Judge Blocks Protests of LGBT Lessons at School Gates in Britain

By Clyde Hughes

(UPI) -- A High Court judge Tuesday permanently banned protesters of LGBT equality lessons at the gates of a Birmingham, England school.

Protesters, mostly of Muslim faith, complained that Anderton Park Primary School's lessons on same-sex relationships countered their religious beliefs. Shakeel Afsar, his sister Rosina, and Amir Ahmed had organized persistent protests outside the school.

Rosina Afsar had two children at Anderton Park but has since removed one of them.

High Court Judge Mark Warby said the protesters misrepresented what was taught in the lessons and had negatively affected children, teachers and local residents with the constant demonstrations.

The protesters carried banners and placards with sayings like "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," along with using loudspeakers for anti-LGBT messages. Demonstrators have also exchanged angry words with school supporters.

Head Teacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson previously said the protests, which she described as "homophobic," forced some staff members into counseling.

Birmingham city council sided with the school, initiating court action in May after about 300 protesters came to the school.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the court ruling was clear that school gates were inappropriate places for such protests.

"These protests have been widely and rightly condemned and they should now be brought to an end with immediate effect," Whiteman said. "An end to the protests will help everyone involved restore peaceful and productive teaching and learning environment as swiftly as possible."

And it will enable teachers to get on with indoctrinating children in LGBTQ lifestyles and confusion as to their gender.

The protesters said they would continue their protests at the end of an exclusion zone set by the court and would appeal the ruling.

It's good to see some backlash to the LGBTQ program, but it's disappointing that in a supposedly Christian country, the backlash is being led by Muslims. Where are the Christians? Have they been brainwashed into #PCMadness?

UK Joins List of European Countries Where Police Warn Women Not to Walk Alone At Night

But politically correct women see nothing good in warning

UK police apologize after warning women not to walk alone at night… while netizens wonder whether advice was so bad

A woman walks along a high street near a bus stop in Dagenham, east London, Britain, March 18, 2019. Picture taken March 18, 2019. © REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Police in Germany and Sweden have issued similar warnings because of Muslim migrants raping and gang-raping women and girls.

Migrants Terrorizing Girls in Small Swedish City

Nottinghamshire’s police force has been accused of victim-blaming for urging women not to walk alone at night due to the risk of assault. The safety advisory was retracted after causing an uproar on social media.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Nottinghamshire police said that “taking a risk when it comes to walking alone at night is not one of those things we should be doing,” stressing that the danger is particularly prevalent for women. “Women who walk alone especially at night are at risk of harassment, or even physical assault,” the message noted. The force also asked women to be careful if they choose to make a “late-night store run.”

The advice didn’t sit well with many women, however, who accused the force of sexism and victim-blaming. Helen Voce, chief executive of Nottingham Women's Centre, described the post as an affront to women. “It felt like a 1980s thing; it is so condescending,” Voce told the BBC, adding that the line about late-night shopping was especially offensive. “I think it makes women feel like it’s their fault and that’s ridiculous.”

Another woman who responded to the Facebook post wrote that “it’s 2019 and we no longer blame women for whatever crime has been committed against them.”

On Twitter, one user argued that the police notice sounded like it was from Saudi Arabia – a country criticized for requiring women to be accompanied by men in many situations.

Responding to the criticisms, a police spokesman acknowledged the “clumsy” nature of the message, while insisting that their underlying intention was to help keep people safe. “The post was swiftly deleted as soon as it was brought to our attention. Feedback has been provided and we would apologize unreservedly for any offense caused,” the spokesman said.

Good grief! This is so absurd, it is tragic. As I have written before, girls in college should try to avoid getting blasted out of their mind on alcohol and/or drugs, because it makes them easily vulnerable to sexual attacks. Some would get upset at the suggestion as victim blaming. It's ridiculous! If they didn't drink themselves into oblivion, if they didn't walk alone at night, there would be no victim to blame. 

Why do these women want to put other women at risk? Is it just because they have a right to? They do have a right to and European governments are failing them in not ensuring those rights. But, it is still a colossally stupid thing to do to put yourself in an unnecessarily dangerous situation, just because you have a right to.

Not everyone asked for an apology, however. “Imagine being offended by well meaning, practical advice,” one netizen mused. Another unfazed Twitter user described the controversial police advisory as “common sense.”

Denying the risks of walking alone at night is tantamount to leaving your car unlocked – a reality “sadly lost amongst sjw liberals,” noted an equally unbothered netizen.

I don't know what sjw means either.

Gov. Pardons Pedo; 9 Arrested in Idaho; 30 Years for Incest Lead Today's USA Pervs and Pedos List

Kentucky governor pardons man in extraordinary

child sexual abuse case

By Associated Press |

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has pardoned a man serving life in prison for sexually abusing his 6-year-old stepdaughter.

I'm guessing it was the pedophile's step daughter, not Bevin's.

News outlets report Bevin issued the pardon Friday, saying that Paul Donel Hurt was wrongly convicted of first-degree sexual abuse and sodomy in Louisville in 2001. Hurt’s accuser recanted her testimony at a hearing in 2015, but the conviction stood.

