The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape honored Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett Friday at its annual board meeting in State College.
PA Attorney General Tom Corbett with PCAR Executive Director Delilah Rumburg (L) and PCAR Legal Director Diane Moyer (R)
Attorney General Corbett received the Community Partners Award for his work in creating the Child Predator Unit and his efforts to reduce the number of sexual assaults across the state.
“The attorneys, investigators and dedicated staff from the Office of Attorney General work vigorously every day to make Pennsylvania a better and safer place for all of our residents,” Attorney General Tom Corbett said. “The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape shares this same goal, and I count it as an honor to be recognized by them as a partner in their mission to prevent sexual violence and protect our families against the growing threat of Internet predators.”
Under Attorney General Corbett’s leadership, the Child Predator Unit became a top priority when he became Attorney General in 2005. The project has led to the arrest of more than 240 individuals who have attempted to sexually solicit children whom they believed to be minors, including undercover agents using the online profiles of children as well as actual children who alerted parents or other concerned adults about the inappropriate contact.
“Attorney General Corbett’s work is a remarkable testament to his dedication to end child sexual abuse,” PCAR Executive Director Delilah Rumburg said. “Tom recognized that predators were using the Internet as a means of contacting and communicating with young victims. He knew it was critical for law enforcement to stay one step ahead.”
The unit’s efforts have paid off in a 100 percent conviction rate against these predators.
Corbett also created the successful “Operation Safe Surf” program, which takes the lessons learned from Internet predator investigations and uses examples to educate children, parents, teachers and others about how to better protect themselves online. Safe Surf is presented free of charge to schools and community groups across the state, and has reached more than 200,000 teens and adults.
PCAR is the oldest and largest state anti-sexual violence coalition in the U.S. The organization represents 51 sexual assault centers that serve the state’s 67 counties. Each year, these centers provide confidential services, at no charge, to more than 21,000 victims of sexual abuse.