The New York Catholic Church Paid Lobbyists $2.1 Million to Block Child Sex-Abuse Law Reform

Brendan O'Connor

Governor Andrew Cuomo and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Photo: AP

From 2007 to the end of 2015, the New York Daily News reports, the New York Catholic Conference, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, paid top Albany lobbyists more than $2.1 million to help block legislation, including the Child Victims Act, that would make it easier for victims of child sex abuse to seek justice.

If passed, the bill—a version of which is still pending—would change New York state law to allow a one-year window in which victims older than 23 could bring lawsuits against their abusers. (Such victims are restricted from suing under the current law.)

State records show that the conference, a group representing the bishops of the state’s eight dioceses, retained lobbyists to work on a number of issues associated with “statute of limitations” and “timelines for commencing certain civil actions related to sex offenses.”

“We believe this bill is designed to bankrupt the Catholic Church,” Catholic Conference spokesman Dennis Poust told the New York Times in 2009.

In addition to the Church’s own internal lobbyists, the conference retained Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, Patricia Lynch & Associates, Hank Sheinkopf, and Mark Behan Communications.

Patricia Lynch’s involvement is of particular note: According to court filings in the corruption case against Sheldon Silver unsealed earlier this year, Lynch and the disgraced speaker carried on a longstanding, mutually beneficial affair.

Her involvement signaled a turning point in the legislation. From 2006 to 2008, the state Assembly passed four different version of the Child Victims Act, the Daily News reports. After PLA was hired in 2009, the measure was never voted on again.

In a letter to the judge in Silver’s case submitted late last year, John Aretakis, a former lawyer and an advocate for child sex abuse victims, specifically criticized the former speaker for obstructing reform as a result of his relationship with Lynch.

Lynch’s firm was paid $7,500 a month, the Daily News reports. The firm’s contract with the Catholic Conference was terminated not long after Lynch was identified as Silver’s mistress. Lynch said that contract ended by “mutual consent.”

'A Crime Scene of Unspeakable Horror': Child Sex Abuse and the Internet

Perpetrators of online child sexual abuse will continue to take advantage of the latest technology to serve their purposes

A rescued children in the playroom at the Child Protection Unit, Philippine General Hospital 

Photograph: UNICEF Philippines/2016/Andy Brown

Joanna Shields
Baroness Joanna Shields is the UK minister for internet safety and security

We think of the internet as a force for good - and so it is - but today there are dark clouds on the horizon. Faster internet, anonymous access and cryptocurrency mechanisms all provide opportunities for criminals to access child sexual abuse images.

Images of child sexual abuse are uploaded and shared everyday. Some of these images are screen captures of live-streamed sexual abuse of children of all ages, even infants. Each image, each video depicts a crime scene of unspeakable horror.

Child sexual abuse is a global crime that transcends borders, and demands a global response. The WePROTECT Global Alliance to end online child sexual exploitation is that response.

The goal of WePROTECT is to eradicate child sexual exploitation online. Full stop. Its mission is to empower everyone with a responsibility to protect children online, to identify and safeguard victims, remove child sexual abuse material from the internet and track down perpetrators all over the world.

Led by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, we started WeProtect in 2014 and in just two years, 63 countries and international organisations as well as civil society organisations and major companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft have committed to its principles and global statements of action. Everyone involved understands that to make progress, it takes all of us - united behind one goal.

WePROTECT recently merged with the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online to create, for the first time, a single organisation with the influence, expertise and resources to transform how online child sexual exploitation is dealt with worldwide.

Tragically, once an image of child abuse has been posted on the internet it remains there forever unless action is taken. To reduce the availability of this vile material the Internet Watch Foundation has shared 19,000 digital identifiers of child abuse images known to law enforcement agencies with technology companies including Google and Facebook, to enable them to delete corresponding images from their platforms. Internet search providers are also removing routes to child abuse images in their search results and it is having an affect; since the start of WePROTECT, Google has seen an eight-fold reduction in search attempts.

In addition to the production and sharing of indecent images of children, what is increasingly worrying is the emergence of new threats including the live streaming of child abuse. Significant levels of poverty and faster internet connections enable this form of abuse to thrive in countries such as the Philippines, fuelled by demand from overseas - including sex offenders in the UK. Our National Crime Agency has worked with its counterparts in the Philippines to apprehend those perpetrating this abuse in both our countries, and to help safeguard child victims. This has led to significant successes, including the arrest last year of three female facilitators of live streaming and the protection of 13 children.

This government is committed to stamping out this terrible crime and in 2014 the Mr Cameron pledged £50m over five years towards this aim. Through a partnership with UNICEF the first £10m has supported programmes in 17 countries to tackle this issue. Later this year, UNICEF will launch the new Global Fund to End Violence against Children, with the remaining £40m pledged specifically to tackling online child sexual exploitation.

Child abuse, in all its forms, is an abhorrent crime. The perpetrators of online child sexual abuse will continue to take advantage of the latest technology to serve their purposes so it is imperative we remain one step ahead of them. Only by working together in the WePROTECT global alliance can we eradicate this abuse and protect children no matter where they live in the world.

Oregon Man Convicted of Child Sex Abuse in Philippines and US

Man convicted of PH 

and Oregon child sex abuse

PORTLAND, Oregon — A 47-year-old resident of Forest Grove, a town 25 miles west of Portland, was convicted of sexually abusing kids in the Philippines and secretly videotaping children showering at his Oregon homes.

Steven Douglas Rockett

According to prosecutors, Rockett solicited kids in both the Philippines and Oregon to send him sexually explicit pictures of themselves. He also went to the Philippines where he sexually abused children and produced or tried to produce child porn showing them.

Rockett was also convicted of recording kids showering at his Forest Grove home, a previous residence in Aloha, Oregon and in the Philippines.

Police found hidden cameras in Rockett’s guest bathroom and inside a clock radio he had in the Philippines.

Seven victims from Oregon and overseas testified against Rockett in a trial held in Portland.

Investigators were not sure if they have uncovered all of Rockett’s victims since he used disc-wiping and encryption technology.

Steven Douglas Rockett will face sentencing on various sex abuse and child porn charges on August 30.

“This verdict serves notice to all sexual predators that we will pursue you wherever you commit your crimes and wherever you hide — whether on the Internet, in the shadows of our community or abroad,” US Attorney for the District of Oregon Billy J. Williams.

Ominous Rise in Number of Child Victims of Sexual Abuse in Turkey

Emine Kart - ANKARA

The Ankara-based International Children’s Center’s (ICC) has held a meeting where it briefed an audience concerning an ongoing project it has been running in order to protect children from all kinds of violence, a priority of the center’s human rights programs.

A part of the Observatory of Child Friendly Justice for Marginalized Victims of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation in Turkey Project, a report which includes statistical information from recent years in regards to children victimized of sexual abuse and exploitation, was presented by Didem Şalgam, the project officer in charge of children’s rights at the ICC, at the meeting held on May 27, while the Juvenile Observatory website (www.cocukgozlemevi.org), which also took part of the project, was introduced.

Şalgam’s work was composed of data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) and the Justice Ministry’s Directorate General of Criminal Records and Statistics.

According to judicial statistics, while the number of complaints filed at criminal courts within the scope of sexual crimes committed against children was 16,135 in 2010, this number rose to 16,957 in 2015, a 5.09 percent increase.

Out of those complaints, criminal courts launched 10,041 cases in 2010. Five years later, in 2015, criminal courts launched 18,825 cases, an increase of 87.48 percent when compared with 2010.

In parallel with the increase in the number of complaints filed and cases opened, there was an increase in the number of conviction and acquittal rulings from 2010 to 2015.

