Today in America, it seems we can not go a single week without hearing in the news that there was another innocent child abducted by a child molester. This is something that disgusts me, and is a problem that has become out of control in our society. With the internet, it is too easy for child molesters and sexual predators to just roam the social networks like MySpace or Facebook looking for children to be their next victims. Let’s not forget chat rooms and instant messaging; those are pretty popular, too. There is only so much parents can do in attempting to protect their children from these predators. Some parents are ignorant and do not try to protect their kids, but the on the other hand current laws are not harsh enough when there are demented perverts living in the so-called “safe” neighborhoods of America. I am tired of reading the paper or watching the news to see that some child molester has videotaped his raping of an innocent 3-year-old girl, or that some child molester has walked free after admitting guilt because of some fault in our justice system. It is time the federal government helps the states out a little and makes federal laws for harsher punishments for anyone who commits sex crimes against children. In a May 2006, ABC News reported that one in five children are now approached by online predators. Maybe it is just me, but that seems a little too high for my liking. I'm sure we all know five children and to think that it is likely one of them has been approached online by a sexual offender is just wrong. Only some states have satellite tracking on repeat sexual offenders and those considered high-risk offenders. The federal government should make it mandatory for all sex offenders – or at the very least repeat offenders – to wear satellite tracking devices. These devices could make it possible for law enforcement to track their movements in the hope that this could help reduce the recidivism rate of offenders once they are released from prison. The recidivism rate is far too high, and these offenders must be stopped with the help of our government. By the time I graduate and consider starting a family I do not want to have to be in constant worry that sexual predators will be lurking around my local schools and neighborhoods waiting to have a field day. New laws must provide harsher punishment, there must be more awareness in communities about local child molesters, and parents must be the first line of defense in protecting their children. Harsher laws would no doubt help, but you cannot always blame the government. No matter how many laws and how much awareness there is, if parents do not monitor what there kids are doing or know where they are, then these horrific crimes will still be on the rise.