Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 293

Tonight's special guest is Justin Berry, 26, a child abuse survivor from California, who was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006, and now devotes himself to fighting child abuse on the Internet. At 13 years old, Justin was a typical "boy next door." Between homework and band practice, he found time to run a legitimate small business creating websites. A self-described "computer nerd," Justin was excited to get an inexpensive webcam. By hooking up his webcam, Justin unintentionally became a fresh face in a dark world where men prey on vulnerable teenagers and children. He had no idea that his new friends were adults — an online community of pedophiles discussing strategy, sharing advice and carefully planning his seduction. By age 16, Justin's young face had become extremely popular among Internet pedophiles. Fans began asking to meet him in person. At first Justin enjoyed his website's financial success, but he began using drugs and found his life spiraling out of control. He didn't know who to turn to... until he met Kurt Eichenwald, a reporter for The New York Times, the man who was to eventually able to help Justin turn his life back around. Justin's story, while shocking, is only one case in a huge industry that is destroying hundreds of children's lives. "They are being lured into it from their bedrooms," Kurt says. Justin says he is as surprised as anybody by the dark turn his life took at age 13. "I never would have guessed that would happen to me," he says. "This can happen to any kid." speak2justin@gmail.com