Accordingly, out of 10,041 cases launched in 2010, 46.32 percent were finalized with conviction rulings while 24 percent were finalized with acquittal rulings.

Out of 18,825 cases opened in 2015, 74.1 percent were finalized with conviction rulings and 25.23 percent were finalized with acquittal rulings.

When the ranges of rulings of convictions and acquittals according to the total number of cases opened in 2010 and 2015 are compared with each other, it is seen that there was an increase in number of conviction decisions.

Physical injury was the top crime which lead to the victimization of children, according to the TÜİK data, while sexual crimes came in second.

“It is possible to observe that the number of children who have come or who have been brought to security units in the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions has been increasing. In addition to the increase in the number of refugees and asylum-seekers, cases of sexual exploitation of children in tourism and travel can also be shown among the reasons for that. There is also a need to take the rise in tourism in the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions into consideration too,” Şalgam explained.

“These figures underline that the number of children victimized by sexual abuse has ominously increased. It also underlines the need for endeavors which would strengthen victimized children and which would support civil society organizations which work for the rights of victimized children,” Şalgam stated.

A single platform for the first time in Turkey

With the launching of the Juvenile Observatory website, judicial rulings, academic essays and statistical data concerning the exploitation and abuse of children have been collected under a single platform for the first time in Turkey.

Rights defenders and policy-makers will now be able to access the database, which is composed of decisions on child neglect and abuse made by the Supreme Court of Appeals, the Constitutional Court, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Ombudsman Institution, as well as academic theses, essays and case presentations in this field.

It will be possible to make comparisons of the court rulings at the observatory with international standards via correlating them with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

From the Matra to Adana

The Observatory of Child Friendly Justice for Marginalized Victims of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation in Turkey Project has been supported through the Matra projects program of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ankara.

Ombudsman for Children, Disabled and Women Serpil Çakın represented the Ombudsman Institution at the May 27 meeting, while officials from the Justice Ministry’s Department of Victim Rights, representatives from the Child Monitoring Center (ÇİM) in Ankara, as well as executives from the Çankaya Municipality and Yenimahalle Municipality also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, attendees were also informed of the ICC’s collaboration with judicial authorities from the southern province of Adana. In March the ICC conducted a training program on child victims of sexual exploitation and abuse in Adana for judicial officers such as judges, attorney generals, attorneys, social workers and police officers who work with child victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

In 2014, Adana was third among provinces where child exploitation cases were seen at most.

Parliamentary delegation refused permission to visit Nizip refugee camp

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have refused an appeal by a parliamentary delegation to visit a refugee camp, which has been scene to a sex abuse scandal following reports that at least eight Syrian children at the refugee came were raped by a camp employee.

A delegation from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) filed an official application to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), which is affiliated with the Prime Ministry, on May 18, requesting an “observation visit” to the refugee camp in the district of Nizip in the southern province of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border.

“Everybody knows that over 30 children have been sexually abused at the AFAD refugee camp, which executives from the AKP [the ruling Justice and Development Party] and former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu likened to a five-star hotel. This is only the visible side. The unconfirmed information we have heard suggests that more calamitous cases have taken place at the camp. While our mission is taking care of these as the deputies of the people, they don’t even let us in,” the delegation said, in a written statement released last week.

“What is going on at these camps is coming to the agenda every day as either harassment and rape or fields where ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] gangs have been trained. More importantly, only 10 percent of refugees are staying in the camps. The rest are living in cities. We don’t know at all about what is happening to them and what they are doing. Our not being let in is an indication that more serious situations are being experienced,” they said, vowing “to follow up” on the matter.

Archbishop Hires PR Firm to Battle Child Sex Abuse Statute of Limitations Reform Legislation

Courtney M. Soliday

PHILADELPHIA — The Catholic Church launches a PR campaign against pending bill HB 1947 in response to the increased momentum by child sex abuse victims and advocates to reform the statute of limitations. HB 1947 makes it possible for more child sex abuse victims to bring lawsuits against any Pennsylvania diocese which enabled and protected their predators.

Tonight in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 6pm advocates gathered to send message that Catholic hierarchy’s opposition to victims’ access to justice is immoral and wrong.

Peter Kuzma and Rep. Mark Rozzi

Why?

Archbishop Chaput, with the aid of his lawyers and a PR firm, has launched a no holds barred, multi-faceted, expensive communications campaign aimed at convincing Philadelphia Area Catholics that changing the laws pertaining to the sexual abuse of children is a wrong, unfair and will cause the archdioceses to go into bankruptcy, close many more schools and severely limit financial resources for their many ministries.

Chaput wants them to call their legislators and tell them not to support pending bill, HB 1947.

HB 1947: 
removes the criminal SOL for child sex abuse
extends the maximum age to file a civil suit to 50

Walk for a Window

Next Sunday, June 5th, survivors of child sex abuse, along with legal scholars, advocates and others will join together for the Walk For A Window across Brooklyn Bridge.

The goals of child sex abuse statute of limitations window legislation include:

• Identify Hidden Child Predators
• Disclose Facts of Sex Abuse Epidemic to Public
• Arm Parents to Protect Children
• Shift Cost of Abuse from Victim to Those Who Caused It
• Create Justice for Victims Ready to Come Forward Who Have Been Damaged

‘Walk For A Window’ is a tri-state unity walk in support of child sex abuse survivors’ access to justice. Specifically, the walk is in support of pending child sex abuse statute of limitations revival/window legislation in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

When support builds up for child sex abuse statute of limitations reform, so does the opposition. Please keep in mind, when reviewing their arguments, that statute of limitations reform only extends the time victims have to come forward. The case still has to be proven in a court of law with evidence, etc.



“The Catholic Church has learned hard lessons regarding child sexual abuse and has taken responsibility for the abuse that has occurred within its ranks.  The dioceses across Pennsylvania have implemented changes that offer assistance to abuse survivors and affirm that they are not at fault for the crime committed against them."
                                                             
The Church has also taken great strides to protect children and provide financial assistance for survivors and their families, no matter how long ago the crime was committed, and for as long as necessary. Children and adults are trained to recognize and report signs of abuse to ensure that the children in our care are safe and secure. To date, Pennsylvania’s dioceses have spent over $16.6 million to provide compassionate and supportive victim assistance to individuals and families.  

Despite that, state lawmakers are considering legislation that would retroactively nullify the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit alleging childhood sexual abuse. It would force parishes, dioceses, schools, and charities to defend cases that are 20, 30, or 40 years old, long after the perpetrator and possible witnesses have died or clear evidence is gone. It could lead to the closure of parishes, schools, and ministries of today’s Catholics, who are in no way responsible for abuse that occurred decades ago.”

