In the fight to stop the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, the only decrease has been in the age of the victims, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told some of the nation’s top investigators, agents and prosecutors at a conference in San Jose.

“This is unacceptable,” Holder said Thursday at the inaugural National Strategy Conference on Combating Child Exploitation.

But Holder said he is optimistic that far more can be done. He has made protection of children and other vulnerable groups — the elderly, victims of hate crimes, human trafficking and exploitation — the top priorities of the Department of Justice.

Just by attending the first of what will be ongoing national conferences on combating child exploitation, Holder told the crowd that they are “making history.

“We are signaling that when it comes to keeping our children from harm, a new era has begun,” he said.

The Protect Our Children Act, passed in 2008, requires the Justice Department to come up with a national strategy for fighting the problem and implementing the best ways to do that.

The three-day conference brought together an estimated 1,000 investigators, agents and prosecutors from all levels in government for state-of-the-art workshops on everything from investigative techniques and digital forensics to victim advocacy and community outreach.

“We need to use every available tool,” Holder said, including “cutting-edge technology” and partnering with a range of law enforcement and community agencies. Child pornographers and predators quickly embrace the latest technology to distribute their collections and law enforcement needs to stay ahead of them, he said.

Because actual cases were part of the presentations, the workshops were not open to the public. The conference is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program.

After making brief remarks, Holder honored 52 prosecutors, law enforcement members and victim advocates in 13 communities for their success with innovative programs and partnerships to arrest and successfully prosecute those who exploit children.

“To improve our odds of catching those who prey on children, we need to invite even more partners,” Holder said. “I have never been more optimistic about our ability to protect our children. We can win this fight.”

Holder is scheduled to meet with Melinda Haag, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and members of the mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force on Friday to discuss anti-violence efforts as part of the National Forum for Youth Violence Prevention.

He’s also slated to tour the San Jose Job Corps facility and meet with students to discuss gangs and violence in their communities.

On Friday afternoon, Holder will deliver remarks at the dedication of the William H. Neukom Building at Stanford Law School.

Contact Linda Goldston at 408-920-5862.