Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, families are tired of having to cover their children's eyes and ears every time they turn on the television. Many parents' standards of common decency are repeatedly offended and their parenting is undermined by the onslaught of indecent material on television and radio. Frankly they have been outraged recently by the examples of filth permitted on the airwaves by the FCC. Just as the majority leader said yesterday, if the industry cannot police itself, Congress must step in.

The FCC has been entrusted with enforcing our Federal decency laws and should be expected to do so. There are plenty of laws on the books regarding this matter and the FCC just needs to enforce them. Today the Committee on Energy and Commerce will mark up a bill which allows the FCC to enforce tougher penalties on broadcasters for violations of the law. The privilege of conducting business over the airwaves should always be conditional on their willingness to adhere to standards of common decency.

Broadcast airwaves belong to the American people, not to the networks. It is time for Congress to defend and protect America's parents and children and pass a tough bill to ensure decency on the airwaves.

Madam Speaker, an economist once said that it is easy to spend money that you do not earn or for which you do not have to take responsibility. That seems to sum up the way we operate around here lately.

Last week, my friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston), took a step to change that. After looking at requests, asking for as high as 30 percent increases from legislative agencies, requested from his subcommittee, he canceled hearings on their requests until they came to their senses. While the other agencies were facing cutbacks, the legislative branch thought it was Christmas morning.

If we are serious about being fiscally responsible, we need to start right here in this branch of government. If we cannot keep ourselves in check, how do we expect other agencies to do so? Fiscal responsibility should start right here. Either we have the courage to cut back or freeze here, or we will not have the courage to cut back or freeze at all.

While we all have a long way to go, the gentleman from Georgia's actions are a step in the right direction. We need to stop robbing from our children to pay for our addiction in spending.

Mr. Speaker, Americans pay a lot for health care, and there are a lot of reasons for the high costs. One of them is excessive awards in medical malpractice cases. In Pennsylvania alone there are $1.2 billion in payouts for medical malpractice cases a year. That is $1,000 for every man, woman and child in our Commonwealth.

People who are mistreated by medical professionals should receive the money they need to compensate for their injuries, but in my State, 40 percent of these awards go to trial attorneys. The result is out-of- control insurance premiums on doctors and higher costs for consumers.

A recent survey this year said that 70 percent of Pennsylvania's doctors have considered closing their practice because of the cost of medical malpractice insurance. Many have left, and many of the new doctors are going elsewhere. Of those that purchase coverage, the costs are going up exponentially every year, as much as 50 percent a year. The same survey reported that frivolous lawsuits are preventing them from getting specialized care for their patients. This is a big problem, and one that Congress should address.

The House has acted with common-sense reform. Now the other body should get past political games and pass reform of the medical liability lawsuit system in this country. Our doctors need it. More importantly, the American people need it. We need to pass lawsuit abuse reform.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow this body will vote on Laci and Conner's Law, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This bill would make it a Federal crime to kill or harm an unborn child in the act of a Federal crime against a pregnant woman.

Opponents of this bill claim that this is about abortion. They are wrong. This bill actually protects the expecting mother. The bill identifies 68 existing Federal laws dealing with acts of violence and expands them to include harm to an unborn child.

In upholding Minnesota's unborn victims law, the Minnesota Supreme Court said, ``The possibility that a female homicide victim may be pregnant is a possibility that an assaulter may not safely exclude.''

Over half the States have unborn victims protection laws on the books. Many have been upheld by State courts. None have affected access to abortion.

Let us put politics aside and pass this bill. We need to protect victims of violent crime and their unborn children, and the bill does that. It offers a defense for those who cannot defend themselves. It makes criminals think twice before attacking a pregnant woman.

Mr. Speaker, the economic numbers we are seeing right now do not lie. Our economy is growing and jobs are being created, but to stay on that track, we need to keep our economy growing. Growth encourages business expansion and entrepreneurship, both of which lead to new jobs, and tax relief encourages growth. That is what we have seen this year.