                                                                                      -  Pennsylvania Catholic Conference

Entire statement and additional information available at SOL-Reform.com

Child sex abuse advocates present the following in support of the impact and relative success of window legislation:

The Relative Success of SOL Window and Revival Statutes, State-by-State

California (2003) (1-year window revived civil SOLs, closed)

Population: 35.25 million
No. survivors who filed claims: Approximately 1,150
Unidentified predators identified: 300+
Entities sued: Family members, Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, The Explorers (Los Angeles Police Department), The Salvation Army, The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Monterey Bay Academy.
False claims: anecdotal reports of handful - none in media


Delaware (2007-09) (2-year window revived SOLs, closed)

Population: 935,000
Most active predator who had been previously undisclosed: Pediatrician Dr. Earl V. Bradley
No. survivors who filed claims under initial 2-year window: Approximately 175
No. survivors who filed claims under follow-up window for healthcare providers: Approximately 1,000 (claims solely against Pediatrician Dr. Earl V. Bradley)
Entities sued under initial 2-year window: Family members, Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church, Laurel School District, Archmere Academy, Inc., The Premonstratenian Fathers, Inc., The Norbertine Fathers of Delaware, Boy Scouts of America, Fairwinds Baptist Church, Salesianum School, The Capuchin Friars, The Brothers of the Holy Cross, St. Edmond’s Academy, St. John the Beloved Church
Entities named under follow-up window: Beebe Medical Center (connected to Bradley), Medical Society of Delaware (connected to Bradley), Medical Society of Delaware Insurance Services (affiliate of Medical Society of Delaware, connected to Bradley)
False claims: None reported


Minnesota (2013-16) (3-year window, open)

Population: 5.5 million
No. survivors who filed claims: 44 plus 419+ notices of claim in RCC bankruptcy context
Unidentified predators identified: 69 Priests
Entities sued: Boy Scouts, Lutheran Church, YMCA, Children’s Theatre Company, Dioceses of Crookston, Duluth, New Ulm, St. Cloud, and Winona, Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis,
False claims: None reported


Hawaii (2012-2016) (2-year window with 2-year extension revived civil SOLs)

Population: 1.42 million
No. survivors who filed claims: Approximately 125
Unidentified predators identified: Jay Ram (Big Island farmer who used California foster care system to import boys to abuse in 1980s/90s); Principal of Damien Memorial High School; several priests, e.g., Fr. Joseph Turk, Fr. Gerald Funcheon, Fr. George DeCosta, Fr. Joseph Henry
Entities sued: Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind, Damien Memorial School, Congregation of Christian Bros. of Hawaii, Diocese of Honolulu, Society of Priests of St. Silpice, St. Anthony Parish of Kailua, St. Philomena Parish of Honolulu, Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
False claims: none reported


Massachusetts (2014) (revives civil SOL up to age 53 against perpetrator) (revives civil SOL with discovery +7 years against entities)

Population: 6.7 million
No. survivors who filed claims: Unknown
Unidentified predators identified:
Entities sued: Deerfield Academy, Harvard University, Fessenden School Archdiocese of Boston, Diocese of Fall River, Springfield, Worcester,
False claims: None reported


Connecticut (2010 to present) (revives expired claims to age 48)

Population: 3.6 million
No. survivors who filed claims: undetermined
Entities sued: Indian Mountain School, Inc., Hartford Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp.
False claims: None reported


Georgia (2015-17) (2-year window revives civil SOL against perpetrator (not entities), in effect 7/1/2015, currently open)

Population: 10.1 million
No. survivors who filed claims: 9
Unidentified predators identified: James S. Collins, current leading lobbyist and former Baptist Church and YMCA youth coordinator
Entities identified but not sued due to narrow scope of window: Pak Karate, Amateur Athletic Union, US Taekwondo Association, Toombs County Church, First Baptist Church of Vidalia, Boy Scouts of America
False claims: None reported

Utah - window and retroactive extension to age 53 against perps and aiders and abettors.

Jamaicans Urged to Report Child Abuse and Child Sex Abuse

Report sexual abuse of children, CISOCA head urges

Superintendent Enid Ross (File photo)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Centre for Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) is imploring parents and guardians to report known or suspected cases of child abuse.

“We treat every matter that comes to our attention swiftly and we respect the rights of individuals to privacy and confidentiality, so there is nothing to fear as we have the child’s interest at heart,” says head of CISOCA, Superintendent of Police (SP) Enid Ross Stewart.

She tells JIS News that under the Sexual Offences Act 2009 and the Child Care and Protection Act, CISOCA is empowered to take action on all reports of sexual offences in relation to children.

She points out that children under the age of 16 cannot give consent for sex and so the law makes it mandatory for sex offenders to face punitive measures before the court.

Reports are made primarily to the centre by school guidance counsellors, the Child Development Agency (CDA), hospitals, the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) and probation officers.
Noting that child victims are less likely to report abuse, SP Ross Stewart says the Child Care and Protection Act makes it mandatory for parents and citizens to inform of known or suspected incidents.

“The law is strict in respect of the failure of persons to report instances of child abuse (sexual or physical) and expressly provides a list of prescribed persons,” she points out.

These include physicians, nurses, dentists, principals and teachers.

“The State has placed these persons as those responsible and has the burden of reporting all instances of abuse that come to their attention. Failure to comply with this section of the law results in sanctions,” she warns. This includes fines and/or imprisonment for six months.

SP Ross Stewart tell JIS News that CISOCA has developed a collaborative approach in addressing sexual abuse of children and has been working closely with other State agencies such as the CDA and the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation.

“We collectively take decisions to restore normalcy to families and the best interest of the child is observed,” she says, noting that matters are also referred to various State entities so that therapy can be facilitated.

She notes that even after the case has been resolved CISOCA continues monitoring through the school guidance counsellors, foster parents, among other means.

SP Ross Stewart tell JIS News that among the most challenging cases to investigate are those where the victim is in an intimate relationship with the perpetrator and is unwilling to give evidence.

“Complainants who are pregnant with the accused person’s child are also unwilling to come forward and give evidence because of the fact that the accused person is the one who will be giving child support financially or emotionally,” she points out.

She notes further that when a person is charged with having sexual intercourse with a person under age 16, in many instances, when the complainant reaches adulthood, she may indicate to the court that she no longer wishes to go any further with the matter against the accused.

“This is because the complainant is now an adult and can decide not to proceed with the matter without the consent of their parents,” she points out.

It is for this reason, she says that it is important for responsible persons to come forward and report what they know.

CISOCA’S work is also complemented by other legislation such as the Trafficking in Persons Act, Cybercrime Act, Child Pornography Act, The Judicature Resident Magistrate’s Act, and the Offences Against the Person Act.

Glee Star Charged Over Child Sex Abuse Images

Mark Salling faces two charges - which each carry up to 20 years in prison -

of possessing images of young girls

Salling, 33, was arrested after police served a warrant at his LA home

Former Glee star Mark Salling has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of downloading or possessing child sex abuse material.

Salling, 33, who was arrested last December, was charged on Friday with one count of receiving a video and still photo of child pornography.

He faces a second charge of possessing two obscene videos. The material allegedly depicted young girls.

The charges carry up to 20 years in prison on each count.

Prosecutors say Salling has agreed to turn himself in next Friday, after which he would appear in court.

He has been free on bail since he was detained five months ago at his home in the Sunland neighbourhood of Los Angeles.

Salling was best known for portraying brash high school footballer Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the hit US television series.

The award-winning musical comedy-drama aired on the Fox network from 2009-15.

Church Daycare Worker Charged with Child Sex Abuse

I am so totally opposed to hiring men to look after little children. Please, if you have men on staff with little children, watch them closely. If you are thinking of hiring one, at the very least do a very thorough background check including references.

BY EMILY BAUCUM, NEWS 4 SAN ANTONIO 

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas - A church in Fredericksburg has fired a daycare worker who's now charged with 14 counts of sexually abusing children.

Police filed charges against 31-year-old Seth Batterton after three girls made outcries about his behavior. One of those children told investigators she was abused at the church's daycare.

Rev. George Lumpkin from Fredericksburg United Methodist Church says the safety of children and families is the church's top priority, so the daycare has been shut down as police investigate the scope of the alleged abuse.

The small town in the heart of the Hill Country is now shaken by the sex scandal. Police Chief Steve Wetz says the investigation began in late April.

"We had an outcry made to a school district which in turn was related to us [that] a young girl that was inappropriately touched," Chief Wetz says.

Two days later, a child at the church's daycare reported she was touched inappropriately by an employee. Both girls named Batterton as the suspect.