Circuit Court Judge Audra Jean Eckerle ruled the recantation was inconsistent. She also expressed concern because the trial judge in the case had communicated with Hurt and the victim after retiring from the bench. Eckerle says the trial judge “altered” the victim’s memory and testimony “by using judicial coercion and intimidation.”

According to court documents, “Judge Mershon became convinced that Hurt was innocent in this matter” and, in “an effort to obtain Hurt’s release,” he “contacted the victim and assisted her in writing a letter to Governor Steven Beshear seeking a pardon or commutation for Hurt” in 2015. 

The victim steadfastly maintained her version of events for 15 years, before she was approached by Mershon. 

“It was only brought about by the highly unusual circumstance” of Mershon “confronting her directly and privately,” Eckerle said. “Even with his involvement, it took quite some time” to secure a full recantation, she wrote.

An appellate court later upheld that ruling.

Hurt was released from the Kentucky State Reformatory on Friday.

Mershon picked up Hurt from prison and delivered him to his mother’s house. - Huff Post

Former Lincoln Co., Ida., sheriff working on possible appeal of child sex abuse conviction

JULIE A. FERRARO jferraro@magicvalley.com 

HAILEY — A former Lincoln County sheriff is taking steps toward appealing his child sex abuse conviction, but has not decided yet if he will.

Blaine County Deputy Public Defender Cheri Hicks filed paperwork with the Fifth Judicial District Court on Monday requesting preparation of the transcript from Rene Rodriguez's jury trial. The "transcript is necessary for the appeal of the above named Defendant," the document reads, in part.

Rodriguez was convicted of six charges by a jury on Friday.

The legal team has not decided yet if they will appeal, but they will use the transcript to evaluate the case and decide with Rodriguez, Hicks told the Times-News. "We'll use it to analyze any appeal issues," Hicks said.

Rodriguez was convicted of one count of child sexual abuse of a minor under 16 years of age, four counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16, and one count of rape by a jury of seven men and six women after a four-day trial.

He faces up to life in prison.

The transcript will be prepared at taxpayer's expense, with Rodriguez listed in the document as indigent. He currently cannot afford to pay for the transcript," the request says.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20.

Lincoln Co., Ida

Man wanted on child sex abuse warrant is arrested entering Texas from Mexico

Traffic entering the U.S. from Reynosa, Mexico, backs up on the U.S. side at the Hidalgo Port of Entry on the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge in 2016. (File Photo/Nathan Lambrecht)

By Tom Steele

A White Settlement man who is accused of sexually abusing a child was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers who were working at the Hidalgo International Bridge discovered that the man entering Texas might be linked to an outstanding warrant, the agency said.

Fingerprints confirmed he was Patricio Luevano, 77, who is wanted on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to Customs and Border Protection. The agency said he is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.

Luevano was booked into the Hidalgo County jail and is awaiting transfer to Tarrant County.

“Apprehensions like these, when CBP officers identify and verify travelers with an outstanding felony warrant for sexual abuse of a child, reinforce the importance of our border security mission and help keep our community safe,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez said in a written statement.

White Settlement police have not released any information about the allegations against Luevano. He has no apparent previous criminal history.

Tulsa Mother Speaks Out After Good Friend Charged With Sexually Abusing Her Daughter

'Can you keep a secret'; 'No'; Idiot exposes himself to her anyway

By: Taylor Newcomb

TULSA, Oklahoma - A Tulsa man is charged with child sexual abuse, and the mother of one of his alleged victims spoke exclusively to News On 6.

The mother requested to remain anonymous to protect her 13-year-old daughter. She said she would've been heartbroken if anyone violated her daughter, but said she's known Lawrence Morey for more than 20 years. That's why she said she was so shocked when her daughter told her Morey had exposed himself to her.

"If something like this happened to my daughter, he's the one I would go to about it," the woman said.

She said her daughter was at Morey's house with a friend when he texted her and asked if she could keep a secret. Her daughter responded, "No."

Later that same evening, she said her daughter woke up to see Morey standing near her, exposing himself. The girl immediately told her mother, who reported it to police.

"My first initial reaction was like no, this can't be, this can't be true," the mom said. "I mean, I believed her, I knew she wasn't lying."

Morey is now in the Tulsa County Jail for child sexual abuse for a different case involving a different little girl the woman also knows.

"I wish bad things on him, but then I feel bad for feeling that way," the mom said. "Because I loved him for so long."

The mother said it was her daughter's experience that encouraged this girl and her family to come forward. "He's a predator, and he needs to be locked away where he can't hurt anyone ever again," she said.

The mom said Morey has denied all the allegations against him, and of course, he's innocent unless proven guilty. His next court date is in December.

Nine arrested in Idaho child sexual abuse investigation; Five face state charges

by Rachel Bjornestad

2 Idaho News

Mug shots for the five men facing state charges. The other four face federal charges - photos unavailable. (Photos Courtesy of the Ada County Jail)

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Nine people were booked into the Ada County Jail over the weekend after several agencies came together to investigate child sexual abuse crimes in the Treasure Valley.

Four of them have been referred for federal charges.

The operations took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Eden Roberts announced the results Monday morning.

They say the project was a cooperative effort between federal, state and local agencies. HSI organized and supervised the operation. The lead agencies were the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, Idaho State Police, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office and the Meridian Police Department.