When small businesses and working families keep more of their own money, they spend it far better than we do here in Washington. But many, even many here in this Chamber today, do not believe that. So we will hear lots of talk about repealing tax cuts and spending more. But, Mr. Speaker, that is the wrong way to go. Raising taxes will hurt this economy. Lower tax rates on American families will unleash the full potential of this economy.

We need to let American workers keep the reward for their hard work. We need to act this year to make the tax relief permanent. This will encourage long-term growth and allow families and small business owners to plan with confidence for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to offer this statement of recognition for Glenn Robinson, the men's basketball head coach for Franklin and Marshall College.

Coach Robinson is a hometown hero for us here in Lancaster. He has passed Illinois Wesleyan's coaching legend, Dennie Bridges, to become the all-time winningest coach in

NCAA Division III men's basketball with 667 wins.

Coaching more than 900 games for the Diplomats, Coach Robinson has compiled a historic record. He has won more games than any other college basketball coach in Pennsylvania. Historically, he is one of only 41 coaches in collegiate basketball history to have won 600 games.

Among the top thirty coaches on all levels of the NCAA, Coach Robinson holds the tenth best winning percentage of all time. That puts him in the elite company of coaching legends like John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian, Dean Smith, Don Meyer, Jim Boeheim, Lute Olson, Phog Allen, and Mike Krzyzewski.

Robinson, who will be inducted into the West Chester Hall of Fame on February 13, has guided the Diplomats to the Division III Final Four four times (1979, 1991, 1996 and 2000) and was named the Basketball Times Division III ``Coach of the Year'' in 1991. He has earned conference and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) regional ``Coach of the Year'' honors 11 times.

But Coach Robinson isn't just about winning basketball games. He produces young men who are winners in life as well. You can't talk about records and winning percentage without mentioning the players who have made it possible. Part of his success has been the players with whom he has worked. Players like Will Lasky (1991 honorable mention, 1992 first team), Don Marsh (1977 & 1979 second team), Jeremiah Henry (1996 first team), Phil Hoeker (1989 honorable mention), Dave Janetta (1994 honorable mention, 1995 third team, 1995 second team), Dennis Westley (1981 second team) and Alex Kraft (2000 first team, 2001 honorable mention) all earned All-America honors under Robinson.

Unlike most Division I schools, which measure graduation rate based on the percentage of 4-year players who get a degree, Coach Robinson has a different standard. During his tenure, all but one player to earn a varsity letter in basketball has earned a degree, a statistic which few, if any, other college in the Nation can boast.

Coach Robinson grew up in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia and played high school basketball at nearby Aldan Lansdowne High before continuing his studies at West Chester University. At West Chester, he played collegiate baseball and basketball for the Division II Rams before graduating in 1967, earning a masters degree a year later.

Robinson joined the F&M basketball coaching staff in 1968 under Hall of Fame coach and athletic trainer Chuck Taylor. In 1971, he took over the Diplomats' when Taylor resigned to focus on his athletic training responsibilities.

His first win came on December 7, 1971 in Mayser Gymnasium, as Franklin & Marshall men's basketball team, then sporting an 0-2 record downed Western Maryland College 80-51. Robinson went on to lead the 1971-72 Diplomats to a 7-14 record with wins over Western Maryland, Eastern, Penn State-Harrisburg, Haverford, Juniata, Messiah and a season concluding 68-51 victory over Drexel University.

In 1973 the team improved to 11-13 as Coach Robinson put the pieces in place to build a successful program.

In 1974, Robinson and the Diplomats snapped their 10-year span of losing records, with 13-11 season record, the team's most wins for a Franklin and Marshall men's basketball team since its 13-6 showing in 1959.

In 1976, Coach Robinson set the school win record with a 17-8 record, erasing the 16 win seasons of Woody Sponaugle in 1952, J. Shober Barr in 1941 and Robinson's own mark from the 1975 season.

In 1977, he broke his own record with 22 wins. And he did it again in 1979 with 27, 1991 with 28 and 1996 with 29.