"Investigators took that information to the district attorney's office," Chief Wetz says.

The new accusations prompted investigators to reopen a 2012 case where Batterton was accused of sexually assaulting a child. Back then, a grand jury decided there wasn't enough evidence to charge him.

When Batterton applied to work at the church, the case never showed up on his background check.

"Once a person's been convicted then it's on their record," Chief Wetz says. "But if they've never been convicted then those types of things may not show up."

Batterton lost his job at the church and is now charged in all three cases. Church leaders chose to close the daycare effective this week.

"They were very open and they cooperated in every way with us," Chief Wetz says.

With Batterton behind bars, police are now asking any other victims to come forward.

The Department of Family and Protective Services is also conducting an investigation. Church leaders say they've been transparent with all families at the daycare and gave them time to find other child care options.

Mass Child Rape Video Reignites 'Culture of Rape' Argument in Brazil

By Ed Adamczyk  

An International Women's Day protest in Brazil in 2013. Activists are outraged over the alleged rape of a Rio de Janeiro girl, 16, last week, a portion of which was posted to social media. Photo by camilagarcia/Flickr/Wikimedia

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 27 (UPI) -- The search is on in Rio de Janeiro for at least 30 men suspected of raping a girl and posting video footage of the attack on social media.  Arrest warrants have been issued, including one for the boyfriend of the victim, 16, who said she was drugged after visiting his home Saturday and awoke, surrounded by men, in a different house. Her statement to police said she awoke Sunday, naked and injured, and learned several days later that 40 seconds of the incident was videotaped and posted online to a Twitter account.


The search is concentrated in a poor neighborhood in west Rio de Janeiro.

Information about the assault reignited anger in Brazil over what some women's groups call a culture of rape in the country, and advocacy groups are planning marches and protests in upcoming days.

The topic, including demands for reforms including more protection of women from male violence, was the focus of protests and marches in March on International Women's Day. There have also been numerous expressions of anger over the assault on social media, under the hashtag #EstuproNuncaMais, or "Rape never again."

Sick Pervert Rapes and Murders Girlfriend's 16 Month Old Daughter

Read only if you can handle horror in real life

Tulsa man waives preliminary hearing in child sexual abuse-murder case

By ARIANNA PICKARD World Staff Writer

A Tulsa man charged with sexual abusing and killing his girlfriend’s 16-month-old daughter waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday, Tulsa County District Court records indicate.


Cody Alan Johnson, 30, waived his right to the hearing on four counts pertaining to Sawyer Paige Jefferson, who died in a hospital Dec. 5.


Special Judge James Keely directed Johnson to return to court June 6 to be arraigned on charges of child-abuse murder, child neglect and two counts of child sexual abuse, court records show. The arraignment is set before District Judge Sharon Holmes.

Johnson and his girlfriend took Sawyer to the emergency room at Saint Francis Hospital, where she was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest on arrival, an arrest report states.

Doctors placed the child on life support, but she never regained consciousness and later was pronounced dead, police said.

The charges allege the baby had extensive injuries, including brain damage, a detached right retina, extensive bruising to her head, and bleeding from her vagina and anus.

The couple told police that Johnson had been watching the infant at Shadow Mountain Condos in the 6300 block of South 80th East Avenue when she slipped on a toy and fell, Johnson’s arrest report states.

Johnson has previous felony convictions for knowingly concealing/receiving stolen property and driving under the influence, according to court records.

The Nightmare Story of the Girl at South Fort Myers High

Last week we posted a story of a 15 year old girl who had been videoed having sex with an unknown number of boys in the boy's washroom at her school. Some background has emerged of the horrific life of this girl before the incident. She is now being vilified in social media by unfeeling kids with no knowledge of the nightmare she escaped from, and no compassion for the state she is in now from that nightmare.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A community firestorm erupted after hearing about a 15-year-old girl having sex with boys in the bathroom at a Florida high school.

The county’s sheriff’s office has even become involved after images and videos of the sex acts ended up on social media. A lot of people have commented and shared the story, many casting judgment about the young girl.

Her mother reached out to the local NBC affiliate, WBBH, asking the media outlet to share her story in hopes of setting the record straight. The mom did not wish to appear on camera, but a woman who has worked with the girl served as the family’s spokesperson.

“I had heard a lot about the incident through the news. I heard it and thought there are some red flags,” said Megan Estrem. “What’s upsetting about this is this behavior is not uncommon for human trafficking victims."

Estrem is the founder of “Be the Light,” an advocacy group for victims of sex slavery. She sees cases like this all the time.

“Sex trafficking is a very traumatizing experience,” she said.

The girl’s mom took her daughter to the organization after having saved her from a human trafficker who held her captive for two years.

“She was only 13 when she was trafficked,” said Estrem. The girl was placed into multiple treatment programs, the most recent was eight months long.

But because she’s a runaway, only a handful of programs would accept her. None of them addressed the devastating ramifications of sexual abuse. “She did get some help, but it wasn’t specific for what she needed,” said Estrem.

She was a student at South Fort Myers High only two weeks when the incident happened.

“She was not equipped to make a stable, rational decision in that situation,” said Estrem.

Her mother said the girl went to the boys bathroom to talk to a boy she had a crush on. She said the boy wanted sex, and her daughter complied — then word got out.

“She did not sleep with 25 boys in the bathroom. There was only a handful that she did sleep with. In this case, it was more of a spectator sport,” said Estrem. It lasted an hour and ended because the students involved had somewhere else to be.

“She has been in an environment where she has been told to behave a certain way, and there were severe consequences if she didn’t,” said Estrem.

“They are usually stuck in slavery until someone busts it up,” said Nicole Waid. Waid is a former chief assistant U.S. attorney based in Fort Myers, Fla.

“You’re talking these young girls having sex 30 to 40 times a day with different customers,” said Waid.

Some abduct their victims, others are lured using the internet, but what they all have in common is vulnerability.

“Fourteen to 16, the age because they feel isolated from school, isolated from parents, that the world’s against them,” said Waid. “It’s truly one of the most horrific crimes, you are selling young girls, and young boys for sex.”

The pimps are targeting runaways, outliers and those with low self-esteem.

“They’ve done it before, they know exactly what they are saying, the words to say, they know what this kid needs to feel like, ‘Oh I’m on your side,’ and then to lure them into some situation,” said Waid. And once in, it’s very hard to get out.

“They are highly complex rings. They are traveling and trafficking these girls from Southwest Florida to Atlanta to up to New York City to Boston and back,” said Waid. “It was such an issue that we started a human trafficking task force to educate law enforcement and the community and prosecutors.”

The biggest misconception is that it’s not an illegal immigrant problem, but it’s actually a domestic one.

“What I don’t think people really understand it happens everywhere. It could be your neighbor or a girl in your English class,” said Waid.

The girl’s mom has pulled her out of school. She is trying to protect her from the rumors, comments and video swirling around the Internet right now.

“What happens is not to go straight to shaming and sharing this, but find out there all facts, what happened, why did she do this, who else was involved and what was their role. She needs to be prayed for and encroached, not degraded and discouraged,” said Estrem.

When asked, Waid said people could be charged with a crime for sharing the video.

If you are a victim of human trafficking or suspect human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1(888) 373-7888.

Girl Gang-raped & Murdered by 14 Men & Boys Sparked Castration Law

JAKARTA, May 26 (UPI) -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday signed an executive order declaring that child sexual abuse is punishable by chemical castration and death.

The new regulation follows the April brutal gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl, who was found naked and tied up in a forest in the island of Sumatra. A group of seven teenagers have been imprisoned for 10 years over the rape and killing.

Good for President Widodo for acting so quickly.