The Ada County Sheriff’s Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, Rupert Police Department and Jerome County Sheriff’s Office also participated.

On Friday, three people were arrested. 23-year-old Jesse A. Kelley-Castillo and 23-year-old Maxwell G. Hennerley, both of Boise, are each facing a federal charge of coercion and enticement. 25-year-old Trevor M. Byram, also of Boise, is facing a state charge of enticing a child through use of the internet or other communication device.

Three more were arrested on Saturday. 33-year-old Joshua Schmitz, 27-year-old Shawn M. Reber, and 29-year-old Seth M. Holden are each facing a state charge of enticing a child through use of the internet or other communication device. Schmitz and Holden are from Garden City. Reber is from Fruitland.

On Sunday, three people were arrested. 55-year-old Vern L. Moore of Kuna, and 32-year-old Jordan M. Drake of Boise are each facing a federal charge of coercion and enticement. Patrick P. Telleria, 35, of Boise, faces a state charge of enticing a child through use of the internet or other communication device.

“It’s an honor for the ICAC Unit to participate in this type of operation,” said Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in a Monday press release. “To plan and coordinate such a project takes significant time and energy. But when you see the outcome and know Idaho children are now safer as a result, it’s very satisfying.”

“This operation took nine dangerous child predators off the streets,” said Eben Roberts, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle. “This operation’s success, and those like it, is a direct result of the strong partnership shared between HSI and local, state and federal law enforcement. HSI is committed to protecting children from those seeking to take advantage of their innocence.”

Anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children should contact local police. They can also contact the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

Pembroke, N.H., man charged with possessing

child sexual abuse images

WMUR By Duncan Shaw

PEMBROKE, N.H. —

The Pembroke Police Department arrested a man accused of possessing child sexual abuse images.

Erik Bjork, 37, was charged with five class-A felonies.

According to a press release, police along with members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant in Kimball Street.

Several computers and electronic equipment were seized, where child sexual abuse material was found.

Bjork was held without bail and has an arraignment scheduled for November 25 in Merrimack County Superior Court.

Anyone with information on this case or others should call the Pembroke Police Department at 603-485-9173, or the Concord Regional Crime Line at 603-226-3100.

Alabama man headed to jail for 30 years

in child sex abuse / incest case

Gadsden Times

By Donna Thornton / Times Staff Writer

A 52-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday in Etowah County Circuit Court to multiple sexual offenses against children.

Kenneth Scott Ingram’s plea agreement will send him to prison for 30 years, with no possibility of early release or parole, according to District Attorney Jody Willoughby.

Ingram entered the plea on three counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12, three counts of incest and one count of sodomy of a child under 12.

Under Alabama law, a person convicted of any sexual offense against a child less than 12 years of age is not eligible for probation, parole or incentive good time within the prison system. The terms of the plea agreement were agreed to and signed off on by both the district attorney’s Office and the victims in this case. The plea hearing was held in Judge William Ogletree’s courtroom.

Ingram’s arrest and guilty plea followed an investigation by the Southside Police Department into allegations arising from the sexual abuse of three children, Willoughby said in a press release.

Ingram was arrested in January on the charges.

Children just 4 years old

The abuse took place over a duration of years beginning when the children were as young as 4 years old. Willoughby commended the James M. Barrie Center for Children and Southside Police Department Investigators Jay Freeman and Phillip Roberson for their efforts in this case.

He also expressed appreciation for the victims who came forward with the allegations. Deputy District Attorney Brynn Crain, who prosecuted the case, also expressed his appreciation for the victims and everyone involved in the investigation.

“We want to thank the Southside Police Department, the James M. Barrie Center for Children and everyone else that assisted in the investigation of this case.” Crain said. “These young victims showed a tremendous amount of courage by coming forward with these allegations.

“It is because of their bravery that we were able to take a sexual predator off the streets, and this community owes them a debt of gratitude.” he said. “I hope these victims and their family will now be able to achieve a measure of peace and closure as they try to heal.”

I hope they get the counselling they need to heal. If they don't, their chances are greatly reduced.

Positive Stories in the War on Child Sexual Abuse Episode XX

Danish experts assist in Europol’s identification

of four child sexual abuse victims

Experts from 21 countries joined forces in Europol’s Victim Identification Taskforce from 14 to 25 October in The Hague, the Netherlands
to identify child abuse victims

 

Sometimes a chink of light can lead to a positive identification (photo: Pixabay)

by Thess Mostoles, CPH Post

Supported by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre specialists and intelligence analysts, 30 law enforcement experts recently went through millions of images and video files of victims – some as young as a few days old.

Apart from Denmark, specialists came from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, Europol and Interpol.

By analysing the digital, visual, and audio content of such images and videos, these victim-identification experts retrieved vital clues, tried to find any overlap in cases and combined their efforts to locate the victims.

Millions of images to work with

More than 48 million images and video files were available on Europol’s database for this operation. Taskforce participants had 1,000 series of related images to process. In just eleven days, the taskforce managed to analyse a total of 925 series.

For 173 of these series, Europol stated the country of production has likely been pinpointed. Those countries have been informed so that they can start their own investigation.