His career win total accounts for an astonishing 60 percent of the total collegiate wins in Franklin & Marshall men's basketball history (1,115) since the inception of the sport in 1899-1900 under H.S. Wingert.

Coach Robinson is a pillar in our community and has built a program known for the success of its teams on the court and its players off of it.

I commend Coach Robinson for reaching this historic milestone. He has earned it. He deserves every accolade and award he receives.

Mr. Chairman I move to strike the requisite number of words.

(Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the Woolsey amendment. It declares war between the government and faith-based organizations. It cuts services for people in need. It eliminates the role of faith-based organizations in our government's efforts to help. By denying the rights of religious organizations to hire according to their principles, this amendment would deny resources to people who know what they are doing. Many faith-based organizations have proven track records of meeting the long-term needs of people who need it. Many government programs do not. Government may provide food and shelter for a night, but it cannot offer hope and courage many times to build a new life. Faith-based organizations can. There is no need to supplant them or undermine them with another government program. They are great sources of hope and encouragement for those at their wit's end.

In 2002, the Access Agency received $60,000 in CSBG funding. A quick visit to their Web site reveals that the Access Agency has a set of core values and principles, including that they ``recognize the dignity and value of every human being'' and ``believe every human being has the fundamental right to a job, food, clothing, shelter and health care.'' I doubt anyone would argue that because the Access Agency

received Federal funds, they should have to hire someone who does not believe that employment, for example, is a fundamental right. They are not forced by Congress to hire people who oppose their beliefs. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act allows these organizations to hire people who support their mission. This means that a faith-based charity, working to meet the needs of people seeking help, can hire employees who support their religious convictions above those who do not.

Why, then, do some call it discriminatory when a Christian or Muslim charity wants to consider the beliefs of potential employees before hiring them to run a federally funded faith-based program? Such practices have been upheld by the United States Supreme Court. There is a double standard here. Planned Parenthood receives at least $240 million in Federal tax funds. At least in 2002 they did. Obviously they take belief in abortion into consideration before hiring their employees.

They are not forced by Congress to hire pro-life Catholics, for instance. Why, then, do some call it discriminatory when a Christian or Muslim charity wants to consider potential employees' beliefs before hiring them to run a Federally funded faith-based program?

The Federally funded faith-based programs under the CSBG program must include participants of all faiths if they choose to participate. The issue at hand is not in regard to who is treated or helped with Federal funds, but merely if groups doing the helping or treating may consider in hiring decisions the faith of an employee who would work in their faith-based programs.

Religious freedom in hiring is consistent with constitutional assurances of civil rights, as the Supreme Court has unanimously decided in upholding these protections. It is the critics of the exemption who are trying to undo 35 years of civil rights guarantees by attacking the independence of churches, synagogues, mosques, and religious organizations of every kind.

There is no more vital protection for organizations with a religiously rooted approach to social assistance than the freedom to hire according to their convictions. The leadership and staff of an organization determine its destiny. They alone will carry out its mission, uphold its priorities, embody its deepest values.

If the first amendment guarantee of religious liberty does not protect the employment decision of faith-based organizations, their right to free association, it then will become a meaningless abstraction. This amendment proposes to tell faith-based groups that they have to hire individuals who disagree with their core principles. If it passes, we might as well revisit the Civil Rights Act itself, since we would be rewriting it today.

Faith-based providers cannot be expected to sustain their religious missions without the ability to employ individuals who share the tenets and practices of their faith. The success of any organization is having everyone on board with its essential principles and vision. The Civil Rights Act secures that right, the Supreme Court protected it, and we should follow suit.

By protecting the nature of faith-based organizations in the CSBG, H.R. 3030 encourages providers, who otherwise may not have participated in the CSBG, to do so. This will increase the option afforded to people in need, and it will help more people. This amendment should be defeated.

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the President signed the omnibus bill into law. H.R. 1943, the Amish Labor bill, a bill I have pushed since I came to this body, was part of that package.

