Russian woman busted for trying to sell
underage girl’s virginity
© Interior Ministry
A venturous lady from Saint Petersburg attempted to cash in on the virginity of a 15-year-old girl she met online. She managed to find a generous buyer in Moscow for the unusual article…but he turned out to be an undercover cop.
A hotel room with a large bed, white sheets and dimmed lighting was rented for the night. The rich client was also there and the final details were being agreed.
The female pimp asked the man not to hold back the girl for too long after the deal is done because she had “strict parents” and had to be home in time.
And then the moment she was so eagerly waiting for had arrived. He passed her the cash. The whole 650,000 rubles (almost $9,700) she demanded for the teen’s maidenhood.
The woman’s face brightened when she felt the sweet banknotes in her hands from the police officer, who posed as a client. But her joy was cut short as she was detained on the spot. Being caught red-handed, the shocked perpetrator had nothing to do, but confess.
The 22-year-old told the operatives that she found the girl on social media and persuaded her to part with her virginity by promising her easy money. She then traveled to from Saint Petersburg to Moscow and arranged everything for the transaction to take place there.
However, the woman insisted that she never planned to keep the cash for herself and only wanted to help the girl find a good man. But police believe otherwise, saying that she apparently planned to flee after getting the money and already purchases a ticket out of Moscow.
The wannabe female pimp had been put in custody and now faces criminal charges over involving an underage person in prostitution.
Bengaluru man gets 14 years for impregnating teen
Four years after a harrowing case of child rape was reported in Bengaluru, a sessions court in the city convicted a cab driver for repeatedly raping a 12-year-old girl for months.
The 71st CCH Court convicted Santosh Kumar (29) under section 376 (rape) of the IPC under Sections 3 (penetrative sexual assault) 4 (punishment for penetrative sexual assault), 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 7 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Santosh Kumar was given a 14-year life sentence and a fine of Rs 20,000 was imposed on him by the court.
In August 2014, 12-year-old Anu*, a resident of Bengaluru, experienced severe abdominal pain. Anu had lost her father when she was 6 years old and was living with her mother and younger brother in a small apartment in north-west Bengaluru.
When her mother, an employee at a garment factory, returned home, she was shocked to see her daughter in such pain. Anu was taken to the hospital immediately and the doctors declared that she was pregnant.
That’s when Anu told her mother about the abuse she had been facing at the hands of Santosh Kumar. According to the Peenya police, Santosh Kumar, a tourist taxi cab driver, was Anu’s neighbour.
Ever since her father died, Anu’s mother had taken up multiple jobs to make ends meet. “She couldn’t be at home a lot because of the work. Anu and her brother studied in a nearby government school. Her brother was poor at studies and Santosh used this bit of detail to abuse the girl,” the police said.
Santosh would walk into Anu’s home and scare her younger brother. “He would tell the boy to go into the room and study. He would lock the room door from outside and rape the girl,” the police added.
Santosh threatened to kill Anu’s brother and mother if she ever revealed the truth. After Anu became pregnant, her mother filed a complaint at the Peenya police station. The ACP of Yeshwanthpur began probing the case.
In 2015, Anu gave birth to a baby boy and the investigating officers sent Santosh’s blood samples for a DNA test, which came back positive. The baby, however, died four months later. A charge sheet was filed in December 2015 along with the DNA test results, the preliminary medical report and 15 witnesses.
Norway's biggest child abuse case:
Man held over sexual assaults on 300 boys
A 26-year-old man has been charged in a case described by police as Norway's biggest ever sexual abuse case.
The man, reportedly a football referee, has been under investigation for several years and now faces charges involving more than 300 teenage boys.
The victims were mainly targeted over the internet in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, according to prosecutors. But several of the boys are thought to have met the man in person.
According to Norwegian reports, the man pretended to be a girl named Sandra or Henriette on chat forums in order to win the boys' trust, persuading them to send him naked pictures and videos of themselves.
A local newspaper said he would tempt them with offers of money, naked pictures purportedly of Sandra or tobacco snuff, and once they had sent material he would allegedly threaten them with blackmail if they failed to send more.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK said he had received more than 16,000 videos.
The rape charges are believed to be related to an alleged threat to post photos and videos online, although several charges involve physical abuse of victims the man met in person.
State prosecutor Guro Hansson Bull said it was "the biggest case of sexual abuse in Norway so far". The alleged victims varied in age from 9 to 21 and all but one had felt unable to reveal what had happened to their parents, police told Norwegian media.
A lawyer acting for the alleged victims said virtually all of them were struggling to deal with the case because they had a strong sense of guilt.
Paedophiles success depends in no small way on creating that sense of guilt in their victims.
A team of 15 investigators worked on the case, sifting through photos, video and chat files.