More importantly, the identities of four victims have been confirmed and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre is now providing support to the involved EU states to safeguard the children concerned.

Although the taskforce is over, the investigation is not. All the series have been uploaded to the Interpol International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database. This will allow investigators to continue working on the datasets, therefore increasing the chances of more victims being identified and safeguarded.

Identifying objects to save lives

In June 2017, Europol launched its crowdsourcing ‘Stop Child Abuse – Trace an Object‘ initiative. It asks citizens for collaboration in identifying small objects, places, or logos on victims’ images in the hope it can lead to the identification of victims down the line

Last Friday, Europol published a new set of images. In the past, this tool has provided Europol with 24,000 tip-offs, leading to the identification of nine children and to the prosecution of two offenders. 

Meager results, but it's a start. I'm glad to see there's so much interest and international involvement.

Push to Bar Puberty-Blocking Drugs, Gender-Transitioning of Children Widens to 3 States

By Brandon Showalter, CP Reporter| 

A man holds up a sign supporting North Carolina's anti-transgender bathroom law in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., August 18, 2016. | (Photo: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

It's a little unfortunate that there are only men in this photo.

Following the outcry over 7-year-old James Younger in Texas, whose mother is seeking to medically transition him into a girl named Luna, the push to ban medical gender-transitioning for minors is expanding to other states.

Republicans in three states have now either announced their intentions to or are already drafting bills that would restrict or assign criminal penalties to the practice of medically altering the biological sex of a child in pursuit of becoming the opposite sex, known as "transitioning."

In Georgia, state representative Ginny Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) is introducing legislation making it a felony act for medical professional to assist a minor child with a gender transition.

“We’re talking about children that can’t get a tattoo or smoke a cigar or a cigarette in the state of Georgia but can be castrated and get sterilized,” Ehrhart said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“There may be some implication for the responsibility of the parent to subject the child to this sort of dangerous medical intervention,” she said.

The Republican legislator, who last year defeated an incumbent Democrat with a transgender-identifying child, indicated she was compelled to propose the bill in light of the situation with Younger, who is at the center of a custody battle and gained international attention last month.

Republican Texas Rep. Matt Krause said amid the swirl of news about Younger that he would introduce legislation prohibiting puberty-blocking drugs for children under the age of 18 during the next session, which will occur in 2021, unless a special session is called before then.

Say what? There will be no legislative sessions in 2020. I suspect that's an error.

In Kentucky, state representative Savannah Maddox, also a Republican, announced she was drafting a similar bill for her state.

"I am sure that many of you have read about the shocking case of this 7 yr old boy in Texas whose parents are in the midst of an ugly courtroom battle as a result of his mother's desire to transition his gender from male to female, but truth be told this has been in my mind and on my heart for quite a while," Maddox wrote in an Oct 25 post on her Facebook page.

“I am a strong advocate for parents' rights — but it is not the right of a parent to permanently alter a child's gender or identity, even when based upon certain behaviors or the perceptions of a child's mind which has not yet had time to fully develop.”

Pre-frontal cortex

It is a widely held consensus that the pre-frontal cortex, the decision-making part of the brain, does is not fully form until people are into their 20s.

In the United States, criticism of the medicalization of gender has largely come from the political right and religious and conservative-leaning media outlets. Left-leaning critics of transitioning minors and of transgender ideology more generally include radical feminists and lesbians, who also stress that transgenderism erases women's sex-based rights and have said they struggle to be heard in major media.

Yet criticism of the medical treatments is slowly percolating into the mainstream press as what are known as detransitioners — individuals who once identified as transgender but no longer do — share their journeys.

Writing in New York magazine Saturday, Andrew Sullivan argued for greater caution and putting additional safeguards in place for teenagers desiring to transition, "as opposed to swift affirmation and handing out testosterone like candy," he quipped.

"Social transition is one thing. Off-label puberty blockers and irreversible hormones and surgeries are quite another. And this is zero-sum," Sullivan said, noting that he had recently interviewed several women in their early 20s, none of them religious extremists or bigoted, who recently desisted back to their biological sex.

"Their transition was based entirely on how they felt at the moment, which they now regard as a false signal about their long-term identity," he explained.

"Right now, we are effectively experimenting on minors who cannot give meaningful consent. And that alone should give us pause."

=====================================================================================

Confronting the link between HIV and gender-based violence in Jamaica

One Survivor's Story

Monique McDonald is an HIV peer educator who tells the story of her childhood with unflinching courage. “I was sexually abused by my uncle at the age of 12 and contracted HIV.”

Ms McDonald has written about her experiences in a book called I am now free. It uses her old diary entries to describe the abuse she suffered as a child and her journey to recovery. Today, she supports young women living with HIV, helping them to come to terms with their status and advising them on adhering to treatment. She has also founded the Ashley Fund to help other sexual abuse survivors to continue their education.

She admits that it’s been a long road. “I was so depressed, I didn’t know who to trust,” she remembers. “How could this happen, and everybody turned their eyes?”

Rushell Gray reflects on her past with a similar mix of sorrow and disbelief. “As a young girl everybody turned a blind eye and blamed me. I was the AIDS girl walking around in the community. Nobody said, “this man needs to go to jail.” At one point I almost gave up because the stress was too high,” she said.

