Negative Stories in the War on Child Sex Abuse - Episode l

Pre-teen girls 'tricked into sex acts on webcams'
The number is growing at an alarming rate - A National Crisis!

By Hannah Richardson

BBC News education and social affairs reporter

UK - Girls aged between 11 and 13 are increasingly being tricked and coerced into performing sexually over their own webcams, data suggests.

The Internet Watch Foundation said 80% of the sexual selfies it found in its relentless trawl for images of child sexual abuse were of children this age.

The charity took action on 37,000 self-generated images of children last year. About 30,000 were of adolescents.

Its chief executive said the number of cases was growing at an alarming rate.

Reading messages

Susie Hargreaves described the distribution of such images and films, often self-made in domestic settings, as a "national crisis".

Often children were seen looking into cameras, reading messages asking them to do something and complying.

The IWF said of all web pages featuring images of child sexual abuse, a third consisted of self-generated images, mostly by girls in a domestic setting.

Ms Hargreaves said: "These are images and videos of girls that have been groomed, coerced and tricked into performing sexually over webcam in what is fast becoming a national crisis.

"There has never been a more poignant time to shine a light on the uncomfortable truth we are now faced with."

'Being flattered'

Victims were getting younger, she said, as more younger children had access to webcams from their phones in their bedrooms.

"At this age, they are incredibly vulnerable," Ms Hargreaves said.

"They are still developing physically and they don't have the emotional maturity to understand what is going on. They are being flattered, told they are beautiful. They often think they are in relationship with someone."

Threatened

One victim told the BBC she was talked into sending a topless photograph online to someone who claimed to be a woman recruiting models.

The victim, who was 13 at the time, said: "After I'd sent that picture, her whole demeanour towards me changed."

She says she was forced to send more photos and to share her home address - with the threat that the first image would be printed out and posted on railings near her school if she did not comply.

The victim, who is now years older, said a man then came to her house, sexually assaulted her in her bedroom and took more photos.

"I didn't realise it at the time but the perpetrator that came to the house was the same person that I'd been speaking to online," the victim said.

"He told me from the very start that he'd printed off and put onto disk the images that had been sent online the night before, and that if I didn't do what he said, or if I told anybody, that he would distribute those."

Call to report

Ms Hargreaves urged young men who might stumble across such images of under-age children as they viewed pornography online to report it and "save many more victims of child sexual abuse".

Reporting can be done quickly, anonymously and safely here.

It is the first time detail of the types of images discovered and age groups affected have been revealed.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chief's Council lead on child protection, said: "Work like this, which seeks to educate people about the law and encourage them to be responsible, and especially to report any sexual images and videos of under-18s, supports the reduction of crime, the removal of indecent content and, importantly, lessens the harm to victims."

Tink Palmer, of the Marie Collins Foundation, which works with the IWF over the issue, said the amount of indecent content featuring children was growing.

"All internet users need to understand that they are breaking the law if they view this material, regardless of who has taken or uploaded it," she said.

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B.C. Court of Appeal Nullifies Parental Authority Re: Gender Dysphoria

Post Millennial reports that the B.C. Court of Appeal has delivered a verdict today regarding the right of a child to receive treatment for gender dysphoria without parental consent.

The case first came to public attention in January 2019 when the father was told that his child, who was 14-years-old at the time, could begin hormone treatment without parental approval under BC’s Infant Act. The father sought a court injunction to prevent the doctors from commencing therapy. Since then, the names of all individuals involved in the case have been put under publication ban, including the names of the doctors who were involved in the diagnosis and treatment of the youth.

Previous court decisions granted the child the ability to proceed with hormone treatment to conform to the male gender with which the child identifies. Additionally, the father was subject to a protection order that prevented him from referring to his child a 

The father violated that court order by continuing to give media interviews, providing identifying documents, and continuing to call the child his daughter. The court was asked to refuse the father further audience because of this breach but declined to do so “without in any way countenancing [the father’s] alleged conduct in this litigation.”

There were numerous intervenors in the appeal, most of whom supported the child’s position. Because the child had already begun hormone therapy, the Court of Appeal was asked to consider the issue moot. While the judges agreed that it was not appropriate to reverse the earlier decision on medical treatment, since irreversible physical changes had already taken effect, they would rule on the issues to provide guidance for future cases.

Don't they tell you that it is all reversible?

