Protect Our Children

[Emily Diana]

- Congress should listen to child sex-abuse victims -

"All nine United States Supreme Court justices recognized that possession of child abuse is not a victimless crime when the Court issued its decision in Paroline v. U.S. this past week.

According to the Court, “every viewing of child pornography is a repetition of the crime.” But that is not news. The Court recognized that fact 32 years ago when it issued its decision in New York v. Ferber and reiterated it in Osborne v. Ohio in 1990.

All nine justices also agreed that victims of child pornography are entitled to restitution from those who possess their sex abuse images." ...

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/stor...ctims/8172953/

[Emily Diana]

- Child Sexual Abuse: 6 Stages of Grooming -

"Grooming is the process by which an offender draws a victim into a sexual relationship and maintains that relationship in secrecy. The shrouding of the relationship is an essential feature of grooming. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Welner explains the six stages that can lead up to sexual molestation.

The grooming sex offender works to separate the victim from peers, typically by engendering in the child a sense that they are special to the child and giving a kind of love to the child that the child needs." ...

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Child...es-of-Grooming

[Emily Diana]

A few months after I was married, I found my wife sitting beside our bed crying her eyes out. After a long time of calming her down, she told me stories of her childhood with her stepfather who passed away several years before. She was crying because she felt horrible she had never told me about any of it before we got married and was afraid I wouldn't Love her anymore if I knew. We have been married now for 26 years and it was a long road till she felt like should could trust me fully. I am a fairly passive and definitely not a violent man, but if he was alive , I would have had to do something about him.

Thank you for all you are doing, if one person can avoid what the love of my life went through because of you, you are a saint.

I am going to take her for a walk now. Have a great night!

Jarbronco, thank you for your post. It brings tears to my eyes. I hope you aren't embarassed by my saying you are the kind of man I'd wish each victim/survivor would get to have in their lives. Someone who loves unconditionally and offers safety and trust in the areas of one's life that were painful and scary before then. That could mean the world to someone after being so hurt. I agree with the other posters, you and your wife are fortunate to have each other. I wish you both peace and many happy years together. Take care.

[ebsoria]

Erin's Law;

California votes Wednesday. Please, oh please, California, do the right thing and pass this with a unanomous vote!!!

[ebsoria]

Dear Emily Diana,

I want to publicly thank you for all you are doing to help raise awareness in this thread and on this site. You, truley, are a hero.

Sincerely,

me, ebsoria... Eric

[Emily Diana]

- Pennsylvania fights paying Sandusky’s pension :clap:

"In an effort to keep from paying a pension to former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, Pennsylvania’s retirement system is disputing his employment status at the time he was arrested on child molestation charges and later convicted.

Attorneys for the state’s pension plan argued in a filing this week that Sandusky remained a de facto school employee, collecting payments and perks even after he retired from coaching in 1999, meaning he should continue to forfeit his $59,000 annual pension, The Centre Daily Times reported Friday." ...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...utm_medium=RSS

[Emily Diana]

- Victim in Sandusky Case Determined to Shed Light on Issue of Child Sexual Abuse

"Aaron Fisher, "victim #1" in the sexual abuse case against former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, is determined to shine a light on the issue of child sexual abuse.

"You know, this is kind of one of those things where you can no longer look away from it," Fisher says.

Fisher, with the help of his psychologist, Mike Gillum, and his mom, tells his story in the book "Silent No More."

"It was very helpful to me, very therapeutic to me to get it out there, to get people to see that this is actually happening and it's happening in numbers, and not only numbers, but it's happening with people who are well-known," Fisher says. "For instance, Jerry Sandusky being this big-time football coach, and he ends up sexually abusing several, several, several children."" ...

http://www.ny1.com/content/lifestyle...d-sexual-abuse

[Emily Diana]

- A statue for Joe Paterno? Are memories really that short? -

"They're speaking for "the community" in State College, and for "alumni," and for the "whole town." They're speaking for all of those poor put-upon souls by vowing to raise money for another statue of Joe Paterno.

And so here I am, like one of Pavlov's dogs rousted by this ringing bell, speaking for the other side.

You know. The children.

... Do any of you have the guts, the compassion, the soul, to raise your voice in protest?

... This brings it all back, that whole horrible tragedy for those of us lucky enough to be inflicted only with the knowledge of Sandusky. For the victims of Sandusky, they don't need this to bring it back. They live it every day, his victims and their family members. Imagine being one of those kids. Imagine being one of those parents." ...

http://www.cbssports.com/general/wri...lly-that-short

Thank you, Mr. Doyel for speaking out for the victims/survivors and their loved ones!

[Peanut]

Dad of dead boy, 5, apologizes for not saving him

Very sad. This makes it even sadder:

The family had been monitored by the Department of Children and Families since 2011. Three DCF employees were fired and a fourth disciplined after an investigation revealed missed social worker visits and other failed opportunities to engage with the family. DCF Commissioner Olga Roche resigned Tuesday under mounting pressure following the deaths of Jeremiah and two other children who were being monitored by state child welfare officials.

