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Hidden cameras found in locker room of top German
women’s handball team
TuS Metzingen found the devices in their locker room earlier this week
An investigation is underway by German police after two hidden cameras were allegedly found in the changing rooms of a top women's handball team.
TuS Metzingen play in Germany's top-tier Bundesliga, and said that the cameras were discovered this week.
According to the club, an unnamed person who previously worked with them is being treated by the authorities as a suspect while their contract has already been terminated.
As relayed by Spiegel, a spokesman for the Reutlingen police department told a local paper that "evidence" was found on the individual, who may face up to two years behind bars for a violation of personal rights.
The league said in a statement that it was "shocked" by the discovery and condemned the "reprehensible" behavior "in the strongest possible terms" while confirming that the investigation is still underway.
Metzingen's manager Ferenc Rott called it a "disgusting act" by "a direct person of trust" which was "just shocking and has affected us all very much".
He vowed that his outfit "won’t let something like this get us down", however, with "the fact that the team wants to play handball again immediately" a "very strong signal".
"During this difficult time, we received a lot of support from the police, the association, and other teams," he added.
On Instagram, the players also spoke out and echoed Rott's words by writing in a caption to a team photo that they "won't let anything or anyone get us down."
"Women's handball stands together and resolutely defends itself against all those who threaten us and our sport. Our solidarity is greater than any rivalry, any game, any goal!" they claimed.
Yet this is not the first time that an incident of this nature has occurred. Last September, at the beginning of the season, cameras were found in either team's locker room before a game between HL Buchholz 08-Rosengarten and SG BBM Bietigheim.
Metzingen's following game after the discovery coincidentally came against Bietigheim, and Rott was left "very impressed" by their united front and joint decision to honor the fixture lost 32-20 on Wednesday.
Now off until February 5, they will next face Buchholz 08-Rosengarten at their home Paul Horn-Arena in Tubingen.
One Survivor's Story - Anaeli
IJM, ijm.org
Anaelí’s story is one of our most memorable from our years of work in Guatemala because it shows how your support and a survivor’s courage can transform lives. But we want to warn you that her story contains references to sexual assault and may be hard to read.
The three men who raped Anaelí threatened Anaelí and her little brother to keep her quiet. Confused and terrified, this brave child did the only thing she knew how to do to protect herself and the brother she loved.
Months later, Anaelí’s mother was appalled to discover that her 11-year-old daughter was pregnant. At last, the terrible truth came out, and Anaelí’s mother did exactly what you would have done: She went straight to the authorities.
Once, a girl like Anaelí could not have hoped for justice in Guatemala. But support from caring people like you is changing that.
Thanks to compassionate IJM supporters like you, our Guatemala Field Office continues to be on the front lines of combatting violence against women and children. Guatemala City officials immediately put Anaelí’s family in touch with IJM for advocacy and social support.
Anaelí’s caseworker will never forget their first meeting. “Seeing such a young girl showing signs of pregnancy was such a heavy thing. She was so small and had a big belly, but even then she was smiling, the way she does to this day.”
The Guatemalan government has worked closely with IJM to strengthen their justice system in cases of sexual abuse, especially of children. The men who raped Anaelí were arrested and prosecuted with the help of IJM lawyers. Supported by her IJM lawyer and caseworker, Anaelí bravely testified to her ordeal, becoming her own advocate in her fight for justice.
A few months after we met Anaelí, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She loves to take care of him, and the whole family is working together to build a safe future. IJM’s donors enabled us to give Anaelí a multi-year scholarship that covered her school uniforms and supplies to ensure that she could keep pursuing her goals. When she was 13, Anaelí wrote a letter we want to share with you because you’re a big part of the safety and care she felt. She wrote:
“Thank you Father for giving me strength and support. With all my heart I ask You
to bless … everyone from International Justice Mission for helping me understand
that what happened to me was not my fault. God, I ask you to bless IJM
for all that they have done for me and my family and my baby.”
When IJM began exploring opening a Guatemala office in 2005, human rights experts warned that our mission could be impossible—the job was too big, and the system too broken. Today, there are stronger laws and a Sex Crimes Unit in Guatemala, evidence of a country making a serious effort to protect women and children from sexual violence.
As an IJM supporter, you can make this possible by advocating for individual survivors like Anaelí while creating a larger movement for change. Thank you!
Wickham paedo who caused 'unspeakable trauma' to his victim is jailed
A paedophile who caused ‘unspeakable trauma’ to a child after molesting them
is today starting his new life – behind bars.
By Tom Cotterill
Friday, 21st January 2022, 3:09 pm
Predator Mark Anderton, of The Circle, Wickham, has been jailed for a string of historic sex offences against a boy, who was 12 when the attacks began.
In December, the perverted 28-year-old admitted to two counts of sexual activity with a child and one charge of sexual assault of a child. The attacks took place between 2012 and 2014.
Appearing today at Southampton Crown Court he was jailed for three years and two months.
He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Detective Constable Mark Harris, from Operation Amberstone, led the investigation. He said: ‘Anderton’s actions have caused unspeakable trauma to the victim, and I hope today’s sentencing gives them some small measure of closure so they are able to start a new chapter in their life, knowing justice has been served.
Three years and 2 months for 'unspeakable trauma'? How pathetic!