The bill keeps in place common sense safety rules, but allows Amish teenagers to learn a trade after they complete their formal schooling, which is equivalent to the eighth grade, in an apprenticeship program. This is the way they learn to make a living.

After years of trying to win this protection for the Amish community to preserve their way of life, we have finally done it. The President's signature on this bill is a victory for the Amish, for religious liberty, and for diversity in America.

Centuries ago, these people came to America to escape persecution, to worship and live freely, and their life and customs have remained mostly intact since they arrived. They do not ask for Social Security or unemployment or anything from the government; they just want to be left alone to raise their children and make a living. Over the years we have stood up for groups like the Amish when the law has threatened their well-being and survival.

I applaud the Senate for approving the bill, I thank the President for signing it into law, and I thank all of my colleagues who helped us get this into law.

Mr. Speaker, budget projections can be wrong. They often are. But I am also particularly concerned about the CBO report that forecast a several-trillion dollar deficit over the next 10 years. That is the highest level as a percentage of GDP since World War II.

To be clear, this deficit is driven by spending. We did what we had to do to protect our homeland and give our troops the support they need in the war on terror. But we also spent a lot more in other nondefense areas; and when we add increased government spending to an economic slowdown and the 9-11 attacks, we get deficits. There is no way around it.

Fortunately, the tax relief passed by this Congress and signed by the President has stimulated our economy. Now we have to turn our attention to getting government spending under control. We need to tighten our belts a little around here and do the right thing. We should freeze spending and balance the budget as early as we can. We need to get to work to cut the deficit, cut spending, and balance the budget.

Mr. Speaker, most homecoming kings are probably athletes or student government leaders, the ``in crowd''; but students at a Tempe, Arizona, high school broke the mold. Marcos de Niza High School's landslide winner for homecoming king was a 21-year-old student with Down Syndrome, Poco Carton.

Poco is well-known around campus for his dance moves at lunch and for his insistence on saying hello to nearly everyone. The election is a vivid reminder that each and every life, regardless of what value the world places on it, is worthy of living. Every day, Poco and those who share his challenges offer priceless contributions to our communities, but too often they are taken for granted, excluded from the opportunities many of us take for granted.

Studies show that 86 percent of unborn children who are diagnosed with Down Syndrome are never given a chance to be elected homecoming king. They are aborted. Down Syndrome is a challenge that taxes anyone facing it. Families caring for children with this disease need our support and encouragement, but if we believe that the way to kill Down Syndrome is to kill babies, we are dead wrong.

How many Poco Cartons have we lost to this strategy? How many lives could have been touched at schools like Marcos de Niza? It is a cost too high to calculate.

Mr. Speaker, I recently returned from a trip to Pakistan and India.

I would like to commend Prime Minister Vajpayee of India and President Musharraf of Pakistan for the cease-fire in Kashmir and for their courageous leadership and peaceful dialogue in addressing an issue of deep importance to both nations.

During my visit, I had the privilege of visiting a camp for internally displaced people in Azad Kashmir. The suffering that the people on both sides of the Line of Control have endured is horrific: land mines, bombings, deliberate rape of women and other human rights violations, all this in the midst of a land of great beauty.

It is time for the tragic suffering to end. All sides in the conflict need to immediately cease using rape as a weapon of war. All sides need to allow children to receive an education. Until the issue of Kashmir is resolved peacefully, the stability, security and economic viability of South Asia and the international community are at risk.

I urge the U.S. government to fully support the current positive steps between Pakistan and India to bring a peaceful end to this long- running conflict.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Congressional Record the following Declaration of the Participants of the First Congress of World and Traditional Religions hosted in Kazakhstan earlier this fall. One of the most important aspects of this gathering was the emphasis on reconciliation and the final declaration recognizing the right of each individual to ``freely be convinced of, choose, express and practice his/her religion.'' Much of the tension in the world today is over the refusal of one group to allow another group or individual to peacefully practice his or her religious beliefs. I would like to commend President Nazarbayev for convening this important conference and I would like to commend all participants in the conference.

