Historic Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking Launched in the Philippines

From International Justice Ministries (IJM), an NGO leading the fight against child sexual abuse. http://www.ijm.ca/news/news/645

Some very encouraging news:

MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES – For the first time in the Philippines' history, the three largest church councils have crossed denominational boundaries to unite around a single issue: combating human trafficking. On September 5 2013, IJM helped co-host the "Freedom Forum," a kick-off event to commemorate the historic, ecumenical partnership and launch the working group of these Christian leaders dedicated to ending human trafficking in their country.

The three largest church councils in the Philippines sponsored the Freedom Forum—the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).

More than 600 people attended the event held at a large church in Manila. Leaders from each of the church councils were present, along with dozens of notable Christian leaders and human rights advocates from the government and NGO community.

More than 600 people attended the Freedom Forum, 

an interfaith gathering hosted by IJM and 

the three largest church councils in the Philippines.

 The speakers and experts who led various workshops throughout the day underscored the need to work together to raise awareness and take real action against human trafficking. Speakers included Prosecutor Jedrek Ng of the government's Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT); the Chairman of CBCP's Episcopal Commission on Justice and Peace, Most Reverend Broderick S. Pabillo; IJM National Director and Cebu Field Office Director, Andrey Sawchenko, and IJM National Church Mobilization Consultant Joey Umali. Representatives from the Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT) also helped lead panel discussions.

There was a sense of urgency and unity. Father Emmy Maningo, CssR, a missionary priest from the Archdiocese of Cebu explained why he was eager to take part: "I am passionate [about stopping human trafficking] because these are our brothers and sisters. If my own blood brother or sister is sold because someone is making money off of them, that person is not just violated physically, but emotionally." He ended his short speech with a charge to everyone: "Brothers and sisters must protect each other and take care of each other. Because if we don't, then who will?"

Leaders from the Catholic and Protestant councils offer a blessing over the gathering.
From L-R: CBCP's Chairman Broderick S. Pabillo,
National Director of PCEC Bishop Efraim M. Tendero and
General Secretary of NCCP Reverend Rex RB Reyes, Jr.

The momentum will continue, as the Freedom Forum launched a long-term movement, the Philippines Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking. Leaders from both the Catholic and Protestant church councils stood on stage and invited everyone to sign a "Declaration of Solidarity Against Human Trafficking." Many people signed on behalf of their churches and organizations, eager for Christians of different creeds to speak out with one voice against trafficking.

The movement's mission is ambitious yet clear: to promote "communities of faith championing eradication of human trafficking in the Philippines to realize the fullness of life." As one executive committee member, the Reverenced Rex RB Reyes, Jr., acknowledged: "We cannot do it by ourselves, we have to be together in this fight."

IJM advised leaders from all three church councils over the past several months while the movement was formalizing, and it will continue to participate in the interfaith movement's meetings. Abraham George oversees IJM's partnerships with churches in all of the countries where we work as Director of Field Office Church Mobilization, and he exclaimed that the Freedom Forum was "a truly history-making event."

Abraham added, "What we witnessed at the Freedom Forum was nothing short of miraculous. One does not often see the Church come together, shunning their countless theological differences to achieve a unified purpose. This union was made only more sweeter by the fact that the reason they came together was to speak against human trafficking in the Philippines."

The day after the Freedom Forum, the lead bishops and a few other leaders from within the three church councils reconvened to put their vision for a trafficking-free Philippines down on paper as action-oriented goals. IJM staff were also present and will continue to support the growing movement. The interfaith movement plans to mobilize prayer support and generate more awareness by working with the Philippines's government Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. 

"Mobilize prayer support and generate more awareness"- the very reason this blog exists. Please consider being part of that prayer support and also consider what you can do to generate more awareness and support within your church, circle of acquaintances, and community. You can make a difference!

Class Action Suit Against City of Saint John, NB, for Enabling Prolific Pedophile

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the City of Saint John by alleged sexual abuse victims of former city police officer Kenneth Estabrooks.

See: http://northwoodssaveachild.blogspot.com/2013/09/policeman-sexually-abused-hundreds-of.html for original post on Estabrooks.

This is good news. Institutions must be held accountable for covering up and/or enabling pedophiles to continue molesting children. It's the very least we should be doing.

