Today, as we deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is noteworthy that the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported that child safety has also been affected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In 2021, NCMEC stated that they had experienced a 97.5% increase in online enticement reports between January 2020 and December 2020, versus the same time period in 2019.” NCMEC maintains a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-843-5678, and the CyberTipline receives reports of child sexual exploitation incidents via an online form - CLICK HERE TO ACCESS. For more information, request a copy of the VIRTUS® article “Online Child Sexual Exploitation and the NCMEC CyberTipline” at lacatholics.org/did-you-know or read it by CLICKING HERE.