Declaration of the Participants of the First Congress of World and

Traditional Religions

We, the participants of the First Congress of World and

Traditional Religions, held from 23 to 24 September 2003 in

Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Recognizing the right of each human person to freely be

convinced, choose, express, and practice his/her religion.

Considering inter-religious dialogue as one of the most

important instruments for ensuring peace and harmony among

peoples and nations.

Supporting the efforts of the United Nations, other

relevant international and regional organizations, as well as

Governments, civil societies and non-governmental

organizations in the promotion of dialogue among

civilizations.

Confirming the importance of religion for the well being of

all mankind.

Condemning the misuse and misrepresentations of religions

and the incorrect use of differences among religions as a

means for achieving selfish, disruptive and violent goals.

Conscious of: The declining sense of respect for the

sanctity of human life and the dignity of every human person.

The serious challenges posed to global stability by

poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease, immorality and lack of

access to clean water and health care.

The recourse to oppression, cruelty and violence as the

principle instruments for resolving disputes.

The ecological crisis in which the world finds itself, with

grave consequences for present and future generations.

Declare: That the promotion of the values of Tolerance,

Truth, Justice and Love must be the aim of any religious

teaching.

That extremism, terrorism and other forms of violence in

the name of religion have nothing to do with genuine

understanding of religion, but are a threat to human life and

hence should be rejected.

That the diversity of religious beliefs and practices

should not lead to mutual suspicion, discrimination and

humiliation but to a mutual acceptance and harmony

demonstrating distinctive characteristics of each religion

and culture

That religions must aspire towards greater co-operation,

recognizing tolerance and mutual acceptance as essential

instruments in the peaceful co-existence of all peoples.

That educational programs and the means of social

communication should be essential instruments for promotion

of positive attitudes towards religions and cultures.

That inter-religious dialogue is one of the key means for

social development and the promotion of the well-being of all

peoples, fostering tolerance, mutual understanding and

harmony among different cultures and religions, and operating

to bring an end to conflicts and violence.

That the entire human family must be encouraged to overcome

hatred, enmity, intolerance and xenophobia.

We shall strengthen co-operation in promoting spiritual

values and the culture of dialogue with the aim of ensuring

peace in the new millennium.

We are ready to strain every effort not to allow the use of

religious differences as an instrument of hatred and discord,

in order to save mankind from a global conflict of religions

and cultures.

We look forward to joint actions to ensure peace and

progress for humanity and to foster the stability of

societies as the basis for a harmonious world for the future.

We thank the Republic of Kazakhstan and his Excellency

President Nursultan Nazarbayev for initiating and hosting

this Congress.

May our commitments be blessed and all the peoples of the

world be granted justice, peace and prosperity.

Resolutions of the First Congress of World and Traditional Religions

The participants of the First Congress of World and

National Religions, held from 23 to 24 September 2003 in

Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Taking into consideration the fruitful exchange of views on

the role of religions in promoting peace and harmony in the

world.

Expressing common understanding on the need to continue

constructive dialogue among representatives of the world's

religions.

HAVE RESOLVED: To convene the Congress at least once every

three years; To approve the following title of the Congress--

``the Congress of World and Traditional Religions''; To

request the Republic of Kazakhstan, as the initiator of the

Congress, to elaborate all aspects related to the

establishment of the Secretariat; To convene the Second

Congress in Astana, the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to offer my most sincere congratulations to the Lancaster Firebird's Pee Wee AA hockey team in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Firebirds won the Eastern Regional Silver Stick Championship tournament in Columbia, Maryland. More than 63,000 young hockey players play in these regional tournaments all across North America--from Huntsville, Alabama to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Champions of these regional tournaments, represent their region at the North American Finals Tournament in Port Huron, Michigan in January. The Lancaster Pee Wee AA hockey team will now represent the entire East Coast Region. If the Pee Wee AA's win there, they will be crowned North American champions.