The suspect was initially arrested in 2016 but then released, before being detained a second time. He is now reportedly being held in Ila jail near Oslo.
His lawyer, Gunhild Laerum, told Norwegian media that he had co-operated with police from the start and had been receiving therapy, although he was yet to respond to each individual charge.
She said her client had led a double life, with an addiction to an illegal existence online.
The case will go to court in 2019.
Sweden may become latest country to annul
child marriages
child marriages
Child marriage increases the chances of girls' dropping out of education, living in poverty and becoming victims of domestic violence.
Girls in Flen, Sweden. The town has welcomed so many asylum-seekers in recent years that they now make up about a quarter of its population. Michael Probst / AP file
Swedish lawmakers are set to vote on a proposed crackdown on child marriage next week — a move echoing measures taken by a host of countries in the wake of Europe's refugee crisis.
A current ban on marriages for people under 18 would be extended, if the bill is approved, to invalidate such unions of foreigners carried out abroad. Couples who wish to stay together will have to wait until 18 to remarry.
The potential law and others are widely seen as a reflection of the challenges involved in integrating the more than one million migrants who have arrived in Europe since 2015.
"We need to let children be children no matter if they are from Sweden or another country," said My Hellberg, from TRIS, or the Young Women's Rights Society, which runs shelters and campaigns against domestic abuse perpetrated in the name of “honor” for bringing shame on families.
Child marriage disproportionately affects girls, and increases their chances of dropping out of education, living in poverty and becoming victims of domestic violence.
The number of underage married asylum-seekers and refugees across Europe is not known, however, and rights groups estimate that many unions go unrecorded.
Iranian Parliament Rejects Motion To Ban
Marriage Of Girls Under Thirteen
Radio Farda
A young actress plays the role of Giorgia, 10, forced to marry Paolo, 47, during a happening organized by Amnesty International to denounce child marriage, on October 27, 2016 in Rome.
A parliamentary motion banning child marriage in Iran has been rejected by Majles (parliament), an MP reported.
A member of women's faction in the Islamic Republic's parliament, Tayyebeh Seyavoshi says, "The Legal and Judicial Commission of Majles has rejected a parliamentary motion that proposed a ban on allowing under thirteen-year-old girls to marry."
Following the rejection, Ms. Seyavoshi says, "We are waiting for the Commission's official report, and then, decide on our next step."
According to a member of the Legal and Judicial commission, Yahya Kamalpour, the motion was rejected after Grand Ayatollahs and "sources of emulation" vehemently opposed it.
Without referring to a time frame, Ms. Seyavoshi announced that more than 300 girls under nine, and between 30,000 to 40,000 girls under 13-14 years old marry in Iran.
Earlier on December 4, a prominent member of the Islamic Republic's Cultural and Social Council for Women had defended child marriage, arguing it protects girls from a life of prostitution and illegal abortions.
Is child marriage that much different from prostitution, from the girl's perspective?
Fereshteh Rouhafza had told the state-run Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) on December 4, that in light of the rapidly growing number of increasingly young girls undergoing illegal abortions and joining the sex trade, “opposition to child marriage is wrong.”
Rouhafza, who is in charge of planning and policy for the council, declined to provide evidence of her claims about Iran’s young women, saying the statistics are available, but it would be irresponsible to make them public.
"Publishing the statistics will encourage other underage girls to follow suit. I believe revealing such statistics is harmful to society,” Rouhafza said.
Rohafza’s comments reflect the position of the conservative clerical establishment toward child marriage. Insisting that Prophet Muhammad is the perfect example for all Muslims, they note that he married a six-year-old bride, Aisha, with whom he consummated the marriage when she was only nine years old.
Mohammed, the perfect example! Good grief! Should every Muslim be a paedophile?
According to Iran’s Association of Children’s Rights, the number of girls married in Iran under the age of 15 climbed from 33,383 in 2006 to 43,459 in 2009, a 30 percent increase in three years. Experts say the increase is due to deepening poverty and parents’ desire to control their daughter’s sexuality.
The Islamic Republic’s civil code stipulates that the legal age of marriage in Iran is thirteen for girls and fifteen for boys. However, the civil code allows girls as young as nine to marry with the consent of their father or the permission of a judge.
Child sex abuse in Turkey
RUSTAM ISAMAILBEYLI, SAMIRA AHMEDBEYLI JAM News
Approximately 50 children are sexually abused or
given away to child marriage per day in Turkey
From 2010 to 2017, 134,960 criminal cases of child sex abuse was investigated in Turkey.
This equals to about 50 children per day that are sexually abused. The number also includes young girls given away in marriage before the legal age of 18.
Moreover, this is only official statistics and cases that have been investigated (based on data published by the Ministry of Justice).