BC’s Chief Justice Bauman, and Justice Fisher wrote the unanimous decision, with Justice Groberman concurring.

The previous order, restraining the father from continuing to deny the chosen gender of his child and declaring his actions to be a form of “family violence,” was dismissed. The trial judge was deemed to have made “bald assertions” in granting the order which went beyond consideration of “the best interests of the child.”

In granting the father success, overturning the protection order, the court said “[w]e do not see authority to declare certain conduct as ‘deemed’ to be family violence for either present or future applications.”

In regards to granting the youth the right to continue treatment, the verdict confirms that BC’s Infant Act allows a child to make informed medical decisions without parental consent. That said, the Court of Appeal found that the trial judge went beyond the scope of the issue of whether or not the medical consent was valid.

The judge had made declarations about specific medical issues that were best left to the appropriate physicians and caregivers.

In this case, the Court of Appeal found that the child had been vigorously assessed to confirm the appropriate treatment and to verify that the child was capable of understanding the consent form and consequences of pursuing that treatment. As such, they confirmed the order granting the child the ability to continue receiving the chosen medical care.

Most significantly, the court determined that, without minimizing the pain the child felt at being misgendered, the father was “entitled to his views and he is entitled to communicate those views.” While the judges found the father’s conduct to be “disrespectful” and “hurtful” they did not find it to be a form of violence.

The ruling will give guidance for other cases involving disputes between parents and children regarding gender dysphoria. Primarily, the verdict says that medical professionals have an obligation to thoroughly assess what treatment is in a child’s best interests and an equal responsibility to ensure the child fully understands the consequences of treatment before proceeding without parental consent.

Pretty crazy, when the doctors don't understand the consequences. Do they know that more than half of girls who transition to boys attempt suicide within several years? Do they know the vast majority of kids seeking transition therapy are mentally ill? Why do they think affirming them in their illness is a good thing? Would they encourage an anorexic to continue in her pursuit of ever-losing weight?

What madness!

'We're done': Foster parents share horror stories about broken N.W.T. system

Hilary Bird · CBC News 

From a three-year battle to get one counselling session for a sexually-abused child, to children being dropped off in the middle of the night with scabies  — four foster parents are sharing their stories of negligence and unsafe practices within the N.W.T. government's division of Child and Family Services.

These stories are coming out in the wake of a damning letter from the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories to the N.W.T. Department of Health and Social Services outlining dangerous gaps in the foster care system.

CBC News has asked the Department of Health and Social Services for an interview, and provided them with a list of allegations from the letter. In an emailed response, the department said they would not be in a position to respond fully until after meeting with the Foster Family Coalition.

"The minister and the department take the safety of children and their well-being very seriously," the response sent Thursday reads. "The minister has reached out to the [coalition] and we are working on a meeting date."

The department was unable to discuss specific incidents due to privacy concerns, but did provide answers to several questions on a broader level. Their responses can be read in this story.

They'd burned a bridge.

- Bryan, Yellowknife foster parent

CBC News cannot legally identify children in care or their foster and biological families. Any identifying details like ages and some timelines have been withheld, and the names of the foster parents who spoke to CBC have been changed. CBC was not able to independently verify each of the parents' claims.

A file photo of a mother and a child. In the wake of a damning letter from the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT, four parents spoke to CBC about their experiences with the N.W.T. government's system. All four parents said they no longer want to take in more foster children because of their experiences. (Chantal Dubuc/CBC)

All four parents said they no longer want to take in more foster children because of their experiences.

Here are their stories.

Warning: This story contains content that may be disturbing to some readers.

Bryan's story: Children covered in sores

For four years, Bryan and his wife opened their home to foster children. After an incident a few months ago, Bryan says they were so disappointed in Health and Social Services that they told the department they were finished.

Bryan says it was around 8 p.m. one night when he got a call from a social worker. She had three young children who needed an emergency placement after being apprehended from their parents. He says he wasn't given any information, other than the children's ages.

We were completely blindsided.

- Bryan, Yellowknife foster parent

A file photo of a child itching their arm. 'We later found out it was scabies. The three kids were totally infested,' says foster parent Bryan. (Shutterstock)

Bryan says he raced to Walmart to get supplies like diapers and clothes while his wife waited at home for the children to arrive.

"My wife called me and said the condition of the kids was unimaginable."

When he arrived home, Bryan says he was shocked to see the children's bodies covered with sores.

