The Call Is Coming from Inside the House

Introduction

Parents tell themselves comforting stories. We teach kids about “stranger danger,” consult sex-offender maps, draw wider circles around parks and bus stops, and exhale. But the data—and the cases that make it to court—say the real danger to many children isn’t lurking out on the sidewalk. It’s inside the home, or close enough to touch it. The registry, built to soothe a public terrified of the unknown predator, simply doesn’t map what many victims face: abuse by a parent, stepparent, relative, partner of a parent, or trusted family friend.

That is not a theory. It’s a pattern that threads through decades of research and thousands of prosecutions. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows that the overwhelming majority of children who are sexually assaulted are harmed by someone they know, often within the family itself. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found a similar reality in a landmark report: for the youngest victims, offenders are overwhelmingly known—frequently parents or other relatives—while “strangers” are the minority. RAINN is blunt: for minors, most perpetrators are known to the child. And when we widen the lens to child safety generally, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that “non-family” abductions—the classic stranger scenario—are about 1% of missing-child cases.

If you want a celebrity case that proves the point, consider Josh Duggar—the TV-famous oldest son in a large, public, faith-branded family. In 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas sentenced him to 151 months (12 years, 7 months) for receiving child sexual abuse material. But years before that, when he was 14 or 15, Josh admitted to his parents (Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar) that he had inappropriately touched four of his younger sisters and a babysitter. The family did not report to law enforcement at that time; disclosures emerged later in civil and media proceedings.

“When I read the police report about it, I wished I were dead.” —Jill Duggar Dillard, one of Josh’s sisters (Business Insider)

Start with the hardest stories: biological parents who weaponize proximity, authority, and trust.

In Indiana, Tristan Mullins and Desley McLemore were sentenced to a combined 90 years in federal prison for producing and distributing sexual abuse images of their infant. The DOJ’s press release is explicit: the crimes took place in their home, during caregiving.

The CDC’s ACEs research shows that such early abuse creates lifelong damage: depression, suicidality, substance use, and chronic illness.

Even when the offender isn’t a biological parent, the defining variable remains the same: power inside the intimate sphere.

In Texas, stepfather Hayim Cohen was sentenced to life for decades of abuse against boys in his care (Houston Chronicle).

“You preyed upon innocent young boys who had nothing, and you took advantage of their vulnerability.” —Victim impact statement

In Washington, D.C., a man was convicted of sexually abusing his girlfriend’s daughter and producing images (DOJ Press Release). These weren’t strangers—they were partners trusted in family life.

Abuse can also involve siblings, cousins, uncles, and others woven into everyday family life.

Josh Duggar’s victims were his own sisters, aged 5–11. Court documents and media reports confirm the timeline (Business Insider).

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network outlines how sibling abuse is both under-reported and profoundly damaging. Survivors report lifelong mistrust of intimacy and family bonds.

• Victim–offender relationship: Known to the victim in most cases; family in a large share (BJS).
• Kidnapping myths: Stranger abductions = about 1% of NCMEC cases (NCMEC).
• Health impact: CDC ACEs shows lifelong health and social costs.

The registry can’t map who tucks your child in, who supervises during custody weekends, or who a parent dates. The NIJ’s evaluations consistently find little to no deterrent effect from broad public notification, and significant collateral damage.

• Registries are ineffective and harmful, distracting families from the true risks.
• Safety requires prevention inside the home: stronger child-protection systems, mandatory reporter training that covers family dynamics, and better support for survivors.
• Policies must be evidence-based, not fear-based: resources should go toward intervention programs, not bus-stop banishment zones.
• Survivors must have access to trauma-informed care, financial support, and dignity—not empty promises that dots on a map will keep them safe.

The stranger is easier to fear than the loved one. The alley is easier to picture than the bedroom. And the map, glowing with danger, is easier to sell than the messy truth that safety is systemic, not geographic.

SOLAR’s position: registries are ineffective, harmful, and distracting from the true sources of danger. Real safety comes from supporting families, training institutions, and building systems of accountability that reach inside the home.

• OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book
• BJS: Sexual Assault of Young Children
• RAINN Statistics
• NCMEC on Abductions
• DOJ: Josh Duggar Sentencing
• Business Insider: Duggar Case
• Business Insider: Jill Duggar Statement
• DOJ: Mullins & McLemore
• CDC ACEs Fast Facts
• Houston Chronicle: Hayim Cohen
• DOJ: DC Man Convicted
• NCTSN: Sibling Sexual Abuse
• NIJ: Megan’s Law, 10 Years Later

• Child Welfare Information Gateway: Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse
• RAINN on Sibling Sexual Abuse
• CDC Violence Prevention Research
• U.S. Sentencing Commission: Federal Child Pornography Offenses