[Emily Diana]

April 30th update from Erin on the progress of Erin's Law in more states:

"16 years ago today my sister and I were taken to the Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County, Illinois where we broke our silence to a forensic interviewer and found our voice. 16 years later and on the last day of Child Abuse Awareness Month Erin's Law was passed today in New Hampshire and on to the Governor's desk making it the 13th state. Also today Erin's Law passed through Senate in South Carolina, passed tonight on the Senate floor in Connecticut, passed in the House Education Committee in Louisiana, and finally it was passed late last night in California in the House Education Committee will update when we know when it will be voted on again in another committee in the House in California. This making for an extremely successful day in being one step closer to giving children a voice across America on the same day I found my voice 16 years ago.-Erin Merryn"

https://www.facebook.com/ErinsLaw

[Emily Diana]

Dad of dead boy, 5, apologizes for not saving him

Very sad. This makes it even sadder:

I've been listening to the news regarding this story. How sad we even need coffins made in that tiny size. I would hope the guilty person(s) are sentenced to life terms, but it is probably too much to hope for in our messed up judicial system.

[Emily Diana]

- Rapist Gets Light Sentence Because Judge Says 14-Year-Old 'Wasn't The Victim She Claimed To Be'

"“She wasn’t the victim she claimed to be."

A Texas judge used those words to justify the lighter-than-light sentence she gave to a rapist, telling the Dallas Morning News that the 14-year-old victim had three previous sexual partners and had given birth before the sexual assault.

As a result, Judge Jeanine Howard sentenced Sir Young to just 45 days in jail, 5 years of deferred probation and 250 hours of community service. If Young completes his probation, he will have a chance to wipe the conviction off his record." ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5251116.html
_______________________________

- Clueless judge sentences rapist to community service — at a rape crisis center

"Earlier this year, 21-year-old Sir Young confessed to raping a 14 year-old girl in 2011, at Booker T. Washington High School in Texas, where they were both students. Pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child, Young was eligible for up to 20 years in prison, but Dallas County District Judge Jeanine Howard decided to go easy on him.

So easy, in fact, that he was sentenced only to 45 days and 250 hours of community service at, of all places, a rape crisis center. However, due to a significant amount of public outcry and the protests of the rape crisis center itself, she is being forced to reconsider her decision." ...

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/2200...crisis-center/

This story leaves me sad, angry and disgusted. I am not a violent person but would 'like' to slap this judge and tell her to pull her head out of her uhhh... pull her head out of the sand.

[Emily Diana]

- Child sex abuse is a taboo topic for some parents -

"It was a typical PTA meeting at my daughters' elementary school with talk of budgets, fundraisers and the upcoming school calendar, until a guest speaker stood up to talk, shattering the banality of the meeting with a story no parent wants to hear.

Jill Starishevsky, a New York City assistant district attorney in the child abuse and sex crimes bureau and author of the book "My Body Belongs to Me," shared a story about an upper-middle-class New York family, a story that still gives me chills two years after I first heard it." ...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/living...-kids-parents/

[Emily Diana]

- Warning Signs in Children and Adolescents of Possible Child Sexual Abuse -

"Any one sign doesn't mean that a child was sexually abused, but the presence of several suggests that you begin asking questions and consider seeking help.

- Behavior you may see in a child or adolescent:

*Has nightmares or other sleep problems without an explanation
*Seems distracted or distant at odd times
*Has a sudden change in eating habits:
-Refuses to eat
-Loses or drastically increases appetite
-Has trouble swallowing.
*Sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity or withdrawal
*Leaves “clues” that seem likely to provoke a discussion about sexual issues
*Writes, draws, plays or dreams of sexual or frightening images
*Develops new or unusual fear of certain people or places
*Refuses to talk about a secret shared with an adult or older child
*Talks about a new older friend
*Suddenly has money, toys or other gifts without reason
*Thinks of self or body as repulsive, dirty or bad
*Exhibits adult-like sexual behaviors, language and knowledge

- Signs more typical of younger children:

*An older child behaving like a younger child (such as bed-wetting or thumb sucking)
*Has new words for private body parts
*Resists removing clothes when appropriate times (bath, bed, toileting, diapering)
*Asks other children to behave sexually or play sexual games
*Mimics adult-like sexual behaviors with toys or stuffed animal
*Wetting and soiling accidents unrelated to toilet training

- Signs more typical in adolescents:

*Self-injury (cutting, burning)
*Inadequate personal hygiene
*Drug and alcohol abuse
*Sexual promiscuity
*Running away from home
*Depression, anxiety
*Suicide attempts
*Fear of intimacy or closeness
*Compulsive eating or dieting

http://www.stopitnow.org/warning_signs_child_behavior

[Emily Diana]

- Sex Offender Registry Websites -

The National Sex Offender Public Website—coordinated by the Department of Justice—enables every citizen to search the latest information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and numerous Indian tribes for the identity and location of known sex offenders.

To run a search: Enter the site, select the “I agree” button under Conditions of Use, fill out the Search form, and select “Search.”

You can also search registry websites maintained by individual jurisdictions by following the links below. Note: the information contained in the national registry and the state and tribal registries is identical; the national registry simply enables a search across multiple jurisdictions."

States, Territories, Tribes:
http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/registry/registry

The National Sex Offender Public Website:
http://www.nsopr.gov/