"We later found out it was scabies. The three kids were totally infested," he says, claiming that the kids didn't get medical attention. "They were basically just dumped on our doorstep. We were completely blindsided."

The next day Bryan called Social Services and told them his family would no longer be accepting foster children. "We're done. We can't do this," he says. "They'd burned a bridge."

Bryan's issues with the system didn't start that night. Earlier that year, he and his wife took in two children, both under the age of seven. Bryan says the children saw a counsellor, though their sessions were sporadic.

One day after a session, he says his wife got an email. "The counsellor had emailed my wife to say, 'Something really weird, strange happened in counselling today.'"

One of the children had apparently made a sexual comment, Bryan says.

"In her email, the counsellor said she didn't think much of it until she saw the other child do the same thing.

"She thought it was something the department should follow up on and told my wife that she would be putting forward a recommendation for an investigation," Bryan says.

An investigation was flat out refused.

- Bryan, Yellowknife foster parent

He says weeks went by and Social Services didn't start an investigation. Bryan says he sent multiple emails to the department, MLAs and even met with the assistant deputy minister for Health and Social Services to demand an investigation be conducted. 

He says he was told by the department that "there's no evidence," and therefore the counsellor's recommendation didn't warrant an investigation.

Isn't that what an investigation is for? To see if there is any evidence?

"I was shocked, appalled, that the recommendation of a counsellor that there should be an investigation was flat out refused."

There are three more such horror stories. Please read them at CBC North.

On child abuse in Pakistan

Shocking, horrific stories fail to change the sick culture

Mohammad Zubair, Daily Times

Child abuse in Pakistan is deep rooted and prevalent in all strata of society, emerging from everywhere with no distinction of rural and urban, madrassas and schools. Without going into numbers this horrible crime is on the increase in Pakistan as per reports compiled by different NGOs and reporting in print and electronic media. But the magnitude of this problem is far greater for the fact that there are hundreds of cases on daily basis which go unreported. Social evil has always been tried to hide to some extent under the garb of religion and cultural norms leaving the abused child and aggrieved family to suffer in utter silence. So culprits roam freely and enjoy their lives as they had committed nothing wrong.

The Zainab-rape-murder case in Kasur brought to the fore the gravity of the problem with full force which shook the collective consciousness of the society. This case proved a turning point to build a national resolve against the ugly face of child sexual abuse or pedophilia. But it proved a momentary reaction which faded away with time.

Compelled by socio-political instincts, our state machinery and society always work in a reactionary mode in all spheres of life rather pursuing things proactively. Another such incident attracted public attention when a man named Javel Iqbal, a serial killer from Lahore, confessed to killing more than a hundred children after abusing them sexually. The whole nation was in a state of shock for some days but gradually this grim story largely faded from their memory. It was not till Zainab’s murder that the whole nation was forced to realise the depth of this crime. And after Zainab’s case we are again bound to follow the same cycle of tragedy.

With rampant child abuse in every nook and corner it seems that no humanity is left in our social fabric. The children are sexually abused, tortured and in some cases killed mercilessly after sexual abuse like animals. So much so that even a child as little as six-month is not spared. It is an extreme example of barbarism. Such heinous practices may be interpreted as symptoms of a dead society.

The history of child abuse also points to the fact that the people lack recreational facilities where they can enjoy their leisure time and utilise their positive energy. The people generally find themselves suffocated in the name of cultural mores. People deserve facilities of libraries, art and literary festivals, cultural and sports events which may help them in setting higher goals in their lives.

The Zainab-rape-murder case in Kasur brought to the fore the gravity of the problem with full force which shook the collective consciousness of the society. This case proved a turning point to build a national resolve against the ugly face of child sexual abuse or pedophilia. But it proved a momentary reaction which faded away with time

There is a dire need to understand the things at play behind such criminal acts. Core reasons of this problem are communication gap between parents and children, lack of sexual orientation and blind trust on relatives and family friends and last but not the least the fear of stigmatisation of the victim and his family. In most of the cases abusers are the people whom children trust. When it comes to state’s part, it lacks the capacity and spirit to show zero tolerance against it through implementation of laws in true spirit.

Sexual orientation must be part of educational curriculum so that children can be knowledgeable enough to pre-empt sexual advances. There must be systematic space for lectures and speeches in educational institutions for awareness at a larger level. This topic must not be considered taboo any more. To rape someone must be considered a crime against humanity that must be dealt with the long arm of the law.

