Money Changes Everything

I was at the gym when I heard about the videotapes a Delaware pediatrician made of himself torturing children, and almost threw up right there on the treadmill. There are simply no words to describe this level of obscenity. Hellish, maybe. More counts came down today, as police identify more victims. We will all watch his case and pray for justice, but the damage has already been done to more than 100 children, and it is damage that makes a lifelong impact.

Like so many, I have been following the stories coming out about sexual abuse cover-ups in the Catholic church, and the Pope's response. The horrifying reality is that an institution put its needs above the safety of the children it was entrusted to teach. I can only imagine the damage this has done not only in the lives of the victims, but also to their faith. BUT even here there is hope, and the silver lining is that the church is beginning to recognize that as an institution it cannot abide the abuse of children.

Another story came out in Portland last week: the Boy Scouts were held negligent in the sexual abuse case of a Scoutmaster. They were held accountable because they knew or should have known that the Scoutmaster was a threat. The Church of Latter-day Saints was implicated here, since the Scoutmaster had told a bishop there that he was molesting boy scouts. So, is the $1.4 million awarded to the victim enough to get the Scouts' attention? It was lawsuits that started getting the attention of the Catholic church, too. And, here's a thought: the hospital that investigated that Delaware pediatrician years ago and found nothing? Maybe they should face some serious punitive damages too. If money is what gets the attention of institutions, then bring it on. And if it hikes up my health insurance rates, I for one would be glad to pay more if it means protecting babies from monsters.

Free Training!

Mark your calendars--April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and you can make a difference!

April 14th: Stop It Now is conducting a free (!) webinar on using their Online Help Center! To register, click HERE.

Throw a house party! Learn how HERE.

Check out childhelp.org for inspiration and ideas for how to help.

Tiny Hands Needs You!

My friend Amy, who writes an awesome blog which you can find here, recently told me about Tiny Hands, and they are doing amazing work. Please visit them here to learn how YOU can save women and children from becoming sex slaves through their One Girl prayer initiative. This is the most worthy cause that I can think of in the whole world! Please help today--it starts with you and a prayer.

To visit Tiny Hands International, click here.

Lock 'Em Up

As details of this 18-year imprisonment emerge, lots has been said about the state of mind of the victim and the perpetrators, but I especially liked this column by Leonard Pitts who cuts to the chase of how a reasonable and compassionate society should treat such cases.

Child Porn Arrests = Good News

170 arrested in global child porn investigation

By Terry Frieden
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 170 people around the globe, including at least 61 in the United States, have been arrested in a major operation targeting international child pornographers, officials said Friday.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey and European Union representatives announced the sting's results Friday.

Operation Joint Hammer has rescued 11 girls in the United States, ages 3 to 13, who were sexually abused by child pornography producers, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and representatives of the European Union said at the Justice Department.

Dozens more were located in Europe, including several young female victims in Ukraine.

Authorities found connections between producers, distributors and customers in nearly 30 countries as a single investigation grew to a global inquiry into the dark corners of brutality and child abuse.

The investigation, code-named Operation Koala in Europe, was developed when investigators determined that a pornographic video found in Australia had been produced in Belgium.

"This joint EU-U.S. coordinated effort began with the discovery in Europe of a father who was sexually abusing his young daughters and producing images of that abuse," Mukasey said.

Further investigation showed a number of online child porn rings. Some included dangerous offenders who not only traded child pornography but also sexually abused children, the officials said.

Agents are still attempting to locate child victims whose images have appeared in photos and videos, and more arrests are expected as the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Postal Inspection Service continue the investigation.

A Postal Service official said ringleaders primarily targeted prepubescent female victims to satisfy their customers but noted that other groups produce photos and videos of boys and girls of all ages -- or even infants.

"For this subset, that's what turns them on," the official said.

But How Do I Know?

Since I started this blog I have been asked by several people what they can do about children they think *might* be in dangerous situations. I believe your instinct is one of the best weapons we have--please do not ignore that feeling that something might be wrong.

You may also have a legal obligation to report your suspicions. Every state has some form of mandatory reporting law. That means that no matter where you live, you are required by law to make a report depending on the circumstances. To find out about the law where you live, visit RAINN.

Here's some additional guidance:

Children who are physically abused may:
* Be nervous around adults.
* Be watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen.
* Have difficulty playing.
* Act aggressively toward adults and other children.
* Be unable to concentrate at school.
* Suddenly underachieve – or overachieve – at school.
* Find it difficult to trust other people and make friends.
*Arrive at school too early or leave after the other children.

Children who are sexually abused may:
* Behave differently when the abuse starts.
* Care less about their appearance or their health.
* Talk or act sexually at too early an age.
* Be secretive and stop talking about home life.
* Start soiling themselves.
* Be unable to sleep.
* Suddenly find physical contact frightening.

Children who are neglected or emotionally abused may:
* Have difficulty learning to talk.
* Find it hard to develop close relationships.
* Be overly friendly with strangers.
* Be unable to play imaginatively.
* Think badly of themselves.
* Underachieve at school.
(Taken from: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/DSS/Youth+and+Family+Services/Protecting+Kids/Home.htm)

Mentally Ill? Maybe. Still Culpable? Definitely.

Another previously convicted sex offender in Charlotte has been arrested for raping a child. Marcus Kennedy was picked up yesterday for raping a 12-year-old girl in the bushes near her school bus stop. He was arrested due to the good work of some witnesses who chased him down and handed him over to police. Some in this community are calling out for justice, mostly against the judges and lawyers who allowed Kennedy to be on the street despite 30 prior arrests.

Today we are learning more about the man charged, including a troubled past and mental health diagnoses of Schizoaffective disorder and substance abuse. His troubled history goes all the way back to being homeless at age 5 before an aunt took him in. It is deeply troubling that terms of probation forcing mental health treatment were never enforced. And it is not just the adult system which is at fault--a long arrest record starting at age 16 hints that there may have been a juvenile record as well, although the public cannot know for sure.

Sure, his mental illness may be a mitigating factor in how the legal system reacts to this most recent and most heinous of crimes. And, having worked with many troubled youth myself, I have deep sympathy for mentally ill children who grow up without treatment and become mentally ill adults. But does any of this change his responsibility for raping a 12-year-old? Or the threat he poses to the rest of our children?

In a legal sense, his mental illness may mean he can't be convicted, although that outcome is highly unlikely. But even if he is unfit for trial or unable to hold the requisite intent needed for a guilty verdict, he should be locked up permanently. Can we ever trust a person like this to be walking around our streets again? Can we ever trust a failing mental health system and an overtaxed legal system to provide appropriate treatment and supervision? The answer, for now, is no. Kennedy, mentally ill though he may be, is also too much of a threat to be allowed among us.

If we want to solve this problem, we can't start with a 28-year old man with over 50 criminal charges on his record. We've got to start with the children who are currently suffering mental illness, homelessness, and abuse of all kinds. In very short order these needy children will grow up to be tomorrow's Marcus Kennedy. Advocate for better funding for the mental health system as well as prosecutors in our communities. Contact your local child advocacy organizations to see how you can help save a child's life now.