Yenni Kwok, Time of India, 4 May 2016

Outraged women's groups are urging the government to pass the long-awaited Elimination of Sexual Violence Bill

A brutal crime that snuffed out the life of a bright student has shocked Indonesia and galvanized public demand for the leaders of the world’s most populous Muslim nation to take violence against women seriously.

Yuyun — whose name has been released by her family — was a schoolgirl born to a poor family in the small village of Kasie Kasubun in Bengkulu province, Sumatra. Local media reports give her age as either 13 or 14, and she was a bright student, ranked third in her class. On April 2, going home from school she was gang-raped and murdered by a group of 14 men and boys. Her body was dumped at a rubber plantation and found two days later.

Police swiftly apprehended 12 of the 14 alleged perpetrators, which include her ex-boyfriend and two students from her school. Half of the suspects are aged 18 or younger.

As gruesome as it was, the news barely caused a blip in national media until feminist activists in Jakarta launched a social-media campaign. Last weekend, independent musician Kartika Jahja of Kolektif Betina (the Female Collective) kicked off a viral video campaign with the hashtag #NyalaUntukYuyun (which can be paraphrased as Light a Candle for Yuyun). Soon, Indonesian celebrities from singers Julia Perez and Kristina to movie directors Joko Anwar and Nia Dinata began to show their support.

On Wednesday morning, hours before women’s-rights activists are set to hold a candlelight vigil opposite of the presidential palace, President Joko Widodo made a statement. “We all mourn the tragic departure of YY,” he tweeted, using the victim’s initials. “Arrest and punish the perpetrators as severely as possible. Women and children have to be protected from violence.”

Violence against women out of control

Yuyun “is actually just one of 44 women and girls killed by men and boys in the first four months of 2016, but her case is certainly one of the most brutal,” says Kate Walton, a Jakarta-based women’s-rights activist who first brought Yuyun’s rape-murder to the attention of other feminists last weekend. She logs instances of Indonesian women killed by men, who are mostly their sexual partners.

By her count, 30 of the 44 females killed by males this year died at the hands of their current or former sexual partners. She points out that around the world, the vast majority of women are murdered by men they know, often their husbands or boyfriends — and Indonesia is no exception.

According to the National Commission on Violence Against Women, an average of 35 women are victims of sexual violence in Indonesia every day. Nearly 70% of cases of violence against women, be they fatal or nonfatal, are committed by family members or partners.

In the wake of the gang rape, the commission is pressing the government to pass the long-awaited Elimination of Sexual Violence Bill. “The state has to show a sense of urgency [on] the issue of sexual violence,” it said.

Women’s-rights activists hope that the outrage generated by Yuyun’s case can push for change in both legislation and also in daily life, and say that patriarchal culture is the root cause of violence against women.

Back in Yuyun’s village, her family is still reeling from the grief and shock. Girls in the village don’t dare to walk to and from home unescorted.

The trial of the seven underage perpetrators, who face 10 years in jail, opened on Monday under heavy security. “We want the perpetrators get the heaviest punishment,” her mother Yana told BBC Indonesia. “I want to ask for life.”

Scouts Canada Drops Lawsuit Against Parents of Alleged Sex Abuse Victim

Scouts Canada drops lawsuit against parents of alleged abuse victim who killed himself

Lawsuits blaming parents of abuse victims a troubling trend, lawyer says

By Karissa Donkin, Diana Swain, Chelsea Gomez, CBC News 


Gilles DesRoches is pictured here during happier times. His family says he took his own life in 2014 after being haunted by childhood sexual abuse. (CBC)

Scouts Canada has apologized for trying to sue the elderly parents of a deceased New Brunswick man who said he was sexually abused by his scout leader.

The organization laid the third-party claim after it received notice it was being sued by Gilles DesRoches's estate over the alleged abuse.

DesRoches took his own life in 2014 after years of mental anguish, which his family says was brought on by abuse he said he suffered as a boy in the 1970s.

His widow and daughter vowed to get justice for him. They filed a lawsuit against Scouts Canada in 2015, saying the organization is responsible for the abuse that haunted him until his death.

Scouts Canada responded with a third-party claim against DesRoches's parents, claiming they "had a duty to provide their son with counselling and therapy at the relevant times."

The organization dropped the suit after being contacted by CBC News.

'We are deeply sorry'

The third-party lawsuit was "completely unacceptable," Scouts Canada spokesman John Petitti told CBC News in an email.

He said the organization ordered its insurer to drop the suit as soon as officials at Scouts Canada learned about it.

"This is not how we treat people," Petitti said.

"Quite simply, it should never have happened and we are deeply sorry that it did."

Cudos to Scouts Canada for finally doing the right thing and adopting a reasonable attitude toward the victims, which include all of the DesRoches family.

The apology comes as Scouts Canada tries to rehabilitate its image after a 2011 CBC News investigation found the organization had secret files on suspected pedophiles in its ranks.

Father puzzled by lawsuit

Norm DesRoches couldn't understand why Scouts Canada would want to sue him.

He said he and his wife, Marguerite, put everything they had into trying to save their son, including paying his bills and even moving in with him during the final years of his life.


Norm DesRoches flips through an album of family photos. His son Gilles took his own life in 2014. (CBC)

"You don't sue somebody who doesn't have anything," DesRoches said.

He said Scouts CEO Andrew Price delivered the apology.

But it's not enough, he said, knowing that his 21-year-old granddaughter, Danika, has lost her father.

"She'll be going through her life with no father so ... to me, an apology is not enough."

'Chilling effect'

Some legal observers say third-party claims are being used more often by institutions facing lawsuits over historic sexual abuse.

They're becoming more common because it's become easier to prove institutions are liable, said Toronto lawyer Susan Vella, who has represented sexual abuse victims.


Toronto lawyer Susan Vella, who has represented sexual abuse victims, worries that survivors won't take their cases to the courts if they fear their parents will be sued. (CBC)

She worries the tactic could discourage survivors from bringing their cases to the courts.

"It causes them to feel guilt and shame over something they had absolutely no control over," Vella said.

The DesRoches's lawyer, Robert Talach, has the same concern.

"I wonder aloud if this is to create a chilling effect, to send a message that if you're going to sue us, we're going to sue everyone in your family."

Scouts Canada said that approach is "inconsistent with what we stand for as an organization."

"We have apologized to the family and put processes in place to ensure that this does not happen again," Petitti said.

'It must have been a real nightmare'

Gilles DesRoches spent his life searching for happiness.

On good days, family photos show him swimming and playing with his daughter. But the bad days eventually outnumbered the good ones.

At his home in Miramichi, Norm DesRoches pointed to a picture of his son as a teenager, posing with his mother at a birthday party.


Gilles DesRoches is pictured in photos as a teenager. (CBC)

The photo captures how his son changed. He said his boy's eyes looked empty ever since a camping trip in 1976 when he was 11.

The day he got back from the trip, Norm said his son told him his scout leader tried to touch him inappropriately.

Soon after the trip, his son began to drink, a vice that would later take over his life.

"It must have been a real nightmare for him," he said.

Norm said he immediately told Scouts Canada about what happened on the trip.

According to the family's statement of claim, Scouts Canada promised to remove the scout leader and prevent him from rejoining the organization.

It would take nearly 40 years before Gilles revealed more about what happened on the camping trip, Norm said.

Crying on his father's shoulder on a fall day decades later, Norm said his son told him the full story, that he had been forced to perform oral sex on his scout leader.

On Sept. 21, 2014, his father got a call after Gilles didn't answer a knock at the door of his trailer.


