With the increase of internet popularity and usage of wireless devices such as tablet and mobile phones, the governing bodies all over has observed increase in criminal activities. Therefore, governing bodies throughout the globe had to amend certain laws to strengthen the Soliciting- A Serious Sexual Offence in Virginia criminal laws against any such activities conducted from electronic medium. These online sexual offenses often involves minors who are forcefully subjected to child pornography and child solicitation. The Virginia law has strict rules and tough laws for online soliciting and any such serious sexual offenses especially directed to minors.
The sexual offenses with minors or adults these days often starts from cybercrimes, this majorly involves child pornography or child solicitation. In Virginia, the governing bodies take sex crime and online solicitation very seriously and the “guilty” accuser undergoes severe punishments and even life imprisonment. Although being involved in any of the sexual abuse charges with a minor leads the person into hot waters, however solicitation is considered as a major sexual offense. Solicitation means that the offender (an adult) contacted a minor (a child under the age of 18) with an intention to carry out sexual activities. The law does not restrict the offender to talk to actual minor, but even if an adult is pretending to be a minor the offender will be charged for solicitation due to his intention of carrying out a sexual abuse with a minor. Often the detectives or other responsible adults conduct this drill with the suspected offender.
As Virginia court deals the sexual offenses with minor very sensitively, prosecutor here are more aggressive with the accused person. The prosecutors make sure that a guilty person is placed behind the bars for their horrendous crime. The court even registers the child abuser as a sex offender in their registry which has a colossal negative impact on the child abuser in a longer run.
According to the Virginia Code § 18.2-374.3 the child solicitation falls under the misuse for communication medium. Hence the law strictly prohibits the engagement an adult with a minor with an intention of sexual abuse. The law is not restricted to communication but it also incorporate adults who are a part of indecent exposure in front of a minor.
Although at times the accusers are frustrated as they have not actually conducted any physical abuse with the child, however the law charged the person for the intention of conducting a sexual offense with the minor in future. Hence it is easier to understand that any of these activities performed with a minor under the age of 18 would be dealt strictly by the Virginia court:
- Exposure of the offender’s genital parts and any other sexual parts to a minor
- The suggestion given by the offender to a minor to expose his or her genital part
- The offender asks the minor to touch his own genitals
- The offender asks the minor to touch his/her (the offender’s) genitals
Proposing a child to join the offender at his home, vehicle or any other private place to carry out any of the prohibited sexual offense.