Katraj CSA case: Family trauma as rescued children not allowed to meet their parents
Nozia Sayyed and Nadeem Inamdar
Hindustan Times, Pune
Parents of the rescued children, mostly daily-wage labourers from Bihar, wait to hear news of their wards from the CWC.(HT Photo)
Thirty-six children, mostly from Bihar, who were rescued by Pune police on July 28 following allegations of sexual exploitation in a madrasa here, continue to suffer trauma even as they are being prevented from meeting their poor parents.
On July 28, child rights activists along with the city police raided the Jamia Arabia Darul Yatama madrasa, rescued the children and arrested the accused, Abdul Rahim Gulam, a teacher at the madrasa.
An FIR was registered against him under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The madrasa had children between the ages of five and 14 years.
Dr Yamini Adbe, child rights activist, who helped rescue the 36 boys during an operation with the police told HT on Friday that “children had tested positive for sodomy”.
The medical reports of the children were prepared by the government-run Sassoon General Hospital. The Bharati Vidyapeeth police, however, said they were still awaiting the reports.
For the last 20 days, the parents of the children who are daily wage workers, have not been permitted to meet their children.
Mohammad Anjaar from Bhagalpur, one of the parents of the affected children, said there were 25 others like him who had left their jobs and come to Pune to meet their distressed children. “We do not have any shelter or place to stay. We are all staying in a slum in a crammed place,” he said.
Mohammad Azeem, another parent from Bhagalpur said they had met child welfare committee (CWC) officials and tried to convince them to hand over the children. “They asked us to fetch many documents including Aadhar card, ration card, affidavit, letter from the sarpanch, etc. We went back to Bihar and produced these; still our request has not been met,” he said.
“We just want to reunite with our children and want to take them back with us. It’s Eid too and we would like to celebrate it with our sons and forget this nightmare,” he said
Dr Adbe said the State government’s child welfare committee (CWC) Pune was trying to transfer the children in their custody back to Bihar CWC.
“When parents are present here, the CWC cannot continue to keep the victims in their custody. The children are not offenders; they are victims and hence they need to meet and see their parents,” Dr. Adbe stressed. She said the parents had produced all the documents asked for by the CWC, adding, “They are poor labourers and have no place to stay in Pune.”
Another social activist, Azhar Tamboli, said CWC Pune had written to the Bihar CWC and was awaiting the government’s permission to transfer the children there.
Bharati Vidyapeeth police station’s investigating officer, Vaishali Bhosale, said, “We have given an NOC (no objection certificate) to the CWC to hand over the children to their respective parents without any delay.”
When contacted, CWC Pune’s chairperson, Dr Jadhvar said, “This is an inter-state matter. We have indeed written to the Bihar CWC and the authorities there. Our entire process and procedure is now complete. Once we receive an okay and approval from Bihar authorities, we will immediately transfer the children there.”
The alleged sexual exploitation of the children came to light when two children who managed to flee from the Katraj madrasa were found loitering on the Pune Railway station on July 23. The Railway Police who spotted the children informed the NGO Sathi to organise their rescue.
The Bharati Vidyapeeth police said they were awaiting the medical reports of the children who were allegedly exploited sexually by Jamia Arabia Darul Yatima orphanage caretaker, Abdul Rahim Ghulam.
Vishnu Pawar, police station incharge, said, “We have completed the necessary investigations and the matter is before the child welfare committee (CWC) which is conducting further investigations into the case. The custody of all the 36 children is with the CWC and it will decided by CWC and not the police. As far the details of medical reports of the two juveniles are concerned, we are still awaiting those reports and cannot comment on the issue any further,” he said.
An FIR was registered against Shaikh with Kondhwa police station and was transferred to Bharati Vidyapeeth police station on July 27 for further investigation, as the orphanage is located under the latter’s jurisdiction.
The Bharati Vidyapeeth police in their report submitted to the court stated that the statements of 12 out of 36 children have been recorded before the Child Welfare Committee.
“The accused used to beat the children with a stick and iron pipe. The investigation has revealed that only 18 children were registered with the madrasa, while details of others were not there at all . The children were brought from different states but there is no consent letter obtained from their parents. There were 36 children at the madrasa but one five-year-old boy was immediately sent away. We cannot rule out the possibility that he was not abused by the accused,” the police report stated.
One 5 y/o boy was sent where? By whom? "We cannot rule out the possibility that he was not abused by the accused." What kind of statement is that?
WA woman, a foster carer, charged with
historical child sex abuse
PerthNowA MIDVALE woman has been charged with historical child sex offences, allegedly committed while she was a foster carer.
Police claim the 60-year-old was party to the abuse of a six-year-old boy in 1996 while she was the manager of the Doubleview Group Home.
She faces five counts of sexual penetration of a child under 13 years and two counts of indecently dealing with a child under 13 years and is due to face Perth Magistrates Court today.
If you are or have been a victim of sexual abuse, or if you have information about someone being abused, contact police on 131 444.
