fighting against the material are hoping to phase out the term “child pornography,” which mislabels the material as a legally acceptable form of pornography, akin to mainstream, adult, consensual pornography.

Can I help?

As an internet user if you discover child abuse images you can report offensive or illegal content to the AMCA. If you know of someone who has used or is using online child abuse material, you can report it to your local police or the Australian Federal Police.

Protecting Children Online

Supervising children why they are online ids the best way to protect them of the dangers of chat rooms or harmful images they may see. You can look into getting various filtering systems that can block certain suites, but its best not to think this is completely fool proof.

The Punishment

Fogle has agreed to plead guilty to the charges engaging in sex acts with minors and receiving images of children involved in sexual acts. Prosecutors are recommending up to 13 years’ prison time for Fogle. In federal cases in the United States, prisoners must serve at least 85 per cent of sentences. No date has been set for a hearing yet.