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Atlanta Cracks Down on Child Prostitution A report published in 2005 on commercial exploitation of children in Atlanta is the base for a new approach to child prostitution in Atlanta. In coming months a “John’s School” will open in Atlanta Municipal Court. The idea is to go after johns and force them to change their behavior. They will also face possible prosecution as child molesters.
Hidden in Plain View: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Atlanta found strong correlation between areas of adult prostitution and juvenile prostitution through analysis of police data and mapping.
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Project Safe Childhood Web site with resources on protecting children from online exploitation and abuse. ++++++++++ Child Abuse and Neglect General Information Packet
The Child Welfare Information Gateway provides an information packet that includes fact sheets about child maltreatment, child abuse and neglect information, statistical information about the prevalence of child abuse and neglect, and the characteristics of victims and offenders. The packet also includes directories of federal clearinghouses, hotlines, state agencies, and other organizations that disseminate information about family and domestic violence and substance abuse. ++++++++++ Congress Identifies Pornography Purchasers
A Congressional subcommittee investigating the growth of online child pornography has referred the names of hundreds of people who purchased illegal images to state prosecutors around the country. Referrals were made late last month to attorneys general in 46 states. Information provided included names, credit card information and identifying details of the computers used to purchase monthly memberships at an illegal child pornography site. ++++++++++ Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation & Sexual Violence in Disaster & Emergency Situations
ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), a network of organization and individuals working together to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children, recently released this manual intended as a practical tool for better protection children in these contexts. It is based on lessons learned from the Asian Tsunami by experts directly involved with relief efforts there. 84 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Internet Providers to Create Database to Combat Child Porn
AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft, EarthLink, and United Online Inc (NetZero and Juno) have come together to pledge $1 million to jointly build a database of child-pornography images and to develop other tools to help network operators and law enforcement better prevent distribution of the images. The creation of the technology coalition grew out of Attorney General Gonzales’ April speech identifying increases in child-porn cases and chiding the Internet industry for not doing more about them and is intended to demonstrate the industry’s willingness to cooperate. ++++++++++ Child Sex Crimes Death Penalty Is Widening
Five states now allow the death penalty for sex crimes against children. Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Montana all have such laws. ++++++++++ Financial Firms Team With Law Enforcement Against Child Porn
The new Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography will team with law enforcement to report child porn sites it discovers on the Web to a central tip line, slated to expand next month to receive the information. The companies will block transactions for online child porn or, if law enforcement opens an investigation, help track sellers and buyers. ++++++++++ Teen Prostitution
The Toledo Blade continues to report on teen prostitution in that city which has been identified by the federal government as a hub for a national teen prostitution ring . - Teen Prostitute Found Dead Had Slipped Away Long Ago – Melissa Palmer, a key witness in the federal case against a nationwide underage sex-trade ring, died of an apparent drug overdose in late April. She was 18. She was a chronic runaway who first left home at age 11.
Surviving in Wayne’s World - Wayne Banks, Jr. is a third-generation pimp who is serving 40 years in prison. Last year he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Pensacola, Fla., to interstate sex trafficking of a 17-year-old Toledo girl, intimidating a witness, and conspiracy. Banks was part of a nationwide sex-trade ring that preyed on young girls.
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At the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children last week, the Attorney General spoke very frankly about child pornography, what it is, and how the Internet complicates the problem and makes many more children vulnerable to sexual predators. The link above will take you to the text of his speech. ++++++++++ Testimony of Teen Who Was Exploited on the Internet
Accompanied by the reporter from the New York Times who convinced him to come forward on behalf of other children and youth who are being exploited online, Justin Berry described to the House Committee on Oversight and Investigations how he was molested as a teenager by people he had met online and then went on to run a pornographic web site for five years featuring images of himself. Berry provided leads to 1,500 people who had paid him to perform on camera. For more information and points of view go to the web site of the National Association to Protect Children and read Andrew Vachss’ article for PARADE Magazine on child pornography and Vachss’ interview with PROTECT. ++++++++++Targeting Juvenile Sex Rings Using Anti-Trafficking Laws
At a five-day trial in the federal courthouse in Washington, three young women described in graphic detail the life they led with their pimp and under his instruction. These activities came to light after investigations by the District’s Human Trafficking Task Force and the Department of Justice Department’s Innocence Lost initiative, separate efforts that target pimps accused of using violence and preying on girls. Innocence Lost, concentrated in 14 U.S. cities, has launched 140 investigations resulting in convictions of at least 68 pimps. The D.C. task force has initiated more than 30 investigations and has won 17 convictions. ++++++++++ How California’s Sexual Predators Evade Treatment
A decade ago California’s legislators created a strict, five-stage treatment program for the state’s highest-risk sex offenders. It was consider among the nation’s toughest. But the program has a flaw. Sexually violent predators can refuse treatment and attempt to win release through the court hearing each offender receives every two years.
Through the end of 2005, 54 rapists and child molesters won release from their commitments. Only four men have completed the five-step program and one of those was returned to custody two months after his release. The Sacramento Bee has published a special report on their six-month investigation of this issue.