The play “Udaari” with main theme of child abuse recently aired on a local TV channel and was a great contribution towards spreading awareness about the subject. It also revealed the loop-holes in our medico-legal system. Media is a powerful tool for brining positive change in society on such issues therefore such plays on social issues must be aired on a regular basis.

The government must provide an enabling environment for the protection of children against all sexual advances and abuse. For this, sexual awareness comes at the top. The best thing it can do is translate the existing laws on child sexual abuse into Urdu and display them in schools, colleges, religious institutions, offices and public places. This step will promote public awareness on these laws and will act as deterrent for potential offenders.

There is no doubt that we have sufficient pieces of legislation on child sexual abuse but the need is to remove technical loopholes to make them more strong and effective. Often it takes too much time, energy, financial resources and effort to bring a culprit of child abuse to justice. Ideally speaking the law must take its course in a self-driven way. It cannot be more agreed that a culprit of child sexual abuse must be awarded exemplary punishment to set a precedent for others. The state must perform its act right now. We don’t always need to wait for another epic tragedy to invite our attention. The process must be consistent and coordinated.

The writer is development practitioner with South Asia Partnership-Pakistan

Asian grooming gangs: how ethnicity made authorities wary of investigating child sexual abuse in UK

Author: Graham Hill, Menafn

(MENAFN - The Conversation) In the UK, the debate around so-called Asian grooming gangs and the sexual threat they pose to vulnerable white girls shows no sign of abating. A leaked report produced by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has upheld a complaint made by a father whose daughter had been missing for a week. He said a police officer told him that Rotherham 'would erupt' if it came out that Asian men were habitually having sex with underage white girls.

The five-year investigation conducted by the IOPC, codenamed Operation Lindon, has produced a highly critical report. It states that the South Yorkshire police were scared to take action against a group of Asian men who were sexually abusing a young girl for fear of triggering unrest in the Asian community and being branded racist. Instead, they did little to disrupt the gang and safeguard the vulnerable victim and other young girls, even though they knew they were being subjected to horrendous sexual abuse.

It should also be stated that police and council thought very lowly of these girls, perhaps convincing themselves that they wanted that life, or that they deserved it.

South Yorkshire police has accepted the findings of the report and said it has been developing a 'far deeper understanding' of child sexual exploitation since 2014. It will now await the full and final report, which will focus on the actions of its former senior command team and whether it deliberately turned a blind eye to what it knew was happening.

This is something the media has been suggesting for many years due to the explosive mix of sex, race and excessive political correctness. The Times has even claimed there was a ' conspiracy of silence on UK sex gangs '. The leaked IOPC report came just days after yet another scathing report (2nd story on link) was published, this time in Manchester, about the abject failure of the police and children's services to protect vulnerable young girls from Asian grooming gangs there.

Cultural sensitivities

In 2011 Jack Straw, the former home secretary, suggested there was a cultural element to the then new phenomenon of 'grooming gangs' and suggesting some men of Pakistani origin see white girls as 'easy meat'. The former Blackburn Labour MP spoke out after two Asian men who abused girls in Derby were given indeterminate jail terms. At the time, he was quickly shouted down and labelled a racist. It was even suggested that his comments were an attempt to influence a pending Oldham by-election.

Despite the continuous flow of cases – other examples were in Rochdale , Oxford and Huddersfield ) – the public is constantly being reminded that it is not just Asian men who commit 'on-street' child sexual exploitation.

Clearly this type of sexual exploitation is not exclusive to Asian/Pakistani men. Nevertheless, given the severity of these offences and long term impact they have on young people's lives, it is important to question whether there are cultural elements influencing how perpetrators see young white girls.

As a criminologist and former senior detective I have interviewed numerous second generation Asian-Pakistani men convicted of grooming and sexually abusing young vulnerable white girls. The majority claimed they were innocent and put forward theories of how the government, police, judges and witnesses had conspired to wrongly convict them. It was also clear that they did not see their victims as children and therefore did not consider themselves to be sex offenders.

An example of this mindset was the leader of the Rochdale grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, who failed to overturn his convictions at the European Court of Human Rights by claiming an all-white jury was part of a conspiracy to scapegoat Muslims. During his trial Ahmed repeatedly accused the judge, the jury, and the police of being part of a racist conspiracy against Muslims and said: 'It's all white lies.' The story (focusing on the victims in this case) was subsequently made into the BBC drama Three Girls.

