Sheila Johnson recently returned from South Africa where she addressed The Fourth World Congress on Family Law and Children's Rights. Johnson spoke on behalf of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, where she serves on the board of directors and is the organization's international spokesperson.

"As the international spokesperson for the International Center for Missing & Exploited Children, I speak on behalf of those who have been silenced by endless abuse and exploitation and I ask you to join me in saving their lives," Johnson said.

In previous speeches on this topic, Johnson has been both eloquent and persuasive. When she addressed a round table on the same subject in Cape Town last September, she convinced legislators to pass legislation that enacted the stiffest penalties South Africa has enacted against child pornographers and abductors.

The World Congress was formed as a committee of the United Nations. Its annual meeting takes place in a different country each year. Approximately 1,000 family law and children's rights advocates attended this year's conference in Cape Town South Africa.

Johnson was joined on the program by Mary Robinson, Executive Director, Ethical Globalization Initiative (USA). Robinson was president of Ireland from 1990-97. Known internationally for her work with women and children, she also serves as chancellor of Dublin University. Mme. Graca Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela and first lady of South Africa also spoke. She is president of the National Commission of UNESCO. Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF (USA) spoke about her considerable years of dedication to the plight of children.

In her remarks, Johnson also addressed the danger posed by the Internet and the increasing availability of child pornography. She described the international partnership she has forged with Microsoft to train law enforcement officials around the world so they may track down child pornographers.

Since 1998, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline has received more than 270,000 reports on child pornography. Each year, there has been a dramatic increase with 39% growth in 2004 in reports of possession, creation and distribution of child pornography.

"This is an increasingly important international issue," Johnson emphasized.

She also described the positive impact the Internet is having in tracking down abducted children. The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children's Photo Distribution Network disseminates thousands of images of missing children through media outlets and multinational organizations daily.

For more information on the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, visit the web at www.icmec.org.