Gilles DesRoches swims with his daughter, Danika. (DesRoches family)

Norm knew his son was gone even before two police officers arrived at his home to tell him Gilles had killed himself.

An unexplained struggle

Gilles hadn't told his wife or daughter about the alleged abuse.

But Joanne Bourque says her late husband once told her he knew, at only 12 years old, that something was wrong with him.

She said Gilles got counselling and tried medication. Nothing worked.

"He didn't feel like he deserved to be happy," Bourque said.


Joanne Bourque says she and her daughter filed a lawsuit against Scouts Canada to get justice for her late husband. (CBC)

She learned about the alleged abuse a few days after Gilles died.

The man accused of abusing him went on to abuse other children after being kicked out of Scouts in New Brunswick, according to the family's statement of claim and supporting documents.

He rejoined Scouts in Alberta and was convicted of four sexual abuse charges against boys in his scout troop, the statement of claim says. For that, he was sentenced to nine months in jail and 18 months' probation.

He was then convicted of fondling a boy on a school playground in 1997 and served one year of a 17-month sentence, the documents allege.

Those sentences are so pathetically inadequate!

'I will get justice'

At a private family burial, Bourque made a promise to her late husband.

"I will get justice," she said. "I'll tell the story."

She said that's why she and daughter Danika decided to sue Scouts Canada.

"I just wanted them to take responsibility for what happened," Bourque said.

The legal filing says the alleged abuser used the power granted to him by Scouts Canada to abuse Gilles.

Scouts Canada, it alleges, also failed to warn families about the risk of sexual abuse, despite knowing its organization had been infiltrated by predators.

I hope the Alberta victims of this predator also sue. The pervert should have never been allowed to associate with the Scouts again; but he did.

Scouts Canada has denied the allegations in a statement of defence.

   Miramachi, New Brunswick

Corey Feldman on Hollywood Pedophilia

Corey Feldman on His Experience with Pedophilia in Hollywood Alongside Pal Corey Haim: 

'They Were Passing Us Back and Forth'

Corey Feldman
MICHAEL BEZJIAN/WIREIMAGE
BY KATHY EHRICH DOWD

Corey Feldman is speaking out once again about the alleged child sex abuse he suffered alongside pal Corey Haim – opening up about how they were invited to parties where adult men attempted to befriend them. 

"When somebody approaches you and says, 'Hey, this is a Hollywood party where you get to hang out with the powerful people in Hollywood,' well that sounds like a great opportunity," Feldman, 44, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Feldman's latest comments come in the wake of Elijah Wood's remarks to London's Sunday Times, in which he reportedly said that there are "a lot of vipers" in the industry, and referred to the U.K.'s Jimmy Savile abuse scandal.

"You all grew up with Savile – (expletive) it must have been devastating," Wood, 35, said. "Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organized. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind.

Wood later clarified that he has "no first hand experience or observation of the topic" and said his comments came after he watched a "powerful documentary."

Feldman, meanwhile, told THR that he does believe there was likely some kind of shadow network that preyed on kids when he and Haim were young.

Corey Feldman (left) and Corey Haim in 2007
FRAZER HARRISON / GETTY

"Yes. I believe that Haim's rapist was probably connected to something bigger and that is probably how he has remained protected for all these years. This person uses intimidation and threats as a way to keep people quiet. And all these men were all friends. Ask anybody in our group of kids at that time: They were passing us back and forth to each other. [Alison Arngrim] from Little House on the Prairie said [in an interview], "Everybody knew that the two Coreys were just being passed around. Like it was something people joked about on studio lots." 

Feldman also said that Haim, who died in 2010 at age 38, "had more direct abuse than I did."

"With me, there were some molestations and it did come from several hands, so to speak, but with Corey, his was direct rape, whereas mine was not actual rape. And his also occurred when he was 11. My son is 11 now and I can't even begin to fathom the idea of something like that happening to him," he said.

Although Feldman said he's "not able to name names" and still does not intend to press charges against his alleged attackers, "if somebody came forward with a suit against one of these people [who molested me], I would certainly be more than happy to back them up."

When asked whether any of his alleged attackers still work in Hollywood, Feldman said "one of them is. He's still prominently in the business today."

Feldman also explained why he hasn't sought to press charges.

"People are frustrated, people are angry, they want to know how is this happening and they want answers and they turn to me and they say, 'Why don't you be a man and stand up and name names and stop hiding and being a coward?' I have to deal with that, which is not pleasant, especially given the fact that I would love to name names," he said. "I'd love to be the first to do it. But unfortunately California conveniently enough has a statute of limitations that prevents that from happening. Because if I were to go and mention anybody's name I would be the one that would be in legal problems and I'm the one that would be sued.

Cursed statute of limitations!

"We should be talking to the district attorneys and the lawmakers in California, especially because this is where the entertainment industry is and this is a place where adults have more direct and inappropriate connection with children than probably anywhere else in the world," he added.

That is probably an exaggeration, but we get the point.

Feldman also said he's concerned that social media makes inappropriate interactions between adults in the entertainment industry and kids even easier. 

"They reach out to little kids on Twitter, they reach out to little kids on Facebook, and they say, "I'm a big producer and I can help you." With social media we have more access than ever to everybody," he said. "It's a growing problem, not a shrinking problem."

Dad Confronts Pervert At West Edmonton Mall

Edmonton theatre washroom incident results in

child porn charges

A man is facing child pornography charges after an incident in the men’s washroom at West Edmonton Mall’s Scotiabank Theatre Sunday.

By Phil Heidenreich

Edmonton police said Wednesday morning 41-year-old Aaron Voon has been charged with possession of child pornography, making child pornography and voyeurism.



Sgt. Steve Sharpe with the Edmonton Police Service said it is alleged Voon used a mobile device to record a video of an individual in the movie theatre washroom. It happened at around 4 p.m. Sunday.

In a video posted to Facebook, a father confronts a man and accuses him of videotaping his young son at the urinal. The father demands to see the man’s phone.

In photos on the same Facebook page, the man is surrounded by three others and put in a headlock.

One witness told Global News she saw the confrontation unfold as she walked out of a screening of The Angry Birds movie with her son. She said the man’s phone was taken by the father.

“They were kind of having a little bit of a confrontation and he (the father) kept asking ‘can I just see what’s on your phone?'” Ashley Jackson said. “The father kept putting up his hands and saying ‘No, I need to see what’s on your phone- I think I saw you take a video.'”

“Then the father of the boy kept saying to his wife ‘Well, what’s on the phone did you find anything?’ And the mother goes ‘I’m still looking, I’m still looking’ and then after a couple of seconds, you kind of hear her let out this scream and that’s when she said that she found the video of her son going to the bathroom. … I won’t be able to forget that.”

Jackson said she was standing close enough to the mother that she could also see the video. While the boy’s face wasn’t in frame, she could see his body from the shoulders down and see him going to the bathroom.

Jackson said she called police and the suspect was held by people at the box office until officers arrived and took him away.

She said she was disturbed because she saw the suspect sit through the same movie she had gone to with her son.

“I grabbed my son and I had to back up and get away from the guy,” Jackson said. “My stomach dropped and I started feeling really hot in the face – I instantly felt just nauseous.”

Glori Meldrum, the founder of Little Warriors, which advocates for child sex victims, said the alleged incident is concerning.

“If somebody is that bold – to go in and actually videotape a young child going to the bathroom – what are they going to do next?” she asked. “Anybody that preys on children – they go where the kids go – and they’re hunters. They’ll figure out a way to get access.”

Police did not say if the incident is connected to the confrontation caught on video.

-With files from Sarah Kraus.

