EDITORIAL

Law by itself won’t prevent sex predators.

   As the Manville Borough Council prepares to join Hillsborough and the growing list of communities that are creating child safety zones in hopes of protecting kids from sexual predators, we hope they will understand what’s really being accomplished.
   Even as ongoing litigation makes these ordinances susceptible to being overturned by higher courts, it’s clear that such plans are as ineffective as they are popular.
   In the last six years, 10 cases of sexual assault against minors have been investigated by police in Hillsborough and Manville, none of which would have been prevented by such "safety zone" laws.
   In each case, the perpetrator was not a convicted molester and so would not have been affected by the laws.
   Also, in about half of the cases, the perpetrator was not committing the crimes in towns where they live, also making them outside of the impact of such zones.
   We’re not raising these points out of any concern for the rights of convicted sex offenders, but rather out of the concern that the false sense of security these laws may be creating will prevent us from taking the real — and very difficult — steps necessary to reduce sexual assaults.
   The only protection we have against such incidents stems from clear dialogue with children — it may seem dated, but making sure children understand boundaries and their bodies will help.
   It’s an uncomfortable topic to have to address with children but it’s as important as any discussion about the real "facts of life."
   It’s clear the trend is toward more assaults and greater danger for children in our area — of those 10 cases, half occurred in the last two years; half in the preceding four years.
   Whether the increase is a factor of population growth or other factors, we don’t know, but clearly we should all be very concerned.
   Many of the assaults occurred in the victim’s homes, by relatives or adults they knew already.
   We understand politicians’ desire to "do something" about sexual assaults — and the public pressure for laws such as these — but let’s not pin all our hopes on child safety zones.
   Politicians need to find real solutions to the problem of sexual predators, not take an easy action that provides no real protection for children.
   The disappointment we’ll feel at the laws’ failure to prevent an assault will pale compared to the damage done to the victim of that assault.