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Study finds kids ages 9-12 sharing nudes more than doubled in 2020,
researchers concerned
By Leonardo Blair,
Christian Post Reporter
Wednesday, December 08, 2021
Unsplash/Gaelle Marcel
The share of minors ages 9-12 who are sharing self-generated nude images online more than doubled in 2020, and advocates involved in combatting online child sex abuse are worried about the trend, a new study shows.
The report, titled "Self-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: Youth Attitudes and Experiences in 2020," was released last month by Thorn, an organization dedicated to combating online child sexual abuse.
The research was conducted through a 20-minute online survey from Oct. 26 to Nov. 12, 2020, in conjunction with a parallel study of caregiver attitudes and behaviors. Some 2,002 children from across the United States participated in the study, with 742 from the 9-12 age group and 1,260 teenagers from age 13-17.
Researchers for Thorn say Self-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material, also referred to as SG-CSAM, is "explicit imagery of a child that appears to have been taken by the child in the image.” The imagery is being produced from both consensual and coercive experiences. Consensual experiences are usually referred to as “sexting” or “sharing nudes.”
Researchers found that while only 6% of 9-12 year olds reported that they shared these explicit self-generated images in 2019, that share more than doubled to 14% in 2020.
This was a much larger increase than that seen among 13-17 year olds whose increase in the activity jumped from 15% in 2019 to 19% in 2020. Overall, in 2019, 11% of all youth reported sharing their own SG-CSAM. By 2020, that number jumped to 17%.
“Self-generated child sexual abuse material has become a vital area of concern for those combating online child sexual exploitation. … [It] presents distinct risks for kids and unique challenges for the communities committed to protecting them,” researchers noted. “The interventions we pursue must be uniquely tailored to the experiences of young people and the offenders who may target them for victimization.”
While the percentage of minors who report they have reshared someone else’s SG-CSAM decreased from 9% to 7% between 2019 and 2020, the percentage of minors who believe their close friends "often or sometimes" re-share another kid's SG-CSAM increased from 11% to 14% over the same period. All of that increase happened among children in the 9-12 age group.
The study showed that between 2019 and 2020, the share of 9-12 year olds holding that belief jumped from 7% to 16%. However, it shrank from 15% to 13% among minors 13-17.
Researchers noted that the survey data suggests that “minors may be operating with less supervision in online spaces, particularly among 9-12-year-olds, compared to 2019 numbers.”
“Use of secondary accounts … intended to keep content private from some groups like caregivers or friends, was up most significantly among this group and 9-12-year-olds reported the most significant drop in their frequencies for following set online safety rules,” researchers explained.
And when it comes to the social medium most frequently used by the group of tweens, YouTube ranks above all others. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook among others also held a significant draw among the group for their engagement with SG-CSAM.
Some 80% of all minors reported using YouTube at least once daily, and 78% of them said they shared their own SG-CSAM there. Overall, 85% of that group said they were shown material on the platform. Minors appeared more comfortable resharing material on the platform, with 88% of them reporting that.
The study showed that production of SG-CSAM content went up across nearly all demographic variables related to gender, age and sexual identity in 2020 compared to 2019. The increased rates of initial shares were most pronounced among 9-10-year-olds, young boys aged 9-12, and LGBT-identified youth.
When asked if they thought the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had an impact on the SG-CSAM experiences of their peers, the respondents were divided. Approximately 50% of them did not think the pandemic had an impact on the rates at which their peers send or share SG-CSAM or have intimate images leaked. The remaining 50% felt it did.
According to Thorn, however, more research is needed to ensure the right kinds of interventions are available to safeguard minors using rapidly changing technology.
“Young people continue to engage with SG-CSAM both through exploratory and higher risk coercive pathways. The findings from our 2020 survey underscore the persistence of demographic differences in kids’ attitudes and behaviors related to SG-CSAM,” the group said.
“Continued data collection and analysis related to this topic, along with the impact of COVID, remains a vital need to deliver successful interventions that safeguard and support young people as they navigate their digital experiences.”
School sex education slanted toward the far-left instead of toward saving children from paedophiles, is a major contributor to this phenomena, as well as social media platforms that couldn't care less.
It appears another generation of adolescents will grow up to become part of the rape culture.