© 2016 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Elijah Wood Backtracks a Little on His Article About Pedophiles in Hollywood

Elijah Wood Denies Personal Knowledge of

Child Sex Abuse in Hollywood

by Seth Abramovitch

Juan Naharro Gimenez/FilmMagic/Getty

"The Sunday Times interviewed me about my latest film, but the story became about something else entirely," Wood says.

Elijah Wood would like to make one thing clear: He has no firsthand knowledge of child sex abuse in Hollywood. That clarification, issued by Wood exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter, comes as he finds his name making international headlines for unintentional reasons.

During a recent sit-down with the Sunday Times, ostensibly to promote The Trust, a heist movie co-starring Nicolas Cage, the actor took a brief detour when the subject of Jimmy Savile came up. Savile, a famed DJ with the BBC, was found after his death to have been responsible for nearly six decades of sex abuses perpetrated against as many as 400 boys and girls, many of whom were under the age of 10.

Wood, 35, said of Savile's victims, "It must have been devastating." But he followed that with a more ominous statement: "Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organized. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind."

"There is darkness in the underbelly," Wood continued. "If you can imagine it, it’s probably happened."

Those startling comments — fleshed out with past allegations made by Corey Feldman and the estimates of one child-actor advocate that Hollywood is "currently sheltering about 100 active abusers" — formed the basis of a sensational Times article entitled, "Hollywood's Evil Secret."

The quotes have been picked up by dozens of news outlets with stories framing Wood as having coming clean about dark and long-held secrets. ("Elijah Wood: Hollywood Is Full of Pedophiles," read one Daily Beast headline.) But Wood tells THR that his comments have been wildly misinterpreted, and that his only knowledge of child sexual predation in Hollywood comes from news reports and the 2015 documentary film An Open Secret, directed by Amy Berg.

"The Sunday Times interviewed me about my latest film, but the story became about something else entirely," Wood says. "It prompted a number of false and misleading headlines. I had just seen a powerful documentary and I briefly spoke with the reporter about the subject, which had consequences I did not intend or expect. Lesson learned."

"Let me be clear: This subject of child abuse is an important one that should be discussed and properly investigated. But as I made absolutely clear to the writer, I have no firsthand experience or observation of the topic, so I cannot speak with any authority beyond articles I have read and films I have seen," Wood continues.

I know from personal experience what reporters are capable of, and this is not surprising. On the other hand, it sure got attention.

If anyone could be privy to such crimes, it would be Wood. The boyish, saucer-eyed actor, best known for enduring Gollum and fending off orcs in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been working steadily in Hollywood since childhood. The son of deli owners from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wood was raised Roman Catholic — an institution whose own child abuse scandals have been dramatized in the Oscar-winning Spotlight, among other films.

He started out as a child model and commercial actor, and the family moved to Los Angeles in 1988 for his career. It wasn't long before Wood landed his first break, appearing in the Paula Abdul video for "Forever Your Girl," directed by none other than David Fincher. By the early 1990s, he was starring in Hollywood features like Radio Flyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn.

David Fincher: Huffington Post suggested he might be the best director of our time.

But despite his time in the child-actor trenches, Wood stresses that his observations about "vipers" preying on show business minors were based not on personal knowledge but rather from events detailed in Berg's film. (The Times story does specify that his mother shielded him from such dangers and forbade him from attending Hollywood parties as a youth.)

An Open Secret
Secret follows five former child actors who fell victim to sexual predators while trying to make it in Hollywood. Among the accused are Marc Collins-Rector, Chad Shackley and Brock Pierce, the infamous co-founders of Digital Entertainment Network — a studio that amassed nearly $100 million in investment from the likes of David Geffen and Michael Huffington, but which is perhaps best known for throwing raging gay Hollywood parties. Only later did it come out that dozens of teen boys were sexually assaulted at these parties, some of them at gunpoint.

After being indicted in 2000 by a grand jury, the trio fled to Spain but were arrested two years later. Guns, machetes and child pornography were found among their belongings. Collins-Rector was eventually extradited to the U.S., pleaded guilty to eight charges of child enticement and was ordered to register as a sex offender.

In 2014, a man claiming to be a former child actor named Michael Egan sued the DEN founders as well as director Bryan Singer. (Singer was a frequent attendee, along with Geffen and Huffington, of those DEN-hosted parties. None of them, however, have ever been accused of wrongdoing.)

In his lawsuit, Egan claimed to have been raped by the defendants as a minor, but he was later found guilty of fraud and all charges against Singer were dropped. During his current press tour for X-Men: Apocalypse, Singer, who called the lawsuit a "sick, twisted shakedown," has specified that he won't address questions about DEN or the lawsuit.

An Open Secret bombed in a spectacular way at the box office when it opened in July 2015, its biggest haul coming from its Seattle run, where it grossed $200. The producers later blasted Berg for failing to do any press or TV interviews to promote the film. (Berg did not respond to requests for comment for this story.)

The Two Coreys
Feldman, the star of The Goonies and Stand by Me, spoke out in 2012 about his own experiences with sexual molestation. "When I was 14 and 15, things were happening to me," he told a British tabloid. "These older men were leching around like vultures. It was basically me lying there pretending I was asleep and them going about their business." 

In his 2013 memoir, Coreyography, Feldman detailed how he and his then-best friend Corey Haim were subjected to sexual abuse during their years as Hollywood teen heartthrobs. During the filming of Lucas, Feldman writes, "an adult male convinced [Haim] that it was perfectly normal for older men and younger boys in the business to have sexual relations, that it was what all 'guys do.'"

“So they walked off to a secluded area between two trailers, during a lunch break for the cast and crew, and Haim, innocent and ambitious as he was, allowed himself to be sodomized," Feldman continues, adding that the man is "one of the most successful people in the entertainment industry, still making money hand over fist."

Haim died of pneumonia at age 38 in 2010, his body failing him after years of devastating drug abuse. Feldman did not respond to a request to comment for this story.

Being Biased Against Transgenders Could Land You in Jail in Canada

But the Real Crime is Being Committed by the Government, 

the LGBTQ Lobby, and the Family and Doctors of Transgenders

At least in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a troubling statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. (Reuters)

Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Canada Hopes to Jail People Who Stand Against

Transgenderism

JENNIFER LECLAIRE

The slippery slope is slicker than we thought—and it could land Bible-believing Christians into a cold, dark jail cell. At least in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a troubling statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

I agree, as he says, that everyone deserves to live free of stigma, persecution and discrimination. I agree, as he says, that all people—regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity—have the right to feel safe and secure, and empowered to freely express themselves. God gave us all a free will.

But that's about where my agreement ends.

"As a society, we have taken many important steps toward recognizing and protecting the legal rights for the LGBTQ2 community—from enshrining equality rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the passage of the Civil Marriage Act. There remains much to be done, though. Far too many people still face harassment, discrimination and violence for being who they are. This is unacceptable," Trudeau says.

"To do its part, the government of Canada today will introduce legislation that will help ensure transgender and other gender-diverse people can live according to their gender identity, free from discrimination and protected from hate propaganda and hate crimes."

I am all for legal rights—but not special rights.

I am all for ending hate speech—but the Bible is not hate speech.

I am all for ending violence—but this bill of which Trudeau speaks may ultimately encourage violence against those who don't embrace the LGBT lifestyle, and it will most certainly lead to persecution, discrimination and perhaps even jail time.

Here's a summary of the bill: 

"This enactment amends the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination. 
The enactment also amends the Criminal Code to extend the protection against hate propaganda set out in that Act to any section of the public that is distinguished by gender identity or expression and to clearly set out that evidence that an offence was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on gender identity or expression constitutes an aggravating circumstance that a court must take into consideration when it imposes a sentence."