The Silver Stick tournament was formed to promote citizenship and international goodwill through hockey. In that sense, it continues the time-honored tradition of using sport to build understanding and friendship across national lines.

I am honored to congratulate the Lancaster Firebird's Pee Wee AA coaches Dave Bauer, Larry Collins and Jim Popp. And the Team Manager, Andy Lee.

But most of all, I'd like to offer my congratulations to the players themselves: #3 Bob Lee, #4 Jacob Friedman, #5 Kyle Boyd, #7 John McCracken, #10 Travis Gold, #11 Jeffrey Branson, #12 Nico Delgiorno, #13 Danny Keich, #16 Kyle Troup, #22 Logan Gleason, #24 Ben Bauer, #25 Josh Lewis, #29 Talon Lewis, #31 Ryan Popp, #44 Alec Collins, and #97 Christian Grim.

They have made us all very proud. I know that they will represent us well in Michigan. I look forward to continued success from their team and, hopefully, welcoming them home as North American Silver Stick champions.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, was ``a day that will live in infamy.'' More than 2,400 Americans died that day, 1,100 were wounded, and that day changed America forever.

But despite being attacked on our own soil, the American people responded with courage and resolution.

This same courage showed its face on September 11, 2001. That same resolution continues to drive us in the war on global terrorism today.

As President Bush said this weekend honoring Pearl Harbor, ``America's liberty is sustained by the courage of the American people. Every generation of Americans has answered the call to protect the blessings of freedom and democracy. With the help of our friends and allies, the brave men and women of our Armed Forces are now engaged in a global war on terrorism. And as in the aftermath of the terrible attack on Pearl Harbor, our Nation will stay the course, and we will prevail.''

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for the Record:

[From the Guardian, Nov. 4, 2003]

Special Investigation--Race To Save New Victims of Child Porn

(By Audrey Gillan)

Paedophiles are swapping thousands of hardcore images of

child sex abuse in a new form of computer child pornography

that police believe is feeding a demand for more real-time

victims of abuse.

The Guardian has established that the demand for child porn

through the use of file-sharing technology--normally

associated with swapping music and movies--has grown so

rapidly that law enforcement agencies are now employed in a

global race to track down the children who are being abused.

Some of the children, police believe, are being abused on a

daily basis to provide a constant supply of new computerised

material.

Senior officers have revealed that the scale of peer-to-

peer traffic in illegal images of children now dwarfs almost

any other paedophile network they have encountered. The

images are generally more extreme and at least 20% of the

users are what police class as Category One, meaning that the

suspect is ``of significant risk to children''.

But resources available to police to tackle peer-to-peer

child porn are limited and though they are catching some

offenders, it may take months or even years to track down the

location of some victims. In such cases, officers monitoring

the images can only watch as the children grow older and

continue to be abused.

Many of those addicted to child porn have flocked to peer-

to-peer file sharing software such as KaZaA, Morpheus and

Grokster because they are free so, crucially, users do not

have to leave any credit card details, leading them to

believe that they cannot be traced. The explosion in file

sharing, driven by the demand for music files, has also made

the technology readily accessible, quick and easy to use.

It also has the attraction of not requiring the users to be

part of a traditional organised paedophile ring using

password-protected, covert means to distribute images; rather

peer-to-peer technology allows them direct access into the

hard drives of other paedophiles' computers with no third

party authority monitoring content as is the case with chat

rooms and news groups.

Scotland Yard officers have told the Guardian that they

stumbled across this phenomenon by accident during another

inquiry and say they have been stunned by its exponential

growth. They believe the phenomenon is more alarming than

previous internet-related cases, such as the high-profile

Operation Ore.

The Met's child protection hi-tech crime unit has already

built a list of 800 suspects involved in file swapping

illegal images in the UK alone. While most are involved only

in sharing or downloading the images, a significant

proportion are active abusers producing the material

themselves, often using their own children, their neighbour's

children or--in rarer cases--by luring strangers. At least 30

peer-to-peer cases in the UK so far involved hands-on abuse

in which the children in the images were real-time victims.