Ms Gray now works as a Mentor Mom. The Mentor Mom programme enlists young mothers living with HIV to share their experiences and help other young women coping with similar situations. Mentor Moms answer questions and offer reassurance, accompany young women and girls on their health visits and reinforce clinical guidance on the importance of taking medicines regularly.

Both Ms McDonald and Ms Gray are employees and past clients of Eve for Life, a Jamaican nongovernmental organization that helps to prevent new HIV infections and improve the quality of life of women and children living with or affected by HIV. Clients benefit from peer support groups, psychological care and empowerment programmes.

Joy Crawford and Patricia Watson founded Eve for Life 11 years ago. While supporting young women and girls affected by HIV, they quickly learned that there was a clear link between HIV infection, adolescent pregnancy and child sexual abuse. According to Situation analysis of Jamaican children, a 2018 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than one in five (21%) adolescent girls in Jamaica said that they had survived sexual violence. 

Remember, these are adolescent girls in this survey. By the time they reach 18, the rate of sexual violence will likely have doubled. 

As a long-standing provider of technical support and capacity-building around sustainability for Eve for Life, UNICEF is keen not only on supporting girls, but addressing the cultural norms that make them vulnerable.

“There is this pervasive idea that adult men should have some level of access to a girl’s body if they are in their life, supporting the family or something like that,” explains Novia Condell, UNICEF Jamaica’s Adolescent Health and Empowerment Specialist. “Of course, the girl has no power to negotiate any protection in a situation where she has been abused or exploited.”

High on UNICEF’s agenda is supporting the community engagement necessary to shift attitudes around child sexual abuse. Eve for Life has spearheaded the “Nuh guh deh” (don’t go there) campaign, which aims to stop sexual abuse. They use complementary strategies—everything from community meetings to music videos—to get the message out.

The UNAIDS country office in Jamaica also provides technical support to Eve for Life and has helped the organization build partnerships for resource mobilization. The UNAIDS Caribbean subregional office is also working with Eve for Life to create safe spaces for young survivors and leaders to raise awareness about the link between gender-based violence and HIV.

There is also a focus on meeting young women’s basic needs, including food, clothes and health care. But beyond these services, work continues to provide teenage girls and young women living with HIV with a deeper level of emotional support and mentorship.   

“Jamaica’s Ministry of Health has found a strong partner in Eve for Life—one that is able to focus on resilience and life skills-building. They get the girls’ lives on track so they can improve their lot and the lot of their children,” says Ms Condell.

She used to prosecute sexual predators. Now, she teaches Seattle-area parents how to keep kids safe and healthy

By Michelle Archer  
Seattle Times Explore

Meet Christy Keating, a former deputy prosecutor with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office who now owns The Heartful Parent and Savvy Parents Safe Kids. Organizations hire her to train their educators, caregivers and parent communities on a variety of parenting topics, including child sexual abuse prevention, consent and healthy boundaries.

Here, she answers questions about her work.

What do you do? I am a speaker, parent coach/educator and sexual abuse prevention expert. … I combine my 17 years as a criminal prosecutor with a specialty in handling sexually violent predator cases with my certifications as a parent coach and positive-discipline educator to help parents everywhere raise healthy, happy, “heartful” kids. In addition to teaching parent and professional workshops, I coach parents one-on-one to help them create more connected families.

How did you get started in that field? I loved my job as a trial lawyer, and I was good at it. But after my first daughter was born 10 years ago, I found myself really struggling with my new identity and grappling with questions about how to balance my professional life with my personal one in a field that is not known for work-life balance.

Once I got my feet under me, as much as any parent does, I found that I loved learning about parenting and helping other parents — and that I was good at that, too! After completing my certification, I opened my coaching practice; I later assumed ownership of Savvy Parents Safe Kids, where I use my expertise to teach parents how to prevent child sexual abuse and teach consent and boundaries.

What’s a typical day like? I don’t have a “typical day” and I love it! Most days, I coach private clients over Zoom, so no one has to drive anywhere. Many evenings I spend teaching positive discipline classes or presenting workshops at schools. In between all that, I write articles, create social media posts and manage my soon-to-launch membership site. As a small-business owner, I’m the marketing, sales, billing, IT and HR departments all rolled into one.

What’s the best part of the job? I love connecting with parents on this really tough, but incredible journey. I do not pretend to have it all figured out; I sometimes struggle just like my clients, but working together to create healthier, happier families feels amazing. I also love helping parents and organizations prevent child sexual abuse and sexual assault before it happens rather than dealing with it after the fact.

What surprises people about what you do? Two things: First, that there really is individualized support for parents out there, and that there are simple tools and skills that really can make parenting easier and more joyful. Second, I think people are surprised at the career transition and reinvention that I went through. It’s a reminder that our skills can translate to many different fields, and just because we’ve been doing one thing for a long time doesn’t mean that’s what we have to do forever.

Long Island senator proposes state-run fund supporting child sex abuse survivor's lawsuits

By DENIS SLATTERY
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is seen signing of the Child Victims Act in the offices of the NY Daily News

on Feb. 14, 2019. (Mark Woodward / New York Daily News)

ALBANY — A Suffolk County senator is proposing legislation that would set up a state-run fund to aid child sexual abuse survivors seeking civil cases against their molesters.

