Take a stand to protect our children

In the last few weeks, I have reported several stories that spotlight the fact that the exploitation of children is prevalent in our society. It occurs in all cities, not just our city. That is the sad truth.

very close to home right here in Kings Mountain.

LORETTA COZART

I do not write about this topic because of a movie I saw or my personal life experience, although both play roles. I write about this because it is worthy of repeating. All children, the community’s children, are worth protecting, and it is the community’s responsibility to guard their innocence until they are old enough to make certain decisions for themselves as adults.

As parents, we know it is impossible to protect our children all the time. We all do our best to do so. For those of us who work, daycare is a necessity. We want our children to become socialized and ready for school, so we enroll them in preschool. We want them to receive religious training, so we take them to church and put them in Sunday School. We enroll them in sports, music, or whatever interest they want to pursue, all the while asking friends for recommendations of people or organizations they trust.

This week an individual in Kings Mountain was charged with taking liberties with a child. This is the fifth story I have written in as many years as a reporter, and it hits

When is this going to stop? We must protect our children against those who could exploit them, which begins with changing laws. We need to make laws stricter, so they deter such behavior. Adults should leave children alone, with no exceptions. If they cannot control themselves, then they need to be incarcerated. The law should be crystal clear. But not all current laws in NC protect children completely between the ages of 12 and 18.

The legal age of majority (adulthood) in N.C. is 18 years for voting and other adult privileges; however, the age of consent for sexual intercourse is 16. Really? I did not consider my daughter an adult at 16, but the state of NC would have treated her as such concerning sex.

People cannot buy alcohol until the age of 21. Why are laws regarding sex more lenient than those for buying alcohol?

The repercussions of such behavior can be far more life-changing than a hangover. It makes no sense to me.

NC has what is known as the Romeo and Juliet exemption intended to prevent young people who are close in age and involved in a consensual sexual relationship from being charged with statutory rape.

This exemption is for a minor of any age and someone at least 12 years old and no more than four years older than the minor. For example, a 17-year-old who has consensual sex with a 15-year-old cannot be criminally prosecuted in N.C. So, someone has decided that a 15-yearold can have sex with someone who is 12 with no repercussions. That is just wrong.

We have made laws to deal with such specific cases, only to find that the laws create loopholes to avoid jail time for such behavior. These laws may have been written with certain situations in mind.

And what happens to someone convicted of being a sexual predator?

Once a sexual predator has completed their jail time, including probation, not all must remain on the sex offender registry. In many cases, the offender remains on the list for 30 years. However, under North Carolina law, someone who committed a nonviolent sex offense may request removal from the list after ten years. It just requires a lot of paperwork and money.

Nonetheless, I urge parents and citizens to monitor the Sex Offender Registry. The purpose of North Carolina’s Sex Offender and Public Protection Registration Programs is to assist law enforcement agencies’ efforts to protect communities by requiring persons who are convicted of sex offenses, or certain other offenses committed against minors, to register with law enforcement agencies, require the exchange of rel-