Robert (Bobby) Hayes filed the notice of action and statement of claim with the Court of Queen's Bench on Wednesday on behalf of himself and other class members.

The Saint John Police Commission and the Saint John Police Department are also listed as defendants.

"Estabrooks' power, authority, and fiduciary duty over the plaintiff and the class members were created and encouraged by the City, the Commission and the SJPD," the nine-page document states.

The defendants kept complaints about Estabrooks secret and failed to warn and protect children, the lawsuit alleges.

Their conduct was "disgraceful, repugnant and reprehensible," the court document states. They have "behaved with arrogance and high-handedness and have shown callous disregard and complete lack of care for the plaintiff and the class members."

The class action is seeking general damages, special damages, aggravated and punitive damages, as well as costs and pre-judgment interest, although no dollar amount is stated.

It is also seeking an apology and declaration of legal responsibility by all three defendants for the actions of Estabrooks and the injuries suffered by the plaintiff and class members, a validation and compensation program to assist the victims.

As many as 263 youths may have been sexually abused by the late Estabrooks during a three-decade period dating back to the 1950s, a private investigator hired by the city to look into allegations announced in September.

It could be one of the worst cases of sexual abuse in Canadian history, according to Halifax lawyer John McKiggan, who is representing the alleged victims.

"For more than 30 years, Kenneth Estabrooks preyed on children and youth in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Persons in authority turned a blind eye, or worse, covered up his sexual activities," McKiggan said in a statement issued Wednesday.

"Estabrooks can no longer be held accountable for his actions. But today the Estabrooks survivors are taking control of their lives. They are demanding answers and accountability from the institutions and employers that allowed Estabrooks to destroy so many young lives."

Estabrooks, a former sergeant, was found guilty in September 1999 of indecent assault against four children, in cases dating back to the 1950s. The abuse included fondling and oral sex.

He was sentenced to six years in prison.

Estabrooks

Estabrooks had admitted in 1975 to sexually abusing children, but he wasn't charged or fired. Instead, he was transferred out of the police department into the city works department, where he was in charge of tire maintenance for city vehicles until he retired.

It was only in 1997, after new complainants came forward, that another investigation began, resulting in his conviction.

In 1999, the New Brunswick Police Commission found the original investigation was substandard and that the police force acted unprofessionally in "allowing a serious sex offence to go unpunished" so that "he continued to sexually assault children."

Estabrooks died in 2005.

The lawsuit covers the period between 1953 and 1998.

Hayes says he was sexually assaulted by Estabrooks, starting when he was a minor. The abuse continued for five years, according to the statement of claim.

Hayes says the abuse caused him and the other alleged victims to suffer:

Nervous shock
Anxiety
Sexual dysfunction
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Depression
Emotional trauma
Decreased social ability
Decreased income earning ability
Insomnia
Low self-esteem
Impaired interpersonal relationships
Psychological injuries

They continue to endure pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of amenities, the court documents claim. From my own experience, I have no doubt that this is true. Please pray for these victims.

Colorado school board member wants some transgender students castrated

And now for something completely different...

A Delta County School Board member in Colorado stands by her comments that transgender students should be castrated before they're allowed to use bathrooms that fit their gender identity.

Katherine Svenson was reacting to recently adapted policies in Massachusetts and California that protect the rights of students who identify as a gender that differs from their biological one.

Delta School Board member Katherine Svenson in Colorado told a CBS affiliate that transgender students shouldn’t be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity unless they are castrated. (YouTube)

“I just want to emphasize, not in this district. Not until the plumbing’s changed," she told a public meeting of the school board last month. "There would have to be castration in order to pass something like that around here.”

She defended her comments as she spoke to local CBS television affiliate KREX last week.

“I don’t have a problem if some boys think they are girls,” she said. “I’m just saying as long as they can impregnate a woman, they’re not going to go in the girls’ locker-room.”

Although Colorado has no laws to protect the rights of transgender students, the state's Civil Rights Division recently ruled an elementary school discriminated against a transgender 6-year-old child by barring her from using the girls' bathroom.

Is it sexual abuse to discriminate against such children? Is it sexual abuse to allow such children to act like they are of the opposite sex? Should they, as Ms Svenson suggests, have to make a real commitment that will cost them? How do you feel about transgender kids using the same washrooms as those of the opposite sex?