The bill from Sen. James Gaughran, a Democrat, would create the “Child Victim Foundation Fund,” a reserve of money that would be allocated through grants to nonprofit organizations that help survivors litigate child abuse claims.

“The thought was to create a legal fund that people could access for the purpose of providing legal representation for them as they try to file a civil action against the person they believe sexually assaulted or abused them when they were younger,” Gaughran told the Daily News.

Sen. James Gaughran (D-Oyster Bay) introduced during opening day of the 2019 legislative session in Albany.

(Hans Pennink/AP)

The fund, which would be run jointly by the Department of Taxation and Finance, the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the comptroller’s office, would be built upon donations from New Yorkers who could contribute when they file state taxes and from fines levied against abusers convicted of child sex crimes.

The measure is a companion piece to the Child Victims Act, which changed the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases and created the one-year civil suit look-back that began in August.

Most of the cases filed under the CVA have targeted large institutions, like the Boys & Girls Club, Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church. But advocates say that victims whose abusers aren’t connected to a school or organization with significant financial backing are unable to find attorneys to take up their cases.

“It became obvious to me that there were people who are not able to access the legal system because they couldn’t afford lawyers or find lawyers who would take their case on a contingency basis,” Gaughran said.

Gary Greenberg, a longtime advocate of the Child Victims Act who was sexually assaulted by a hospital orderly when he was seven years old, called the measure a “good start.”

But he thinks more can be done to help survivors cover financial burdens including the costs of therapy, medical and living expenses.

“They should broaden that language to include the widest spectrum of victims services, not just to pay lawyers,” he said. “There are many cases that even with a legal fund, that lawyers cannot adjudicate.”

Greenberg has in the past called for a child victim reconciliation and compensation fund meant to help those whose abusers were not part of a major organization or church or school.

In his compensation fund — a version of which was included in previous iterations of the Child Victims Act that failed to pass the Legislature — survivors would be able to file a claim, which would be investigated by a team of experts. An administrator would oversee the fund and dole out money in certain circumstances.

Gaughran said he and other lawmakers are considering ways to expand on Greenberg’s proposal and assist victims further when they reconvene in Albany next year.

Excellent! therapy is an absolutely necessary part of recovering from CSA and very often it takes years of therapy. Well done Senator Gaughan; keep up the pressure Gary Greenberg, you're a hero in my book, er, at least my blogs.

CBI (India's FBI) forms unit to tackle child porn

| Rakesh K Singh | New Delhi

In what could be bad news for paedophiles, the CBI has set up an Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention/ Investigation Unit in the national Capital under its Special Crime Zone to proactively check child porn and associated crimes through detailed investigation.

The newly-established specialised unit will collect, collate and disseminate information regarding publication, transmission, creation, collection, seeking, browsing, downloading advertising, promoting, exchanging, distribution of information relating to online child sexual abuse and exploitation and probe related crimes.

The unit will also conduct investigation of such offences covered under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act 2000 and under various other laws.

“Rapid growth of the internet and information & communication tools over the past two decades has created unparalleled opportunities for children and adults alike to learn and explore the world around them. Today, in many countries, these technologies are ubiquitous — permeating every aspect of our lives — personal and professional, individual and social. These technologies have simultaneously created a new dimension, wherein the sexual exploitation of children can multiply, if unchecked.

And it is multiplying, and it is unchecked for the most part. You will be doing well just to slow down the growth.

 “Children, every day, all around the world are prone to suffer online sexual abuse and exploitation,” the CBI said in a statement.

Numerous references related to dissemination of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) are received from Interpol and other national / international organisations. The incidence of online child sexual abuse and exploitation generally transcends international borders. Victims are mostly helpless innocent children, it said.

Helpless, yes, but they're innocent no more. Their innocence is stolen and destroyed.

The territorial jurisdiction of the OCSAE Prevention/Investigation Unit will be throughout India and will help in countering the menace of child porn on the internet and related crimes, officials said.

The unit will collect intelligence not only on those who are allegedly creating and transmitting such material on the internet but also those who are browsing and downloading such material, they said.

The agency had registered a case last month against seven persons in alleged connection with a child pornography case in which they were alleged to be part of various WhatsApp groups involved in the transmission of child sexual abuse material. The information on the international porn group had come from the German embassy in India. The CBI had received information from Germany about the conviction of one Sasche Treppke in that country for sexual abuse of children and distribution of child pornography. The convicted criminal Treppke was a member of 29 WhatsApp groups that were used to share pornographic content. The seven accused in the CBI case were also the members of the groups operated by Treppke and were also sharing such content, according to the CBI FIR.

In February 2018, the CBI had busted an international racket involved in child pornography. The racket was operated through WhatsApp groups and the administrator of the group Nikhil Verma was nabbed. Some of the 119 members of the WhatsApp group hailed from the US, Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka.

Paypal abandons Pornhub, finally

TMZ

PayPal is putting an end to processing payments on Pornhub.

The devastating news for independent porn actors was announced late Wednesday night when PayPal decided to join several other banks and apps refusing to help them get paid for personal video clips posted on the porn site.

