HSI San Juan's iGuardians Summit arrives in Fajardo

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - During Child Abuse Prevention Month, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan held the long-awaited iGuardians Summit in Fajardo, the most important event on internet safety and child exploitation in Puerto Rico. In collaboration with the Department of Education and the Municipality of Fajardo, the eighth presentation of the event impacted over 1,500 high school students from the Humacao Educational Region. Project iGuardian is designed to inform children, adolescents, parents and adults about the threat of online child sexual exploitation and abuse and teach them how to implement preventive strategies and report suspected abuse to authorities.

"Online child exploitation is one of the most heinous crimes as it attacks some of the most vulnerable populations in society: Our children," said HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos. "HSI San Juan has always prioritized allocating resources, designing programs and providing tools to parents, caregivers and students to prevent aggression by sexual predators who hide in digital spaces."

"We thank the entire Homeland Security team for the iGuardians initiative, a joint effort that we have been able to work together for the benefit of our youth. We congratulate the more than a thousand students who are part of this process today," said Puerto Rico Department of Education's Security Commissioner Cesar González Cordero, representing Secretary of Education Yanira Raices. "We know that it will be very useful to train them as leaders with tools to avoid being victims of harassment and/or abuse. The Department of Education and the Security Commissioner's Office are committed to the continued collaboration for the benefit of our students."

"It is a pleasure for me to receive you in Fajardo. It always fills me with energy to see the Coliseum with so many young people," said Fajardo Mayor Jose Anibal Melendez Mendez. Please know that you have a collaborator in me, that the doors of the municipality are always open to support these programs that offer prevention and safety workshops for our young people."

Know2Protect is the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online victimization; and offer response resources and support for victims and survivors of online child sexual exploitation.

Project iGuardian is the official in-person educational arm of the Know2Protect campaign to teach the public about the ongoing threats children and teens face from online predators. These presentations are based on HSI's subject matter expertise, unique law enforcement perspective, and authorities that have led to successful investigations and prosecutions. In fiscal year 2023 in Puerto Rico, Project iGuardian offered nearly 100 in-person and virtual presentations to approximately 30,000 people.

National statistics for fiscal year 2023 totaled 1,806 victims identified and/or recovered for child exploitation versus 1,170 in fiscal year 2022. In addition, a total of 4,214 arrests were made versus 4,459 in fiscal year 2022.

If you suspect child exploitation activity or would like more information about the Know2Protect Campaign or Project iGuardian, contact the HSI San Juan Communications Center 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 787-729-6969 or visit https://www.dhs.gov/k2p.