This subject needs a lot of prayer, and I'm not even sure where to start. Any suggestions?

See also: http://northwoodsministries.blogspot.ca/2013/09/six-year-old-can-change-sex-for-real.html

Canada Withholding Documents Proving Sex Abuse at a Residential School

The Canadian Government is being accused of withholding documents that would prove sexual abuse in the St. Anne's Indian Residential School. The victims need the documents in order to be properly compensated. Sexual abuse is compensated at a much higher rate than other forms of abuse and it would appear that the government would prefer to pay less than the victims deserve, effectively abusing them again.

Boys in a classroom c. 1945 at St. Anne's Indian Residential School in Fort Albany, Ont.

 NDP MP Charlie Angus sent a letter Monday to Justice Minister Peter MacKay, charging the government with breaching its legal obligations to residential school survivors and calling for extreme steps to repair the damage done to the rights of survivors.

"I imagine anyone looking at this would be appalled by the actions of the federal government," Angus said in an interview with CBC News.

Angus's letter to MacKay is the latest step in a dispute between the federal government and former students of St. Anne's Residential School in Fort Albany, Ont. The former students accuse the federal government of withholding documents that would help them prove their claims of abuse. Angus has been pressing the government for months on the issue, with little success.

Children at St. Anne's endured horrific abuse, including sexual abuse, torture in an electric chair and being made to eat their own vomit.

Hundreds of those students have sought compensation under the Independent Assessment Process (IAP), which is part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Terms of the agreement spell out the government's obligations to hand over documents to adjudicators with the IAP, including those mentioning abuse at the schools in question.

A five-year OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) investigation resulted in the conviction of several former employees of the school. Court documents show that in 2003, the federal government applied for and obtained copies of the court transcripts when it faced lawsuits by former students.

However, documents show that federal officials said, for the purposes of the IAP, that there were "no known incidents found in documents regarding sexual abuse at Fort Albany IRS." It turns out the government not only knew about the OPP documents that detailed the abuse, but it had them in its possession.

Please pray that the government would come clean with these documents and that the victims would be properly compensated. Also pray that the victims would completely recover from any abuse they have suffered, and that any children or grandchildren would not suffer abuse as a result the original evil done.

For more on horror that was the Indian Residential School system, please see: http://northwoodssaveachild.blogspot.ca/2013/05/unreal.html

One of the Worst Child Sex Abuse Cases in the History of Denmark

While this article is a little dated, I think it's important to show the level of degradation of men even in modern societies. The children, some of whom are now adults, almost certainly all need prayer to recover from their horrific childhoods.

A 55-year-old man has been charged with the sexual abuse of nine children, seven of which are his own, over a period of 16 years in eastern and northern Jutland.

Prosecutors have released a long list of allegations against the man including forced incest, sadism and the rape of the children stemming from his arrest in 2010.

The first allegation concerns his 22-year-old son, whom the father is accussed of abusing since 1994, when the child was four. The boy suffered attacks for the following decade, often having his hands bounds and mouth sealed with tape.

Another son, currently 17, was allegedly abused between the ages of six and eleven. He and three of his brothers, now aged 24, 19 and 16, were also allegedly forced to rape their now 15-year-old sister.

The prosecution claims she was abused from the age of five and was subjected to periods of daily abuse, threats, rape and sexual assault over the course of the subsequent decade.

In one instance, her father is accused of having bound her legs and suspending her on hooks before sexually abusing her.

Her younger sister, now eleven, was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse between the years 2003 to 2008, beginning when she was three years old.

Two other girls not related to the man, both now aged 15, are also thought to have been abused by him.

Verdict handed down in one of the worst child sex abuse cases in Danish history

Aalborg Courthouse, Rebild, Denmark

The father was sentenced by an Aalborg court to indefinite detention - the punishment sought by Anette Abildgaard, the prosecutor in the case. The man must also pay his victims a total of 915,000 kroner in compensation.

With the judgement, one of the largest child sex abuse cases in Danish history comes to a close. Over a 16-year period, the convicted man carried out the abuse on seven of his ten children. The family moved repeatedly, primarily in northern Jutland, before settling down in recent years in Rebild. Rebild Council has been heavily criticised for its handling of the case.

Despite repeated alarm bells from concerned teachers and daycare providers, the council failed to forcibly remove the children from the home.