Police found one man who had wired webcams into his

daughter's bedroom so that he could share video images of his

abuse with other peer-to-peer file sharers.

Detective Superintendent Peter Spindler, who heads Scotland

Yard's paedophile unit, said: ``We are finding real-time live

abusers. These people are able to get brand new images

straight up on the net.'' His officers have found that when

new images appear, the children involved are often related to

or live nearby the person distributing the material.

But the sheer volume of new material, combined with the

fact that it could have been produced anywhere in the world,

has meant that police have often been unable to pinpoint the

child's location.

Detectives rely on two methods of tracing location:

electronic footprints left by the user while online and

forensic analysis of the images to find clues pointing to the

country of origin, such as telephone books in the background

or the style of furnishings. In some cases, often where the

child is being held prisoner and abused in a completely blank

room, there are not enough leads for police to chase.

One case being investigated involves a prepubescent girl

who is being held prisoner in a room and repeatedly abused.

International law enforcement agencies know only that she is

in the United States and the FBI is trying to pinpoint her

exact location. New images of the child are shared through

KaZaA and other services but police have been unable to find

her.

Gemma Holland, victim identification project manager at the

University of Cork's Combating Paedophile Information

Networks in Europe (Copine) which has a database of more than

600,000 child porn images, said: ``This is a global problem.

The abuse could be in the next village or somewhere near you

but the problem is the images are being shown globally.

Identifying the kids in these images should be our prime

concern and of the greatest importance.''

The decentralised nature of the internet and peer-to-peer

specifically make it difficult to define numbers of images in

circulation or children involved but experts says it is

growing daily. Washington's national centre for missing and

exploited children, which acts as a clearing house for child

porn tip-offs, said that reports of such images in shared

files had increased by 400% this year.

David Wilson, professor of criminology at the University of

Central England in Birmingham, said: ``Peer-to-peer

facilitates the most extreme, aggressive and reprehensible

types of behaviour that the internet will allow.''

The Guardian understands that the National Crime Squad is

considering coordinating all of this work, rather than

leaving it to small groups working within the country's

various forces; so far the leading forces have been the Met,

West Midlands and Greater Manchester.

Peer-to-peer has become more attractive for paedophiles in

the wake of Operation Ore, the high-profile British police

operation which was launched after US authorities handed over

the names of 7,200 people suspected of subscribing to

websites offering paedophilic images. While Ore has grabbed

headlines, many senior officers and child abuse experts

believe that targeting people at the lower end of the

paedophile spectrum has been a distraction in terms of child

protection.

Prof Wilson believes Ore showed how the criminal justice

system concentrated on the wrong type of offender, the people

who downloaded the material rather than produced them. It

needed to refocus on activities such as peer-to-peer file

sharing and the producers of child pornography.

He said: ``Police operations have not been getting to the

type of paedophile that we need to get to. It's in their

interests to keep the debate moving towards the kind of

people they should be spending time and resources on.

``The achilles heel of peer-to-peer is that it makes

something that is secret and furtive into something that is

public and when it is public that offers the police a window

of opportunity to police it.''

In a room on the fifth floor at Scotland Yard, officers in

the hi-tech crime unit are trying to do exactly that, sitting

at computers, monitoring activity on the peer-to-peer boards.

They are part of a team working on Operation Pilsey which

started as a smalltime inquiry in March 2001 by the Met's

clubs and vice unit and burgeoned with the number of people

posting images via file sharing. The detectives working here

are now inundated.

They explain that they can use technology to detect the

location of those who download the images and sometimes that

of the abusers. If there is a child immediately in danger,

officers will conduct a raid as soon as they have a location.

Paedophiles believe it is harder for them to be detected

through peer-to-peer software but investigators are able to

access their shared folders and quickly discover if they

contain illegal images of child abuse. They are then able to

establish the location of the owner of the shared folder.