Teachers Pet podcast: Law firm explores NSW
school sex abuse claims
By Mark Saunokonoko
Joanne Curtis was a schoolgirl when she became romantically involved with Chris Dawson.
Maurice Blackburn, a leading law firm in the area of child sexual abuse in institutions, is currently engaged and investigating claims teachers groomed students for sex at Cromer High, Forest High and Beacon Hill High (closed in 2002), all situated on Sydney's northern beaches.
Explosive allegations up to 20 teachers were sleeping with Year 11 and 12 schoolgirls emerged in true crime podcast, The Teacher's Pet, an investigation by The Australian newspaper.
A Maurice Blackburn spokesperson said its lawyers had "recently been approached by some former students of [Cromer High, Forest High and Beacon Hill High] for possible assistance. Our firm is continuing to investigate these matters in determining any potential recourse for those impacted," the spokesperson exclusively told nine.com.au.
An ex-pupil from Cromer High who featured on the podcast said teachers of that era at the school viewed sex with young students as a "fringe benefit".
Another episode detailed claims a female teacher engaged in group sex with young male students, some who have since battled ongoing mental and emotional trauma.
Maurice Blackburn is known to have considerable experience running matters against various government departments, including education departments. It is too early to estimate the size of any potential compensation claim.
In 2014, Maurice Blackburn won a $494 million payout for victims of the deadly 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Maurice Blackburn’s institutional abuse specialist Danielle De Paoli will lead any civil action against NSW Department of Education, it is understood.
In 2016 NSW scrapped time limits on civil action by survivors of child sexual abuse, paving the way for historical claims.
Alleged unethical behavior between teachers and students grew out of a bikini and beach culture championed in the 1980s on Sydney's northern beaches, according to the podcast. A group of teachers would regularly mix alongside students at a local northern beaches pub, buying the impressionable, underage teenagers drinks, the podcast claimed.
Any teachers embroiled in allegations should have their career moves through the school system tracked and investigated, Labor’s education spokesman Jihad Dib told nine.com.au last month. NSW Police launched Strike Force Southwood last month to investigate the alleged historical sexual assaults and student-teacher relationships at various high schools on Sydney’s northern beaches.
NSW Minister of Education and the Department of Education have both been contacted by nine.com.au.
Last week it was announced the 14th episode of The Teacher’s Pet would be the final instalment, while police investigated new leads raised by the podcast.
The primary focus of the true crime podcast was Chris Dawson, a former Newtown Jets rugby league star, who began having sex with a 16-year-old student, Joanne Curtis, at Cromer High where he taught PE.
Dawson’s wife, Lynette, mysteriously disappeared from their Sydney home in 1982. Over the course of 1981, Dawson's affair with schoolgirl Ms Curtis caused the painful disintegration of his marriage to Lyn, who was a mother to their two young girls.
After Lyn's disappearance, Dawson left Cromer High, where his affair with Ms Curtis was something of an open secret, and began teaching at nearby Beacon Hill High.
Dawson has never been charged in relation to his wife's disappearance, and maintains his innocence. He has claimed she ran away to live with a religious cult in a remote area of NSW.
Two NSW coronial inquests have concluded Ms Dawson was probably murdered. The mystery of her disappearance remains unsolved.
NZ rugby coach on trial accused of more than 80 counts of sex offending against children
Catrin OwenAn Auckland school rugby coach facing more than 80 counts of sexual offending against young boys is on trial at the High Court in Auckland.
Taimo was first charged in 2017 with 50 charges but as his name was made public, more complainants came forward.
He is accused of touching the young boys, sexually violating them or inducing them to touch or perform sexual acts on him.
The alleged offences took place at Taimo's home, in his car, in school sports sheds, in a classroom, and in a park.
Taimo is charged with 24 counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, 18 counts of an indecent act on a child under 12, 23 counts of indecent acts on a young person under 16, eight counts of indecency with a boy under 12 and 10 counts of indecency with a boy between 12 and 16.
On Monday, Taimo pleaded not guilty to all 83 charges.
Crown prosecutor Jasper Rhodes is set to call 53 witnesses to give evidence in the trial including police officers and professionals.
A jury of six women and six men were impanelled in front of Justice Simon Moore on Monday morning with the trial set down for 10 weeks.
U.S. report reveals several priests accused of
sexual assaults in Canada
By RAJU MUDHARILYA BAÑARES
A grand jury document unsealed earlier this week reveals several Pennsylvania-based priests committed assaults in the Greater Toronto Area, while others were sent here for treatment after sexually assaulting children,
The shocking 900-page document, released on Tuesday, determined that Church leaders covered up more than 1,000 cases of child molestation since the 1940s, details hundreds of allegations and incidents in six Catholic dioceses and discusses 300 priests.
The grand jury report released this week found rampant sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by about 300 priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses over seven decades. (MATT ROURKE / AP)
Described by Pennsylvania State Attorney General Josh Shapiro as the “largest, most comprehensive report into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church ever produced in the United States,” the report is difficult reading, filled with examples of abuse and superiors who turned a blind eye to it — and includes incidents that occurred in Canada.