A Maddening Story of Hypocrisy in the Catholic Church

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Saudi Preacher Tortures and Beats Daughter to Death

A Saudi preacher accused of torturing his five-year-old daughter and beating her to death has been sentenced to eight years in prison and 600 lashes.

The case of Fayhan al-Ghamdi made headlines around the world earlier this year when it was suggested that a Saudi court might let him walk free.

Activists began a campaign named after his daughter, "I am Lama", to press the authorities to prevent that happening.

Al-Ghamdi is not recognized as a cleric by the Saudi religious establishment.

Child abuse helpline
The horrific details of the abuse that Lama al-Ghamdi suffered were revealed in medical records from the hospital where she was treated for 10 months before she died.

Her ribs were broken, a fingernail was torn off and her skull crushed. She had been beaten with a cane and electric cables. She had also suffered burns.

The abuse had happened while she was with her father, who was separated from her mother.

Lama's death triggered a Saudi Twitter campaign to criminalize violence against women and children.

It was reported that al-Ghamdi had suspected his daughter of losing her virginity and had beaten her and molested her in response.

It was even suggested that he had raped her himself, although this was denied by Lama's mother.

It's a crazy world when a 5-year old loses her virginity and then is punished by her father for it. Did she actively seek to lose her virginity? Of course not! But in Islam, it doesn't matter, the girl is always to blame.

The outrage over the case intensified earlier this year when activists suggested that he might walk free, despite having confessed to having beaten Lama.

The judge in the case suggested that one reading of Islamic law meant a father could not be held fully accountable for the death of his children.

Activists warned that it looked like he might be released if the mother accepted blood money.

The story grabbed headlines across the world.

It shone a light on child abuse in Saudi Arabia where rights activists say strict codes of family privacy and a patriarchal tradition make it a serious problem.

The Saudi authorities set up a child abuse helpline in response.

Now, a verdict has been reached in the same court and with the same judge.

One of the activists involved in the campaign, Aziz al-Yousef, told the BBC that she was disappointed that Fayhan al-Ghamdi did not receive a life sentence.

But Lama's mother had in the end accepted the offer of blood money, despite having once said she would never take it.

She said she needed it to help support her surviving children. That ruled out a life sentence.

Blood money - what a dreadful concept! Perhaps blood money should be paid and full sentences applied.

Another campaigner who fought for a longer sentence, Manal al-Sharif, told the BBC that she did not believe the penalty was enough.

But she does feel that the I am Lama campaign - with the international pressure it brought to bear on the authorities - was instrumental in leading to the recent introduction of an unprecedented new Saudi law against domestic violence.

It's progress, at least. A new law and a help line is a good start. Let's pray for the lobby group in Saudi Arabia to continue to be effective in changing laws and customs that hurt children.
However, she added that she still has deep reservations over how effectively this will be enforced in practice.

Two of Telford Seven Appealing Convictions of Rape, and Trafficking Children

Last year, seven men, all of whom happened to be Islamic, were convicted and jailed as a result of police Operation Chalice. The group had groomed young teens in the Telford, UK, area for prostitution. The worst sentences were handed to the two lovely looking brothers in the picture. Today, they announced that they are appealing their convictions. Please pray the 3:15 PM prayer and pray that God keeps creeps like these off the streets for as long as possible.

From BBC:
Two brothers from Telford who were jailed for a string of sexual offences against children have lodged appeals.

Ahdel Ali, 26, was sentenced to 18 years in October on charges including rape, sexual activity with a child and controlling child prostitution.

His brother Mubarek Ali, 30, was jailed for 14 years for controlling child prostitution and trafficking.

The Court of Appeal confirmed lawyers representing the men had appealed against the convictions and sentences.

The brothers, formerly both of Regent Street, Wellington, were convicted in August 2012.

A jury at Stafford Crown Court heard the brothers had sexually abused, trafficked, prostituted or tried to prostitute four Telford teenagers between March 2008 and December 2009.

During sentencing, at Worcester Crown Court in October, judge Patrick Thomas QC said their motives were "squalid, demeaning and selfish".

They were among seven men jailed as part of West Mercia Police's Operation Chalice.

The brothers had denied all charges. A date has yet to be set for the appeal hearing.