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Dangerous paedophile jailed for sexual abuse of vulnerable girl
Georgia Barrow
Published: 3:51 PM December 6, 2021
Andrew Cuckston, 59, from Stevenage, has been jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of a string of sexual offences against a young girl - Credit: Herts police
A paedophile from Stevenage has been jailed for more than 11 years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a vulnerable young girl.
Andrew Cuckston, of Jessop Road, was found guilty of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration, attempting to assault a girl under 13 by penetration, causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.
Cuckston stood trial at St Albans Crown Court and was convicted on Friday, September 3, before returning for sentencing on Wednesday, November 24, where he was given a total jail term of 11 years and six months.
The jury had previously heard how the offences occurred at an address in Stevenage in 2018, during a four-month period between September and December.
Cuckston, aged 59, was arrested in January 2019 after the victim bravely disclosed to her family the abuse she had been subjected to at the hands of the defendant.
When interviewed by detectives, Cuckston denied the allegations but he was later charged.
In addition to his custodial sentence, Cuckston must also abide by a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, the terms of which state that he must not be alone in the company of any child under the age of 16, undertake any activity, either voluntary or paid, which is likely to bring him into contact with children under the age of 16 and he must not stay at an address overnight while in the company of any child under the age of 16.
He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, and has been handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim or her family.
Assistant investigator Anne Bradbury, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “I want to publicly commend the victim in this case for her bravery throughout this investigation.
"Understandably, it has been hugely traumatic for her and I know she has struggled to come to terms with what happened.
“She has had to wait a long time for Cuckston to go before the court and face up to his crimes. Now her abuser has been convicted and sentenced, I hope the victim is able to find a small sense of closure and begin to move forward.
“Cuckston clearly poses a grave danger to children and the terms of the order granted by the judge ensures his activity will be very closely monitored, both while he is serving his sentence and long afterwards.
“Hertfordshire Constabulary works hard to protect children from predators like Cuckston and we promise to always investigate every report we receive – however long ago the incident happened.”
Anyone in Hertfordshire who has experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence can contact the Herts Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for practical and emotional support.
The centre can arrange face-to-face support, sexual health referrals, and provide forensic medical examinations for those who want them.
To contact Herts SARC, call the 24/7 helpline on 0808 178 4448, email Herts.SARC@nhs.net or visit www.hertssarc.org.
This service is open to everyone – men, women and young people, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.
Other organisations which provide support include Rape Crisis England & Wales, rapecrisis.org.uk, and Red Kite Support, redkitesupport.org.uk.
New Zealand police charge one staff member over child abuse
at Lake Alice psychiatric hospital
About 200 people alleged in evidence before New Zealand’s royal commission
this year they were tortured and abused at the institution
Lake Alice psychiatric hospital. New Zealand police have laid child abuse charges against one former
staff member. Photograph: Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald
Tess McClure in Wellington
Wed 8 Dec 2021 06.29 GMT
New Zealand police have laid child abuse charges against one of the staff members of the notorious Lake Alice institution, where hundreds of former patients have alleged they were tortured and abused as children in the 1970s.
Their investigation has come too late for charges to be brought against the doctor at the centre of the institution, despite police saying there was enough evidence to charge him. Now 92 years old, police said Dr Selwyn Leeks was medically unfit to stand trial.
About 200 people alleged in evidence before New Zealand’s royal commission this year they were tortured and abused by Leeks and others at Lake Alice psychiatric hospital. Leeks has previously denied those allegations and said his use of electro-convulsive shock therapy (ECT) was therapeutic.
The commission heard evidence from multiple witnesses alleging that Leeks and other staff used ECT without anaesthetic, including on genitals. Many of those testifying to the commission described being electrocuted as punishment for minor misbehaviour. Others allege that Leeks made them electrocute other children. Speaking to the commission, expert witness Dr Barry Parsonson likened the alleged practices to those used by “state organs of terror, namely the Gestapo is a good example”.
The criminal investigation into Lake Alice has been running alongside the royal commission, and police said that their investigation included interviews with former staff of the unit, 63 former patients, and over 46,000 pages of documentary evidence.
Police said on Wednesday that an 89-year-old individual has been charged with wilful ill treatment of a child. They said in a statement that “Police also found sufficient evidence to charge two other former staff members with wilful ill-treatment of a child. However, both those individuals – including 92-year-old former child psychiatrist Selwyn Leeks – are now medically unfit to stand trial.