Pornhub is the largest porn site in the world.

Pornhub allows independent performers to upload and sell their own videos, but they need a method to collect money from users. Financial institutions like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Capital One, Square and Venmo have been out of the Pornhub biz for awhile ... so PayPal was one of the last remaining ways for performers to get paid.

Not anymore ... Pornhub says it's devastated by PayPal's decision to stop payouts "to over a hundred thousand performers who rely on them for their livelihoods." The platform is now scrambling to help performers who have pending PayPal payments.

PayPal hasn't said exactly why they're bailing, but the other financial institutions started making the same move after Congress passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act in 2018.

This is the latest blow for Pornhub, which just last month cut off all content from Girls Do Porn -- a separate company that was accused of coercing dozens of women into adult videos.

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Come Next Year, Schools in Bengal to Include Classes on 'Good and Bad Touch' to Deal with Child Sexual Abuse

As far as students are concerned, the focus would be on understanding their psychology, change in behaviour and how to react during physical training sessions inside or outside the school

Sujit Nath | News18.com

Kolkata: In a bid to deal with the menace of sexual harassment, the West Bengal government has decided to include ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ courses in the school syllabus from the next academic session.

The school education department has roped in the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Child Relief and You (CRY) to implement the project.

The introduction of the concepts of ‘good and bad touch’ in schools would be done in a phased manner. “Initially, the project will be covered in more than 300 schools in Kolkata, Howrah, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Malda and West Midnapore. The target age-group will be four to 12 years,” an official attached with this project said.

“We don’t want to complete this project in a haste. This is a serious matter and we want to complete it in a proper way to protect children from any kind of sexual harassment. Once we are done in the selected districts, we will move on to another five to six districts,” he added.

The syllabus will have two parts — one for the students and the other for guardians, teachers and school staff.

As far as students are concerned, the focus would be on understanding their psychology, change in behaviour and how to react during physical training sessions inside or outside the school.

“We have introduced a paragraph on children going for swimming classes. We have highlighted that they should not allow anyone to touch the uncovered parts of their body except their parents. Even in case of doctors, they should allow them to touch an injured area only in front of their parents. There is a line where we are asking them to shout for help without any hesitating if someone touches them inappropriately,” the official said.

Ummm, isn't it the parts of the body that are covered by swimsuits that are inappropriate to touch? I'm not sure they have the concept correct here!

School teachers and parents would be asked to communicate with children through storytelling to know whether they have been touched improperly, harassed or assaulted by anyone.

They (teachers and parents) would also be asked to be alert if someone tries to be over friendly with students/children and tries to interact with him/her alone.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s report for 2016, crime against children had increased by nearly 11% between 2015 and 2016 and Bengal registered the highest number of such cases.

In 2017, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had conducted a survey that came up with some shocking revelations. It found that more than 50% children they interacted with or surveyed had faced some form of sexual abuse.

And I would be surprised that by the time they are 18, at least 75% of those children weren't sexually abused. And that might be a conservative estimate.

France unveils tougher penalties for domestic violence

By Clyde Hughes

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe speaks Monday about addressing domestic violence, standing next to French Junior Minister for Gender Equality Marlene Schiappa during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Paris, France. Photo by Stephane de Sakutin/EPA-EFE

(UPI) -- French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced new measures Monday to prevent deadly domestic violence against amid a rising number of cases.

Philippe said the updated measures would account for psychological forms of harassment that frequently lead to physical violence. The changes also would include tougher penalties, the ability to seize firearms from abusive spouses and better train police to respond to cases, he said.

The legislation would help create 1,000 new shelters for domestic violence victims and expand the use of electronic bracelets for offenders.

Authorities said that at least 137 women have been killed this year by domestic violence and 121 were killed last year. An estimated 220,000 suffer from domestic violence in France every year, according to the National Observatory of Violence Against Women.

France's Justice Ministry said this month 41 percent of "conjugal homicide" victims had previously reported domestic violence incidents, and 80 percent of complaints sent to prosecutors were not investigated.

"Clearly, our system is failing to protect women," French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said.

French feminist activist Caroline de Haas argued the new measures are not enough to make a difference.

"The prime minister announces exactly the same budget allocated against violence in 2020 as in 2019," de Haas said on social media. "They're not changing public policy. The domestic violence figures will not drop. I am disgusted."

Organizers supported about 30 rallies in France Saturday that called on the government to invest more money in violence prevention. They argued the response by authorities is unacceptable and the government should invest more than $1 billion to address the problem.

Tennis Player Roger Federer Provides Schooling and Food for a Million Children

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In the past 15 years, Federer has opened schools all over the world

(TT) — Swiss tennis player Roger Federer has been involved with numerous philanthropic efforts since forming his foundation in 2004.

His primary focus with the foundation is to improve education for children, especially in places where they have extremely limited access. In the past 15 years, Federer has opened schools all over the world. In Malawi, in Southen Africa, Federer has already built over 50 preschools.

During one of his visits to the schools in Malawi, Federer said, “I’m so happy and emotional that I can see a preschool of this quality here–it’s quite extraordinary. The community is so committed to helping the kids, it’s so important (as) the foundation for learning.”