‘I would also like to commend them for the incredible bravery they have shown throughout the case, from reporting, to investigation, to court hearings.
The pronoun 'them' may indicate the child is struggling with a sexual identity problem. This would not be unusual at all for a sexually abused child.
‘The victim, in this case, is a survivor, showing courage to stand up the man who hurt them and manipulated them repetitively for a number of years.
Good grief! 3 years and 2 months for unspeakable trauma that went on for a number of years. Someone appeal this sentence please, it is really pathetic.
‘Sexual abuse destroys people’s lives, so we take every report incredibly seriously, and we know it takes great strength to report this kind of crime.
‘If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know someone who has, please contact us.
‘You can speak with one of our specialist officers in complete confidence, and we will support you throughout the process.”
Survivors of sexual abuse are entitled to support whether they report the crime or not.
To access different types of support, see hampshire.police.uk/
Northern Ireland child sexual abuse: ‘The utter depravity
of some people out there amazes me’
The PSNI’s Det Supt Gary Reid is part of a team investigating a wave of
recently emerged reports of historic child sex abuse
Rodney Edwards Belfast Telegraph
January 23 2022 09:28 AM
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has so far passed 18 files relating to allegations of historical child sexual abuse in Co Fermanagh to the Public Protection Service (PPS), The Sunday Independent can reveal.
Detectives say they are investigating 58 separate cases of alleged sexual abuse against 49 victims over many decades after the mostly unrelated claims emerged three years ago.
Scots cop vows to target predators in major crackdown
on child abuse as crimes rise
Figures for 2021 show total of 1966 child sex crimes recorded during year, an increase of 5.9 per cent compared with previous 12 months
Daily Record
A major child sexual abuse crackdown is to be launched to target perpetrators, it can be revealed.
Police figures for 2021 showed there were a total of 1966 child sexual abuse crimes recorded during the year, an increase of 5.9 per cent compared with the previous 12 months.
About 430 children were identified and safeguarded by officers hunting online child abusers during the period between September and March last year, with 277 people arrested.
But these figures are believed to the tip of the iceberg, with Police Scotland confirming child sex abuse cases in Scotland are “underreported”.
Now, the force is finalising a new child sex abuse campaign to be launched later this year and said the pandemic had increased the problem, especially the online grooming of youngsters.
Detective Superintendent Martin MacLean said: “The pandemic has pushed more people online and has exacerbated risks associated with the use of the internet, including people sharing intimate images of themselves online.
“We are proactive in tackling online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
“As well as tackling predators directly, our preventative campaigns such as #GetHelpOrGetCaught are leading to more crime reports.
“We also continue to work with key partners to raise awareness, prevent online abuse and reduce the opportunities for predators to cause harm.”
The force’s annual performance report says sexual exploitation of children is “complex and policing on its own is not the solution”.
It stresses that “working in partnership, taking a multi-agency approach, increasing public awareness, we are better placed to identify threat, manage risk and prevent harm”.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said previously: “Online child sexual abuse is a national threat and tackling it is a priority for Police Scotland.”
Police Scotland’s Get Help or Get Caught campaign targets sexual predators who groom and abuse children online in partnership with Stop It Now, a charity offering confidential advice to anyone worried about their own behaviour or that of someone else.
‘Prosecute Facebook’ call over online child grooming
as cases surge almost 60%
Chris Taylor, The Scottish Sun
1:01, 23 Jan 2022
FACEBOOK bosses should be prosecuted for failing to protect youngsters from online grooming after cases surged almost 60 per cent, experts say.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has demanded social media chiefs are held criminally responsible if they fail in their duty of care to underage users.
Internet sex abuse reports rocketed to 3,111 in Scotland in last year.
Andy Burrows, head of online child safety head at the NSPCC, says it is “crucial” rules are strengthened to tackle “entirely avoidable harm”.
He said: “Offenders, seeking to groom and coerce children, have taken advantage of young people spending more time alone and online during the pandemic, resulting in record numbers of child sexual abuse reports to Police Scotland.
“But even before the pandemic began we were seeing a worrying rise in such offences. This is because at the heart of the problem lies the refusal of tech firms to make children’s safety a priority.”
Campaigners say sanctions should be available in instances of clear and repeated systemic failings in duty of care which lead to significant risk of harm.
Reports to Police Scotland about online child sex abuse have soared from 1,961 between 2018-19 and 2020-21. Officers received 7,500 referrals during the three-year period.
The force recorded 7,519 sex crimes between April and September last year alone, up nearly 900 on the 12 months before — with rapes spiking from 1,097 to 1,229.
Law chief Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain has launched a review into how sex crimes are handled with offences making up 70 per cent of High Court case loads.
Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham says efforts are being made to increase detection rates and secure convictions.
He said: “We have made significant progress in tackling violence against women and girls, we recognise there is much more that can be achieved.”
Cops across the UK linked 24 online child-grooming crimes every week to apps owned by Meta — the company behind Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp — between April 2017 and March last year
The firm says it uses technology to “detect possible inappropriate interactions with children or child grooming” and is working to expand efforts to “remove networks that violate our child exploitation policies”.
And yet, it continues to increase! Obviously, their efforts are nowhere near sufficient. It's just not a priority for them.
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