“It is important to note that this finding does not mean Mr Leeks is guilty of the alleged offence – he cannot be charged as he is unable to defend himself in court.”
He'll be unable to defend himself in a higher court when he stands before Jesus Christ, where only truth will be spoken.
“Police acknowledge the enormous impact these events have had on the lives of those former patients who were children and young people at Lake Alice in the 1970s, and the frustration of those who have been waiting for us to complete this investigation,” Det Supt Fitzgerald said.
“This operation involved unprecedented mass allegations, with complex legal arguments and expert medical evidence, so it was vital that we undertook a methodical and meticulous approach with thorough consideration of culpability.”
Over the past 50 years, both the police and New Zealand medical authorities had received multiple complaints about Leeks and Lake Alice, but those complaints did not result in censure or criminal charges.
After a settlement between victims and the New Zealand government in 2002, dozens of complainants’ files were forwarded to the police, but only one victim was interviewed, and in 2010, the police announced there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.
Speaking to the commission in mid-2021, New Zealand police apologised to survivors for that investigation.
“Police did not accord sufficient priority and resources to the investigation of allegations of criminal offending” Fitzgerald said at the time. “This resulted in unacceptable delays in the investigation and meant that not all allegations were thoroughly investigated. The police wish to apologise to the Lake Alice survivors for these failings.”
Hayden Rattray, a lawyer representing Leeks at the royal commission had said: “Leeks has a right to give evidence and to make submissions. But he is, by virtue of his age and cognitive capacity, manifestly incapable of doing either.
“When he was cognitively capable of doing so, [Leeks has] always ardently maintained his innocence,” Rattray said.
Of course he did!
China subjected Uyghur Muslims to genocide through forced sterilisations,
abortions 'that must have been authorised at highest levels' tribunal finds
By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE and AFP
PUBLISHED: 13:26 EST, 9 December 2021
China subjected Uyghur Muslims to genocide through forced sterilisations and abortions authorised by Beijing's highest officials, a London tribunal has found.
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people in Xinjiang have been incarcerated without any justification, the tribunal's chair Sir Geoffrey Nice QC said on Thursday.
'This vast apparatus of state repression could not exist if a plan was not authorised at the highest levels,' he said as he delivered the tribunal's findings.
The panel probing alleged human rights abuses - made up of nine lawyers and human rights experts - published their opinion after hearing allegations of torture, rape and inhumane treatment at two evidence sessions this year.
The panel said it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that torture of thousands of Uyghurs had occurred, and upheld claims of imprisonment, forced transfer, enforced disappearances, rape and sexual violence, persecution and inhumane acts.
It added that that China's President Xi Jinping and other senior officials 'bear primary responsibility'.
Beijing has dismissed the findings.
China subjected Uyghur Muslims to genocide through forced sterilisations and abortions likely authorised by Beijing's highest officials, a London tribunal (pictured on Thursday) has found
The tribunal was set up at the request of the World Uyghur Congress, the largest group representing exiled Uyghurs, which lobbies the international community to act against China over the alleged abuses.
In a 63-page report, the panel said there was no evidence of mass killing, which has been the traditional test of genocide under international law.
Although some Uyghurs had been killed in detention, Nice said comparisons with the Nazi holocaust were unhelpful.
But the panel said it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) 'intended to destroy a significant part' of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the country's northwest and as such 'has committed genocide'.
The CCP put in place 'a comprehensive system of measures to 'optimise' the population in Xinjiang' to reduce the Uyghur birth rate, including forced sterilisation, birth control and abortion.
Nice said China's treatment of the group amounted under the Geneva conventions to an intent to destroy all or part of a group, physically or biologically. The judgement, he said, largely rested on the suppression of births.
Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have been thrown into forced reeducation camps, forcibly sterilized and had their families broken up in a Chinese crackdown on the minority, the report says. Pictured: Images of Uyghurs in a camp in China, released in 2017
'The population of Uyghurs in future generations will be smaller than it would have been without these policies. This will result in a partial destruction of the Uyghurs,' the report said.
'In accordance with the Genocide Convention's use of the word "destroy" this satisfies a prohibited act required for the proof of genocide.'