Ahdel Ali was found guilty of one charge of rape, 11 charges of sexual activity with a child, three charges of controlling child prostitution, one of inciting child prostitution, an allegation of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and meeting a child after grooming.

Mubarek Ali was convicted of four charges of controlling child prostitution, two of trafficking in the UK for sexual exploitation and a charge of causing child prostitution.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-19850954

Sexual Predator Planned to Rape and Eat Children

In the "How Long, Oh Lord, how Long?" category comes this hardly believable story of a very sick man, who, apparently, has friends. Thank You Lord for not allowing this guys fantasies to be realized. Keep praying and Save a Child by 3:15 PM. ====>>

September 18, 2013 In the News
The Mirror, UK

Before he was caught, Geoffrey Portway planned to rape and eat innocent children. This might sound like a Grimm’s fairy tale gone horribly wrong, but he was committed to this terrifying fantasy.

In his house, he had a dungeon, a homemade coffin and butchering tools. He even bragged online about his desire to sexually assault and consume children.

British would-be cannibal Geoffrey Portway who plotted to kidnap, kill and eat a child has been jailed for 26 years.

Police who raided the Massachusetts home of Portway, 40, found a dungeon with a child-sized coffin, scalpels and butchering kits.

Portway pleaded guilty in May to the sick plot to kidnap, rape, kill and eat a child in his US home.

Today he was sentenced to 320 months as the prosecutor said it was the State's wish that someone like Portway doesn't exist.

Incredibly, Portway's defence team said in court that while he needs punishing for child pornography, his plot to murder, kill and keep the child in a dungeon was just fantasy.

Portway is said to have had numerous online chats with other paedophiles - using the alias Longpig - about a mutual interest in abducting, raping, murdering and eating children.

Many of these conversations were accompanied by the trading of child pornography. These chats also included images of children known to them, accompanied by discussions of the desire to sexually abuse, murder and cannibalise them.

In conversations with one of his contacts - Michael Arnett - Portway used Skype and other methods to trade child pornography including images of injured, mutilated and dead children, while chatting about the sexual abuse, rape, abduction, murder and cannibalism of children.

Over months, he repeatedly asked Arnett to kidnap a child for him, with the intent that Portway would ultimately rape, kill and eat the child.

They also discussed real children, by name and photo, whom Arnett claimed to know and have access to.

Portway and Arnett discussed different ways to kidnap children and the age range that Portway preferred. Portway was told that Arnett had experience with the abduction and sexual abuse of children.

On July 27 last year, federal agents along with state and local police executed a search warrant at Portway's home. Computers and digital devices containing his child pornography collection were seized, as well as the computer he used to trade child photography and attempts to plan the abduction of a child.

Agents also discovered a locked door in the basement, and inside a second door was a dungeon lined with sound-deadening material and containing a chair, television and what appeared to be cable access to the internet.

The room also contained a child-sized homemade coffin with exterior locking devices, a steel cage approximately three feet wide, two feet high and four feet long, with multiple locking devices, and a steel table top with steel rings at six points, presumably for restraints.

Outside these rooms were a cabinet freezer, an upright freezer, disposable scalpels, butchering kits and castration tools.

The dungeon was described in detail by Portway in recovered chats as a place he intended to use to keep kidnapped children while he sexually abused them and as a place to eventually murder and cannibalise them.

Center in Germany to Treat Victims of Female Genital Mutilation

Report from Der Spiegel:

The Desert Flower Center, opening in Berlin this week, is the first facility in Europe to offer a comprehensive treatment package to victims of female genital mutilation. While they welcome the project, some activists believe the problem is more effectively addressed at its roots.

The leafy suburb of Zehlendorf in southwest Berlin is a far cry from the dusty villages of Somalia. But the opening this week of the Desert Flower Center marks an invisible bridge between Germany and the dozens of African countries that practice female genital mutilation (FGM). Housed in the Waldfriede Hospital, it is the first medical facility in Europe to offer victims an integral treatment package, ranging from surgery to psychological support.

The patron of the project is Waris Dirie, the Somalia-born former supermodel and one-time Bond girl who has become one of the world's most prominent campaigners against FGM.

At the age of 13, after being forced to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, Waris fled her homeland and moved to London. She was discovered by a fashion photographer and went on to become an international celebrity. In 1996, Kofi Annan, then secretary general of the United Nations, appointed Dirie a UN special ambassador for the elimination of female genital mutilation.