It doesn't take a prophet to see where this is headed. Christians need to speak up now before it's too late.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books

Hate and Bias
I have underlined the last part of the summary of the bill because of what struck me when I read it. Justin (the hunk) Trudeau talked about hate and then legislated against bias and prejudice. There is a very big difference between bias and hate. Bias is quite natural when we encounter what we don't understand or what we are not familiar with. 

When I was about four, I was in a car accident. The car rolled over and eventually I was pulled out from underneath the front seat. This was long before seat-belts were ever even thought of. The man who pulled me out was black. I had never seen a black man, at least not up-close, and here he was holding me inches from his very black face. It scared the daylights out of me and I fought hard to get away from him.

Was that hate? Was that anything even related to hate? Of course not! It was fear of the unknown or fear of the 'different'. In my tiny, logically ordered universe people were white. This man completely shattered the order of my universe.

Such is the issue with gays and transgenders, although gays have been high profile enough in recent decades that we 'people of an ordered universe' have had time to accept their place and have adjusted our universe even though its orderliness has deteriorated in our minds. 

Transgenders, however, have not been very high profile until quite recently. The hope, and probably the plan, of the LGBTQ lobby is to bring them mainstream so they can be accepted, or at least tolerated. 

Dystopia
But transgenderism is not like homosexuality; transgenderism is a mental disease where the person's mind is completely convinced that he or she is the opposite gender to what their anatomical attributes indicate. This is very similar to anorexia nervosa, where the mind is convinced that their body is fat to the extraordinary degree that it revulses at eating food and adding to that fat. The fact that the person is obviously skinnier than a bean-pole does nothing to convince the mind of the truth.

Crime against Humanity?
Gender dystopia is a recognized mental illness that needs psychological treatment. Although most children, about 80%, will grow out of the dystopia around puberty unless they are encouraged and enabled in their delusion by parents and doctors. With an attempted suicide rate of 43% (20 times normal) for transgenders, enabling children to make radical body changes based on a mental disorder should be a criminal offence, if not a crime against humanity.

Sexual Abuse and Unsafe Sex Haunt Jakarta's Street Children

Indra Budiari
The Jakarta Post


Women Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yambise (left)pays a visit to suspects detained over the alleged exploitation of children at the South Jakarta Police Office on March 27. The four suspects are alleged to have forced children to work as street beggars and or buskers in Jakarta. (Kompas.com/Kahfi Dirga Cahya)

A teenage girl was sitting on the sidewalk in front of Pasar Minggu market in South Jakarta with other children her age when suddenly a little boy ran into her arms.

“Have you eaten something?” the girl, who wished to remain anonymous, asked the boy who then shook his head. Soon afterwards she asked one of her friends to buy some bread at the nearest shop for her son.

“This boy is my son but all of my friends here consider him their son as well,” she told The Jakarta Post recently. “That’s one of the perks of raising your child in the street.”

Many children in Jakarta who feel that they do not fit into their families, or who are simply no longer acknowledged by their parents, are opting to live in the streets with others who have similar stories.

Some of the homeless get food and shelter from charities, but others live under bridges or in garbage dumps and find food for themselves, a situation that potentially turns even more ugly with the addition of unsafe sexual behavior or sexual abuse.

The AIDS Research Center at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Jakarta recently found that without their parents’ supervision, street children were exposed to romantic and sexual relationships for which they had received no guidance, or example to look up to.

For preliminary research, the organization visited 43 street children in Jakarta aged between 15 and 18 years. Kekek Apriana, one of the researchers, said that during a focus group discussion, the children told her that according to their definition, a relationship happened when a couple did various activities together including eating, kissing, using drugs and drinking alcohol.

“From the groups of teenage girls that I talked with, two were pregnant and another girl had a 2-year old son,” Kekek said in a recent interview, adding that none of them were married.

She added that every group of street children had an adult that they considered their big brother. The guy, usually around 30 years old or older, protects them in the street from being taken by officers of the Jakarta Public Order Agency ( Satpol PP ) or Jakarta Social Agency.

However, the “big brother” is sometimes the person who also exploits and abuses the girls, claiming that it is a form of protection. Unsafe sex using balloons for contraception and under bridges leaves the children very vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases.

Sexual exploitation is a fact of life for these girls and conditions are not so different for the boys. Kekek said that in the focus group discussions the boys had shared that some of them were dependent on an older woman or transsexual who they paid back with sexual activity.

“This is the scenario for our street children that gets overlooked by the government and the city administration,” she said.

The current government program on street children, she continued, merely focused on getting them off the street instead of learning about what they were exposed in their lives on the street. “They are only taken to city institutions to learn how to sew before getting released a few months later. That is not the answer,” she said. “They need the right information and access to medical services.”

Based on recent data released by the Jakarta Social Agency, there are 787 street children in Jakarta, most of them located in West Jakarta and East Jakarta.

Arum Ratnawati, national chief technical advisor of the International Labor Organization ( ILO ) said the root of the problem of street children was there still being a large number of people living in poverty and forcing their children to make ends meet on the street.

“Another problem is law enforcement. We already have a law protecting children from working on the street, but the implementation need to be improved,” she said.

Elijah Wood: 'Hollywood in the Grip of Child Abuse Scandal Similar to Jimmy Savile'

Wood warned that paedophiles were being protected by senior Hollywood figures CREDIT: REX

Henry Bodkin 

Hollywood is in the grip a child sexual abuse scandal similar to that of Jimmy Savile in Britain, Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood has claimed.

Jimmy Savile, a BBC star, was sheltered by those around him. It was years after his death before it became common knowledge that he molested hundreds and possibly thousands of children, often doing so in hospitals. This revelation has sparked a major investigation into other media personalities resulting in stars like Rolf Harris being sentenced to prison.

The 35-year-old former child actor said paedophiles had been protected by powerful figures in the movie business and that abuse was probably still taking place.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Wood said he had been protected from abuse as he was growing up, but that other child actors had been regularly “preyed upon” at parties by industry figures.

“You all grew up with Savile –  it must have been devastating,” he said.

“Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood."

“It was all organised."

“There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind."

“There is a darkness in the underbelly – if you can imagine it, it’s probably happened.”

People with parasitic interests will see you as their prey

Elijah Wood

Wood said the abuse was allowed to continue because victims “can’t speak as loudly as people in power.”

“That’s the tragedy of attempting to reveal what is happening to innocent people,” he said.

“They can be squashed but their lives have been irreparably damaged.”

Allegations that senior Hollywood figures have been protecting child abusers have gathered pace in recent years.

Anne Henry, co-founder of Bizparents, a group set up to help child actors, said Hollywood is currently sheltering around 100 active abusers and said a “tsunami” of claims was beginning.

Yesterday, the UAE announced a new law making it mandatory to report child abuse. I think the USA should consider such a law so that those creeps who enable and protect the perverts can be charged for complicity, no matter how high up in Hollywood society they are.

Corey Feldman, another former child actor who started in films such as Gremlins, the Goonies and Stand by Me in the 1980s , has said that as a young teenager he was “surrounded” by abusers.


Jamison Newlander, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys (1987). Haim died of a drug overdose in 2010 CREDIT: REX

In 2012 he told a British tabloid that when he was 14 and 15 older men had been “leching around like vultures”.

The actor went on to suffer mental health problems, alcoholism and drug addiction. These are typical responses to child sex abuse.

Wood said he had been spared similar experiences while growing up because his mother had not let him attend parties.

“She was far more concerned with raising me to be a good human than facilitating my career,” he said.

“If you’re innocent you have very little knowledge of the world and you want to succeed.

“People with parasitic interests will see you as their prey.”