For example, documents say Rev. Robert G. Wolk and multiple other priests “performed sado-masochistic acts” with altar boys. He allegedly assaulted one boy more than 200 times in Canada, Virginia, Florida and Ohio.
Rev. Theodore P. Zabowski allegedly took a child on a trip to Canada, served him alcohol and assaulted him. After the allegations, he was placed on administrative leave.
Rev. Michael Barletta was on a retreat in Toronto and brought two teens with him to a hotel room, where he assaulted them. He initially denied the accusations, but later admitted to them in a letter in 2012. At the time of the incident, Barletta was sent to Aurora-based Southdown Institute, a psychiatric rehabilitation facility that helps clergy deal with mental health issues, addictions and “sexual disorders,” from September 1994 until August 1995 on a “sabbatical.”
That there needs to be such a place for clergy is nothing short of an abomination.
Southdown Institute, which has since moved to Holland Landing, is the largest Toronto connection in the report. At least seven priests accused of sexual abuse were sent to the facility, with at least one returning to work with little repercussion afterward.
Rev. John P. Connor was arrested in 1984 and charged with sexually molesting a 14-year-old. He was sent to Southdown for eight months, where his problems were blamed on alcohol.
The report states: “He acts out sexually with some preference to late adolescent males,” and specifically warned against giving Connor responsibility for adolescents.
He was eventually assigned to minister at a church in Wexford, Pa., where he was encouraged to “educate youth,” according to allegations in the report. Years later, he was sued by an alleged victim for abuse.
In the wake of the explosive revelations, the Vatican issued a statement about the release of the documents, saying “the Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors.”
Well, maybe not completely unequivocally. Maybe somewhat equivocally! Completely unequivocally would be more believable if the Vatican ordered all the dioceses around the world to stop lobbying for archaic and evil statutes of limitations that revictimize the victims of the thousands of paedophile priests, teachers, monks and laymen.
Issued by Greg Burke, the director of the Holy See press office, it stated: “There are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow.”
“The abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur.”
“Holy Father understands well how much these crimes can shake the faith and the spirit of believers and reiterates the call to make every effort to create a safe environment for minors and vulnerable adults in the Church and in all of society.”
The report is still the subject of an ongoing legal battle, with redactions shielding the identities of some current and former clergy named in the report while the state Supreme Court weighs their arguments that its wrongful accusations against them violates their constitutional rights.
It also is expected to spark another fight by victim advocates to win changes in state law that lawmakers have resisted.
The majority of the cases in the report are too old to be prosecuted, but charges have been filed against two priests, who are accused of abusing minors.
That's 2, out of 300!
SPANISH POLICE RESCUE 5 CHILD SEX ABUSE VICTIMS
A suspect has been arrested for allegedly making a series of child sex abuse videos and five victims rescued in Spain – less than a week after Australian police shared with investigators worldwide the offending videos they had found.
The quick resolution was possible because of the images of a man’s hands who appeared in the videos, according to a new report from the international police organization INTERPOL.
The suspect’s name wasn’t released immediately, and other investigative details were being withheld for now. But authorities said they found the images of girls ages 5-7 on a website featuring child abuse.
Police in Australia, the Queensland’s Task Force Argos, shared them with other INTERPOL components, including its Crimes Against Children unit, which identified Spain as the possible location where they were made.
Spain’s Central Cybercrime Unit then conducted further analysis on the videos, and pinpointed a neighborhood near Madrid.
“Additional examination of the man’s hands led investigators to believe he may be a mechanic, and the search was narrowed down to workshops in a specific area,” the international police force explained.
“After a canvas sheet similar to one which appeared in videos was spotted at one of the addresses, a surveillance operation was set up. A man who potentially fit the suspect’s profile was observed leaving the premises later that day and followed home.”
A 46-year-old Romanian national was arrested just the next morning on his way to work, and linked to the videos through a tattoo on his arm, the same as one seen in the videos.
“He was arrested on charges of sexual abuse and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse images,” INTERPOL reported.
Police, during a search of his home, found massive amounts of computer equipment including five mini-cams allegedly used for the videos.
The victims all were identified by officers then asking around the neighborhood, authorities said.
The international group’s global communications system and database resource allow comparison of images found in videos, to help link victims, abusers and places.
The organization explains: “By analyzing the digital, visual and audio content of photographs and videos, experts can retrieve clues, identify any overlap in cases and combine their efforts to locate victims of child sexual abuse.
“Enhanced features in Version 4 launched earlier this year include advanced sorting of videos and images, chat functions and interconnection with national child exploitation databases. ICSE version 4 is the culmination of a 30-month project funded with the support of the European Commission.”
To date, more than 14,000 victims have been identified via the International Child Sexual Exploitation database, leading to the arrest of nearly 6,300 offenders worldwide.”
Excellent!
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