"The plan is to open Desert Flower Centers all over Africa and worldwide," she told SPIEGEL ONLINE. 

"All victims of FGM who wish to receive psychological and physical treatment deserve free access to surgery and psychological counseling. (This) is an important step toward a self-determined and free life."

According to managing director Bernd Quoss, the first two patients will be admitted this week. He is confident that demand exists. "Around 50,000 women in Germany are affected by FGM and some 20,000 of them are in Berlin," he estimates, stressing that the costs of treatment will be covered for women with health insurance.

Awareness of a practice described by Dirie as "a brutal crime" appears to be growing in Germany. In late June, the German parliament redefined FGM as a criminal offence in its own right, punishable with a jail term of up to 15 years. Previously, it fell under the grievous bodily harm category, with sentencing restricted to a maximum of ten years.

The Role of Education

Defined by the World Health Organization as "partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons," FGM's immediate complications include severe pain, hemorrhage, bacterial infection and injury to surrounding genital tissue. With long-term consequences including recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility and an increased risk of childbirth complications and newborn deaths, the Waldfriede hospital's expertise in intestinal and pelvic floor surgery lends itself well to treating victims of FGM, as Quoss points out.

Despite the risks, it remains commonplace in nearly 30 countries in western, eastern, and northeastern Africa, even though many of them have either signed or ratified the 2003 Maputo Protocol, which calls for an end to FGM. For the time being, it remains a deeply rooted social and cultural requirement for girls before marriage, a supposed guarantee of sexual chastity and fidelity.

                                          4 year old girl undergoing female genital circumcision
If it takes 10 minutes to complete the average mutilation, 54 children are undergoing FGM right now.

Against this backdrop, the Desert Flower Center is also focusing on education. "One of the main goals is to train medical staff from Africa," explains Dirie.

Hadja Kitagbe Kaba, founder of Mama Afrika, a Berlin-based organization that campaigns against FGM, sees this is as the most effective of the center's strategies.

She comes from Guinea, where 98 percent of women have suffered FGM, and, although she welcomes the opening of the Desert Flower Center, she believes that female circumcision reversals are not a priority. She would like to see more funds put to use in the field, with projects geared to raising awareness among public health workers, community elders and, of course, the women who still insist on subjecting their daughters to the procedure.

"Doctors in Germany will be repairing damage done in Africa," she says. "It should never have to come to that. Any program that addresses the issue is helpful. But above all, the problem needs to be tackled at its source."

In Guinea, she points out, the practice is upheld as much for economic as for socio-cultural reasons. "The women who perform female circumcision have no other way to earn a living," she says.

Cultural Sensitivity

Not only does challenging a tradition dating back thousands of years take time -- "I'm not sure I will see an end to the practice in my lifetime," says Hadja Kitagbe Kaba -- there is also a fear in the Western world that denouncing and combatting a cultural practice will bring with it charges of racism.

It's an attitude that enrages Waris Dirie. "People in the West would never accept the mutilation of a white girl. Do black girls not have the same rights? FGM is torture. These uneducated people should read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and be quiet!" she says.

But she is well aware that cultural sensitivity must be of paramount importance at the new Desert Flower Center, and that staff need to grasp the extent to which seeking treatment for FGM could potentially alienate many women from their communities.

"Waris Dirie was adamant that the patients shouldn't be accommodated in a separate ward," says Bernd Quoss. "We want to avoid the women feeling 'different' in any way. Hence the participation in the program of counselors and social workers, many of whom have special training in cultural diversity. We also intend to cooperate closely with local African associations."

But it's not only the women themselves who need convincing. "I spoke to a woman recently who said she'd like to undergo reconstructive surgery at the new center," says Hadja Kitagbe Kaba. "But she didn't think she would do it. 'How could I ever explain it to my husband?,' she asked me."

Commenters on the report say that there are two French doctors who have been doing reconstructive surgery on FGM women in Africa and France for 30 years. But with 50,000 victims in Germany alone, this is a problem that's not going to be solved by surgery. 

It needs the great Physician, the only One with the power and resources to bring about such a dramatic cultural shift. Please join my 3:15 PM prayer group. 