In 2018 the public demanded that action be taken to curb the abuse, and the government began to tackle the problem. Parliament is currently looking into a bill to toughen the punishment for the sexual abuse of children and women.
An epidemic of violence?
Turkey is currently awaiting a court verdict on another investigation related to child murder.
It turned out that her three neighbors first raped, then killed her.
On 21 December, the state prosecutor demanded life imprisonment for premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances, as well as imprisonment for 24 years for the rape of a minor.
Meanwhile, the fate of 3-year-old Evrim Atish, who went missing in the Rurkhal area, Tokat province, is still unknown. She has been missing since July 2018, with officials still searching for her. The girl is believed to have been killed by her parents.
Although her father is already in jail, her mother is a suspect. According to preliminary reports, her parents abused her and killed her, then hid the body in the hope of avoiding punishment.
A month before Evrim disappeared, three other children were killed in June 2018 in three parts of the country: three-year-old Leyla Aydemir from Ağrı, 8-year-old Eylul Yaglikara from Ankara, and 6-year-old Ufuk Tatar from Hatay province.
These children were not sexually abused: they were killed because of hostilities between their relatives.
Children almost always pay the price for adults stupidity and insanity.
Are the Turkish authorities unable to protect children?
Local NGOs believe this to be the case. Sociologist Emrah Kirimsoy says that, in addition to the statistics on child murder, over 100,000 children have gone missing in Turkey over the past 8 years.
“This is an incredible number,” he says, “and it is time for the state to make this problem a priority.”
A plan including preventative measures for Turkey were drawn up for 2014-2019. However, the chairman of the online platform Let’s Stop Femicide, Dr. Gulsum Kav, said that this document exists only formally.
Over 100,000 children have gone missing in Turkey
over the past 8 years
“This document is not mentioned by the state or by society. I think that if the state structures simply worked in accordance with this instruction, half of the problems would resolve by themselves.”
The death penalty, or more child protection measures?
In 2014, the number of sexual violence and child murder cases peaked in Turkey. The Prime Minister of Turkey, Rejeb Tayyib Erdogan, invited the public to discuss whether or not the death penalty should be reinstated.
Although the death penalty has not been reinstated, the legislation has been made significantly harsher. The murder of a minor is now punishable by life imprisonment in a high-security prison. For sexual and domestic violence against children, one can be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
But many lawyers in Turkey believe that, instead of toughening up punishments, the government should make more of an effort to protect children from violence.
“In Turkey, the punishments for crimes against juveniles are already more severe than in other states. But the situation has not changed. The main thing that needs to be done is to ensure that existing laws work,” says a member of the Juvenile Bar Association, attorney Gazal Bayram.
27,000 underage girls given away in marriage every year
Relying on registered cases alone, at least 27,000 underage children are forced into marriage on a yearly basis.
A total of 45 per cent of all investigations into cases of sexual violence against minors are not brought to punishment.
According to a recent report by the Istanbul branch of the Society for the Protection of Human Rights, Turkey ranks third in the world in terms of pedophilia.
Religious society and pedophilia
There are also cases of sexual abuse against children in the dormitories of educational institutions.
In just four months, from the end of 2017 to the beginning of 2018, three criminal cases were launched into sexual abuse against children, looking into religious organisations engaged in educational work. Among the victims was a 9-year-old boy.
Most of the dormitories in which these cases were recorded belong to the religious Suleymanchi society.
For many years now, the opposition has come out against this organisation, but no measures have been taken. All cases end with the punishment of only a single Suleymanchi individual.
Suleymanchis are Sufi-oriented Sunnis. There appear to be migratory movements between Turkey and the Turkish-speaking Republics of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The most high-profile case in recent years in Turkey occurred in the dormitory of the religious Ansar Vakfi organisation, where juveniles were molested.
Ansar Vakfi - from their website - Ensar Foundation Dormitory Psychological Counseling and Guidance Unit gave `Body Language Training 'within the scope of workshops.
In 2012-2015, a teacher named Muharrem Buyukturk sexual assaulted 45 boys. He was sentenced to 508 years and three months in prison.
One of the most notable events in the sensational case was the statement made by the then Minister for Family and Social Policy, Sema Ramazanoglu:
“We cannot blacken the whole organisation because of one case,” she said. The statement has long remained on the agenda of the news media and has caused an uproar from the political opposition.
Despite protests, the Ensar Vakfi foundation is still operating.
What is the government doing?
On 20 November 2008, the Ministry of Justice issued a circular on crimes against the sexual integrity of children and women. The seven-point document requires prosecutors to immediately initiate an investigation after receiving a statement.
Instead of ignoring them like they usually did.
