Kerry, Young Victim Take Up Child Porn Fight

I reported earlier today, that John Kerry held a press conference today in Boston heralding Masha's Law, bipartisan legislation thatr will dramatically increase penalties for anyone who downloads child pornography off the Internet.

The Boston Channel has a great print story and a video on the press conference. Here's a few quips from the story:

Sen. John Kerry has found a powerful ally in a young girl from Russia in the fight against child pornography.

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that that Masha Allen, 13, was adopted by an American man and exploited for years. After five years, the FBI caught up with the Pittsburgh man and he is now in jail. More than 500 photos of her were posted on the Internet -- pictures still being downloaded today and considered to be collector's items by pornographers.

"My pictures that are on the Internet disturb me more than what he actually did because I know the abuse stopped, but the pictures are still on the Internet," she said.

It is because of Allen, who now shares a home with her new mother, that child advocates discovered how severely outdated child pornography laws were.

"What does it tell you about Washington's misplaced priorities that the penalty for downloading songs off the Internet is three times what the penalty is for downloading pornography, child pornography?" Kerry asked.

But Allen's mission goes beyond legislation. Her poise, her confidence, her lack of precociousness helps her send her message to children she knows are suffering like she did for so long. She said the key is to find someone you trust.

"There are people that can help them and they should tell somebody, even if they are afraid to talk about it. The sooner they tell someone, the sooner it will get better and they should have courage and be strong about it because it is not going to last forever," Allen said.

Kerry filed Masha's Law, which would increase penalties and give adults whose pictures as children are still being downloaded grounds for legal action.

"This is not some victimless crime. This is not something that you can do and, in fact, not leave a trace," Kerry said.

John Kerry is confident with bipartisan support that the bill "should be passed and on the president's desk within a few months."