23% of Men Admit Committing Rape

While I have presented many statistics about sexually abused children, I have found little information about the number of men, since it is mainly men, involved in child sex abuse. However, a UN report just released and reported on BBC gives us a little more information.

The study involved 10,000 men from six different countries, all of them in Asia. The study did not appear to focus on child sex abuse but on rape in general. But it helps us to understand the rapist’s mind a little.

Almost a quarter of all men admitted committing at least one rape. The most common form of rape occurred within intimate relationships where the man felt he had some entitlement regardless of the woman’s refusal. 

While this is admittedly rape, and a problem, it is of little concern to my blog theme of child sex abuse.

About one in ten men, however, admitted to raping a woman who was not their partner. Nearly half of whom admitted to raping more than one woman.

Entitlement was the main excuse for committing rape, again, those are mostly, but not all, within an intimate relationship. The second most common motivation reported was to rape as a form of entertainment, so for fun or because they were bored.

That was followed by using rape as a form of punishment or because the man was angry.

"Perhaps surprisingly, the least common motivation was alcohol." said Dr Emma Fulu, author of the report.

Men who had themselves suffered violence as children, especially childhood sexual abuse were more likely to have committed rape. This was confirmed to me by several people who work or minister within the prison system in Canada.

More than half of non-partner rape perpetrators first did so as adolescents, which affirms that young people are a crucial target population for prevention of rape. And since adolescents generally rape other adolescents, underage girls are the obvious target, but boys are also targeted.

"The challenge now is to turn evidence into action, to create a safer future for the next generation of women and girls."

Amen to that. However, this study did not address many of the issues that involve child sex abuse. The pedophile is different from the average rapist, the penchant for child brides in many cultures, the lack of value men place on girls or women in many cultures, etc. etc.

To my mind, this study will address only a very small portion of the problem of child sex abuse, but it’s better than nothing.

Please join my 3:15 PM prayer group and save our children from sexual abuse.

After a Decade of Abduction and Rape - 3 Cleveland Girls Speak Out

One has to be pretty impressed with these girls after what they have been through. Three girls kidnapped off the streets of Cleveland, held captive for about a decade, and raped repeatedly by their captor.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight (pictured above) each make short statements, detailing how they have been coping since they were freed from Ariel Castro's home in May.

Castro has since committed suicide. Whether he had any help in that endeavor is open to speculation.

While there is still much difficulty ahead for them, it would appear that they are getting the help they need to get past the horror that they suffered. It is important that we pray for God to lead such chronically abused girls/women to the emotional, psychological, and spiritual help that they need to recover.

Amanda Berry

Hear their full statements at "Cleveland Update" 

India's Amazing Anouncement

India announced today that it will begin a very ambitious project to provide basic staples at greatly subsidized prices for people who can't otherwise afford proper nutrition. Some call this a vote-grabbing plan by the government ahead of next year's elections. I don't care! I pray that it will succeed and that the Indian government will have the ability to fund it, which seems to be in some doubt.

The fewer parents who are half-starved in India, the fewer little girls who will get sold into sexual slavery. Lord, please make this happen.

See: India's Cheap Food Program in Ripped from the Headlines

The Love of God

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 1 John 3:17

While this verse refers to materiel things, can it be any less true in reference to spiritual and emotional needs?

If we cannot find 3 minutes a day to pray for the 15 million children who will be sexually abused this year, most repeatedly, how can the love of God abide in us?

Please, for the love of God, pray for the children and do what you can to spread this message. See "The Next Step", Thanks.

The Next Step

OK Christian friends and intercessors, it's time to move the Save-A-Child prayer initiative to the next step. I'm asking each of you who have a home church to approach your Pastor about putting a link to the  Save-A-Child blog on their church web-site. If your church doesn't have a web-site, remind them that it is the 21st century. (Just kidding).

If you have friends in other churches, please be so bold as to ask them to approach their pastors about linking to the blog. Remember, this is all about the kids. I do not and will never make a cent off that blog. All I ever want is 3 minutes of your day to help reduce what is arguably the worst atrocity that mankind has ever inflicted upon itself.

The church has been too quiet for too long on this subject, and it is to our shame and the detriment of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Please share this link:

http://northwoodssaveachild.blogspot.ca/2013/05/save-achild-there-is-amost-horrific.html