In 2015, the Roger Federer Foundation said that they hoped to be feeding and teaching one million kids by 2018. The goal seemed incredible, but the foundation was able to make it happen by the time that they promised.

In a statement after the goal was completed, Roger Federer Foundation CEO Janine Händel said that it took a lot of hard work to see their task through.

“It took a lot of work and determination to achieve this amazing thing. There was no other possibility than achieving this goal because Roger always achieves his goals. There are one million children which benefits from the major quality of education in the school, pre-school, kindergarten. One million children have now a better chance to make their way in life, to get a job, to exit from poverty… Roger believes in the empowerment of the people and their potential. That’s a fundamental value in our every-day work. We strongly believe early education is one of the most powerful weapons to empower children exiting from poverty. It’s actually proven that education makes people better citizen, be more prepared when it comes to dealing with issues, and they have more instruments to manage their life,” Händel said.

Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most in history by a male player, and has held the world’s top spot in the ATP rankings for a record total of 310 weeks. He is also the only person to have won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award four times.

Sometimes greatness comes from having great character. God bless you Roger.

First Nations Suicide Rate 3x Higher Than Rest of Society - Are Residential Schools to Blame?

Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation asks for long-term solutions in wake of suicides

Chief says community response teams inadequately trained, suicide prevention strategy non-existent

Bryan Eneas · CBC News 

Residents and leaders from the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation are asking for the provincial and

federal governments to help them find a long-term solution to the recent suicides in the community.

(Morgan Modjeski/CBC)

Residents of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation are on edge and some are holding their children close, as the community of 1,000 people in northwest Saskatchewan looks to address a series of recent suicides.

There have been seven in the last two years alone — three of which occurred in recent weeks, including a 10-year-old girl who took her own life on Thursday.

"Right now it's really difficult for [the family]. They're having a tough time comprehending what has happened," said Joyce Weeseekase, a mental health therapist and aunt of the 10-year-old girl.

"It's been a really tragic incident that's happened. Knowing that it's just a 10-year old child, they still can't believe it's really happened." 

Representatives from the band, the province and the federal government have offered their support to families and community members affected by the suicides. 

But Weeseekase said it shouldn't have come to this. "It should have happened before this," she said of the supports being offered now. 

"I don't believe it should have [taken] something this tragic in order for that help to come here. It should always be here." 

Joyce Weeseekase, a mental health support worker in Makwa Sahgaiehcan, said help should have come before the recent deaths. (Morgan Modjeski/CBC)

Weeseekase said she hopes the band's call for action results in something tangible, rather than "lip service" that the community has seen before.

Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation Chief Ronald Mitsuing said the community is grieving. Mitsuing said the community's response teams aren't properly trained and there isn't a suicide prevention strategy in place. 

"The province, they've committed to come in and help for a while but we need something long-term, not just to come in here and train and leave," he said. "That would help us deal with a lot of this stuff." 

Response teams from the Meadow Lake Tribal Council have been dispatched to Makwa Sahgaiehcan, but Mitsuing is worried that once they leave, the band will once again be short-staffed and unequipped to deal with the problem.

For Mitsuing, part of the solution lies in creating a communication course that children and parents would participate in. "Our parents are very lacking in some places to support their children around here," he said. 

He encouraged children to talk to their parents, elders or leaders about what they are experiencing. 

Myriad issues impacting community

According to community leaders, Makwa Sahgaiehcan is plagued by a variety of issues that could be having a ripple effect on the children there.

Mitsuing said the community's school is overcrowded, which is leading to both online and in-person bullying and a competition for space at the school.

He said the community is planning an expansion to the school, but he asked the province in the meantime to find a way to provide extra portable classrooms for additional space.

Band councillor Tommy Littlespruce's granddaughter took her own life on July 10, 2019. His grandson also took his own life in 2018.

He speculated that the bullying issues, drug and alcohol abuse in the community and historical factors like colonialism and the impact of residential schools may be at the heart of the problem.

"I hate to use the residential schools, or the colonial effect, but they are a part of what's going on in our community," Littlespruce said. "But there is other stuff that is happening."

As I have stated before, I believe child sexual abuse occurred in some, if not most residential schools, and that survivors brought that abuse back to their communities along with alcoholism as a way of dealing with the abuse. Unfortunately, the deadly combination has probably lead to child sexual abuse becoming a generational phenomenon. Studies need to be done to determine if, and how many, children who attempt suicide have been sexually abused.

He said healing the community and healing the homes will have a ripple effect on the youth in particular.

'We need answers'

James Kytwayhat said his son was in the same class as the 10-year-old girl who took her life on Thursday. He called the community's call for help a desperate need. 

"We need answers. We have questions but no answers," he said. "A lot of people will come together in our community and share that with others, but it's our kids that need answers."

Kytwayhat said he's holding his son close every day and he knows other families are doing the same in their homes. He echoed the chief's sentiments that children and parents need to communicate with one another.

"A lot of people need to ask their kid these questions and not wait for them to tell them their problems," Kytwayhat said. 

"Talk with your kids. Listen to them. Ask them questions. It takes a lot for a child to come up to a parent or an adult and tell them 'I'm being bullied'... just take the time."