Nice said that those that were detained by China were largely released after indoctrination. This was part of a central government plan, ordered by the most senior of officials, to reintegrate Xinjang province and break up Uyghur culture.
'Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs – with some estimates well in excess of a million – have been detained by PRC [People's Republic of China] authorities without any, or any remotely sufficient reason, and subjected to acts of unconscionable cruelty, depravity and inhumanity,' the tribunal's report says.
'Sometimes up to 50 have been detained in a cell of 22 sq metres.'
Some, the report says, sustained extreme sexual violence - including gang rapes and penetration with electric shock rods and iron bars. It also says women were raped by men paying to be allowed into the camp for that purpose.
The tribunal found evidence of enforced abortions, removal of wombs from women against their will, killing of babies immediately after they were born, and mass enforced sterilisation through the use of IUD devices only removable by surgery.
Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of children have been taken from their families and put into boarding schools, mosques have been destroyed, religious practices have been banned, and burial grounds have been bulldozed or built over, it says.
The report also says that there is evidence that some Uyghur were confined in containers up to their necks in cold water, shackled by metal chains, and immobilised for months on end.
It also reported the intrusiveness of the Chinese state, pointing to mass coerced labour and intensive monitoring and facial surveillance. This, the report says, means parts of Xinjiang have become a sort of open prison.
Nice said the tribunal would not have been necessary if an international court had been asked by governments, fearful of Beijing retaliation, to investigate.
He added there was an obligation to know the truth about the suffering of fellow humans, and breaches of international human law.
Beijing - which offered no cooperation to the tribunal - dismissed its findings, and said the congress 'paid for liars, bought rumours and gave false testimony in an attempt to concoct a political tool to smear China'.
'This so-called tribunal has neither any legal qualifications or any credibility,' the foreign ministry said, calling the hearings 'a political farce'.
China has slapped sanctions on Nice, who prosecuted the former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes at the UN tribunal in The Hague.
He and the other members acknowledged that testimony came from people opposed to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the CCP.
But they also examined thousands of pages of documentary evidence from independent researchers and human rights organisations.
The panel concluded that hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, and possibly more than one million, had been detained without cause, and treated cruelly and inhumanely.
It said it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that torture had occurred 'by or at the instigation of, or with the consent or acquiescence of, public officials or other persons acting in official capacities of the PRC and/or CCP'.
It upheld claims of imprisonment, forced transfer, enforced disappearances, rape and sexual violence, persecution and inhumane acts to the same standard of proof.
'The tribunal is satisfied that a comprehensive plan for the enactment of multiple but interlinked policies targeting the Uyghurs had been formulated by the PRC,' it added, saying President Xi Jinping and other senior officials 'bear primary responsibility'.
The plight of the Uyghurs has contributed to worsening diplomatic relations between Western powers and Beijing, which denies any abuses.
The United States has called China's treatment of the Uyghurs genocide, and is mounting a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing with several other Western nations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said Britain would join the boycott, in a move likely to fray ties further after London's repeated criticism of what it sees as creeping Chinese authoritarianism in Hong Kong.
But the British government has resisted calls for it to declare China's treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide, insisting it should be a matter for a court to decide.
The Uyghur Tribunal has no powers of sanction or enforcement and says it is for states and other bodies to consider its conclusions and decide whether to act on them.
The findings come after China warned the UK, US, Canada and Australia they will 'pay the price' for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Washington announced its boycott earlier in the week, saying it was prompted by widespread rights abuses by China and what it sees as a 'genocide' against the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.
The UK, Australia and Canada followed suit in a flurry of diplomatic bonhomie on Wednesday. The boycott stopped short of not sending athletes but nonetheless infuriated Beijing, which hinted at retaliation on Thursday.
'The US, Australia, Britain and Canada's use of the Olympic platform for political manipulation is unpopular and self-isolating, and they will inevitably pay the price for their wrongdoing,' foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.
The veiled threat came as France said it would not boycott the February Games because 'sports is a world in itself, which must be protected from political interference.'
The Kremlin, however, criticised the US move, saying the 2022 games should be 'free of politics'. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already accepted an invitation by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to attend.
Meanwhile International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday that he was staying politically neutral on the matter, while insisting the important point was 'the participation of the athletes in the Olympic Games'.
Xinjiang, China
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