Many of the offenders I have spoken to were also involved – or on the fringes of – low-level crime, most commonly drug dealing and theft. They tended to lack victim empathy and had a habit of trying to taint victims by suggesting they lied about their age or were already drug addicts and/or sexually promiscuous.

The victims of child sexual exploitation in these cases were targeted because they were considered 'available' by their circumstance and behaviour: they were in care, truanting from school, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, staying out late at night or being overtly sexual. The vast majority of victims were underage white girls. Their perceived availability and vulnerability led the perpetrators to believe, rightly, that these girls were unlikely to tell anyone what was happening to them.

But there is more here if you are willing to go there, which the author clearly is not. There is explicit permission from Mohammed in the Quran for Muslim men to have their way with girls, of any age, that are not Muslim but are in their 'right hand'. In their right hand means under their power. A girl who gets into a Muslim's car, goes to his apartment or hotel room, takes alcohol or drugs from him, is under their power and therefore free game for Muslim men to have their way. If it's approved by Mohammed, it is above white man's laws.

When it comes to child sexual exploitation, grooming takes on a series of behaviours designed to ensure secrecy, increase victim compliance, build rapport and avoid detection. Extensive research tells us that these tactics make sexual abuse much more likely .

Abandoned victims

Review after review has found that there is a tendency by almost all protection agencies to to essentially leave these vulnerable girls to suffer and let the criminals continue their offending. One of the reasons for this is the issue of the ethnicity of the perpetrators.

As a criminologist I believe all criminals should be defined by their actions and punished accordingly. But it is necessary and relevant for society to discuss the ethnicity of perpetrators and victims and how this influences specific crimes.

It is not racist to do this, just as it is not racist to say that the majority of men on the UK sex offenders register for sexual crime are white . It is also important to remember that black and minority ethnic children and young people are victims of sexual exploitation, too.

The other issue that the author has skimmed over is the part played by political correctness. Without the level of PCMadness in the western world these days, such things could not happen. Yet, it is happening all across Europe and even in North America, where the media and governments protect rapists and terrorists who are Muslims. This insanity leaves regular people, particularly young, white girls unsuspecting of how dangerous Muslim men can be.

But in May 2019 it was estimated that there were at least 73 grooming gangs operating in the UK. The inability of South Yorkshire Police and other forces to act professionally and speak openly and plainly about the ethnicity of on-street child abusers is a significant factor in why these horrific offences have gone undetected for so long and it remains a significant factor today.

Indiana panel backs longer time limit on sex abuse charges

But, not really!

By The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana authorities would have more time to press criminal charges in child sexual abuse cases under a bill endorsed by a legislative committee.

The Senate criminal law committee voted unanimously in support of the bill Tuesday after rolling back its original provisions to eliminate the statute of limitations when charges could be filed for rape and child sexual abuse cases.

The proposal going to the full Senate would bring the statute of limitations on crimes such as child molesting, sexual misconduct with a minor and incest in line with a 2015 law regarding rape charges. Current law only allows prosecution until the victim reaches 31 years old, but the change would allow an additional five years if authorities obtain DNA evidence or an attacker’s confession.

Five additional years! This comes 5 years after the current law was enacted. Are they going to add another 5 years in 2025? And another in 2030? The average age for memory recovery for adult survivors of child sex abuse is 53, and it is some years after that before most are capable of talking about it, and many more years before many are willing to go public with the information. This recommendation, if accepted, may help two or three people, but will leave hundreds out in the cold, if not thousands.

Some child sexual abuse victims urged the committee to completely eliminate the time limits, saying it was 20 years or longer before they were able to talk with others about the abuse.

Tracey Krueger of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking said the group believed the time limit should be eliminated but that the extended time was a step forward (A baby step). The state prosecutors association said the additional time would let police pursue investigations in abuse cases and seek the needed evidence.

Committee Chairman Republican Sen. Mike Young of Indianapolis said he believed it was important to keep a time limit that recognizes ‘the difficulties of having someone being able to properly defend themselves with the loss of witnesses or evidence or an alibi.”

Why is it Republican senators, regardless of the state they serve, are more concerned that child predator's rights are protected at the expense of the rights of child sex abuse survivors and the safety of children?