Amendments to the criminal code are expected in the near future. According to draft amendments which have already been submitted to the Turkish parliament, the punishment for charges of sexual violence against children will be made more severe and the term of imprisonment will increase from the current 20 years to 40 years.
In addition, the accused will be subjected to chemical castration.
Hmmm. That might help!
Cambodian children still vulnerable to sex abuse by foreigners: NGO
Khy Sovuthy / Khmer Times 
More than 200 convicted foreign paedophiles have abused nearly 900 children since 2003. KT/Chor Sokunthea
Samleang Seila, executive director of APLE, yesterday during a workshop said that developing countries do not yet have concrete means to discourage and prevent the sexual abuse of children.
“Suspects will always look to take advantage of poor communities and weak law enforcement,” Mr Seila said. “Children are vulnerable, especially those living on the streets.”
“The exploitation of children in Cambodia continues to threaten their safety,” he added.
According to APLE, foreign tourists suspected of paedophilia continue to visit the Kingdom in order to exploit weak law enforcement.
APLE investigated 102 cases in 2017 and 89 cases in 2018, he noted. It said that suspected paedophiles have also changed their tactics from looking for potential victims in the cities to looking for victims in rural areas.
Though one thing remains the same; paedophiles look to persuade potential victims and their family by giving financial compensation.
“More than 200 convicted foreign paedophiles committed abuse on nearly 900 victims in Cambodia from 2003 until now,” Mr Seila said. “Most of the victims were children from poor communities that lacked knowledge of what sexual abuse is.”
He added that most of the victims were boys and that it took long-term investigations in order to find sufficient evidence to arrest suspects.
Chou Bun Eng, a secretary of state with the Interior Ministry and vice chairwoman of the National Authority against Human Trafficking, yesterday said child abuse and exploitation are still major concerns.
“Abuse and exploitation still occur, so we are concerned about this because the rate has not decreased,” Ms Bun Eng said. “If we don’t work hard, Cambodian children will continue to be at risk.”
She added that in response, the authorities have disseminated information by distributing leaflets about sexual abuse to poor communities.
Ms Bun Eng said that a network of local authorities in the country has been created to share information. “We will continue to prevent and crack down on crimes and arrest suspects and we will continue to implement laws,” she said. “The figure of this year did not decrease when compared to last year.”
Then it would be obvious that 'continuance' is not working and more is needed.
She noted that alcohol, drugs and pornography all play a role in influencing victims to comply with the wants of paedophiles.
“Anyone suspected of committing crimes against children must be put on trial,” Ms Bun Eng said. “And if they’re found guilty, they must be given a harsh sentence.”
Take action against foster parents involved in sexual abuse of girl in their care, Maneka to Sonowal
New Delhi, (PTI): Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has asked Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to immediately take action against foster parents involved in the alleged sexual abuse of a girl under their care.
After three months, the child was surrendered back into the child care institution and when medical examination on the girl was conducted it was found that she was sexually abused over a period of three months by the male parent, she said.
The NNS lodged a police complaint in September but no action has been taken so far, Gandhi said in a letter to Sonowal.
“Under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, the POSCO Act as well as the IPC, the foster parents, the members of the child welfare committee and the officers of the district child protection unit, who have handled this case, are criminally liable,” she said.
Gandhi urged Sonowal to ensure that necessary action is taken against the persons responsible for sexual abuse of the child and they are brought to justice.
“In the WCD Ministry, we follow the principle of zero tolerance to cases of child abuse and expect strictest possible action against the perpetrators,” she added.
Perhaps an investigation into why the police did not act on the FIR would be helpful in discouraging police from ignoring such cases in the future.
Kamla Bhasin Speaks up About Sexual Abuse in India
VISHNU GOPINATH
In the third episode of ‘Me, the Change’ podcast, gender activist, author and poet Kamla Bhasin speaks up about being sexually abused as a child, the loss of her daughter and her work in the field of women empowerment.
At the age of four, Bhasin says, a male domestic helper made her sit on his lap and sexually abused her.
“After that, over the next four years,
12 or 13 men, all connected to the family
– teacher, tailor, father’s friend,
older brother’s friend – did the same.”
Kamla Bhasin
Growing up, Bhasin says she never conformed to gender norms – she climbed trees, played with boys, and dressed in ‘boys’ clothes’.
‘Still Don’t Know What I’d do to Those Men’
Bhasin describes that she used to imagine what she would do to the men who had abused her. She says:
“I wrote a book later, called, If only someone broke the silence. In it, I asked – I was an extrovert. I lived with my family with six brothers and sisters… How come I didn’t tell anybody about it? And I made a list of these thirteen fellows, and thought about what I’d do to them all the time. When I grew up and became strong, (I thought about) what I’d do to these fellows, and I still do not know the answer.”
No comments:
Post a Comment