++++++++++ Internet Dangers for Teens Predators on Teen Web Sites
Free services like MySpace, Xanga, Facebook and Friendster have attracted millions of young people who swap messages, find dates and post journals, songs, videos and photos. Sexual predators find these sites irresistible. Experts say parents aren’t paying enough attention. Former NASCAR Spokesman Arrested in Internet Child-Predator Sting
The case against Richard “Chip” Williams could involve more than 50 children according to the statement of a 14-year-old girl who told police she had been having sex over the past three years with a man who is identified as Williams.
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Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation’s Youth
National survey of 1,501 youth aged 10 to 17 documented their use of the Internet and experience while online including unwanted exposure to sexual solicitation, sexual material, and harassment. Includes recommendations to help make the Internet safer for children. 62 page pdf file . Includes recommendations to help make the Internet safer for children. 62 page pdf file ++++++++++ Teen Prostitution in Ohio and Massachusetts Teen Prostitution in the Bay State Boston’s NPR station reports on a December federal bust of a prostitution ring that operated from Hawaii to Massachusetts and allegedly exploited minors as young as 12-years-old and on the growth of teen prostitution in Massachusetts. Toledo, Ohio described as a hub of teen prostitution The Toledo Blade , in a series on the teen prostitution ring busted in December, reports on the shock Toledo experienced on discovering it is known as one of the top cities in the country for teen prostitution. Here are the articles: 31 Accused of Running Child Sex Ring – Many of the young girls ‘herded’ around the country are from Toledo – Article published December 17 reports on one of the largest mass arrests of alleged operators of child prostitution rings in U.S. history. Crackdown exposes Toledo as a hub of teen prostitution – Article published January 8, 2006 describing the workings of the teen prostitution ring in Toledo. Captive teenage cousins suffer crash course in forced sex trade – Two teenage girls from Toledo describe their experiences when forced into the sex trade after they accept a ride from a stranger in a rainstorm. Buffie Rae’s slaying leaves mom with few answers – The death of a prostitute at a truck stop outside Indianapolis is tied to the prostitution trade. The 27-year-old hooker had turned to prostitution along the interstate circuit when she was 13. ++++++++++ Child Porn on the Web
A lengthy article on the Internet child porn business, how child porn websites work, tracking and prosecuting child porn on the Internet. A lengthy article on the , how child porn websites work, tracking and prosecuting child porn on the Internet. ++++++++++ Runaway Held as Sex Slave A 15-year-old teen runaway was held captive and tortured by a couple who forced her to have sex for money with people they found on the internet. The girl ran away in September and met the couple through a friend about three hours after she disappeared. ++++++++++
Child Sex Ring Uncovered in Canada Winnipeg police say they are investigating one of the largest sexual exploitation rings ever seen in the city, allegedly involving more then 30 children ranging in age from 18 months to 17 years.
++++++++++ Young Lives for Sale Why more kids are getting into the sex trade – and how the feds are fighting back Trafficking in children for sex was once thought to be a problem of other places, other countries. The Department of Justice and the FBI have found, however, that sexual exploitation of children is a home-grown issue. Under the Innocence Lost Initiative more than 40 FBI agents have been dedicated to task forces in the 14 cities with the highest incidence of child prostitution – places like Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis. The feds have obtained almost 40 federal indictments of accused sex traffickers and pimps. If you think this is a brand new problem, it’s not. I attended a conference about 10 years ago on prostitution and learned then about the prostitution rings in which young girls were recruited and then moved from city to city by their pimps. Until 2001, when the results of the North American Child Exploitation study were released by the University of Pennsylvania, I saw almost nothing further about this subject. ++++++++++ Sex Between Young Teens and Older Individuals: A Demographic Portrait This ChildTrends Research Brief reports that: Among sexually experienced teens, having sex with someone who is older has been associated with reduced and inconsistent use of contraception, including reduced use of condoms, and a greater risk of teen pregnancy. More than one in four babies born to mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 were fathered by someone who was five or more years older. On average, young teens who have sex with an older individual report a larger number of sexual partners during the high school years and higher levels of drug and alcohol use than do other sexually experienced teens. ++++++++++ Child Prostitution: The Hidden Crime The sale of Atlanta children for sex continues despite a crackdown that sent two of Atlanta’s most notorious pimps to prison three years ago, according to a panel of victims, advocates and government officials at a recent forum. The forum was held to acknowledge the completion of a study that found juvenile prostitution thriving citywide, in both poor and wealthy areas. Children are forced into sex both in places known for prostitution and in upscale Buckhead. ++++++++++
At War With the Pimps of Children
Two years ago the U.S. Department of Justice set sex trafficking of children as a top priority The government identified 13 American cities that have the biggest problems and demanded that multiagency task forces be set up in each community to investigate pimps and coordinate therapy and housing for the victims. The FBI is now prepared to dedicate teams of agents to each of the cities to focus solely on busting traffickers. This article reports on the first-ever federal prosecution of juvenile sex trafficking in Chicago.
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62 People Convicted in France’s Biggest Pedophile Trial Sentences ranged from four months suspended to 28 years for second-time offenders. The leaders of the huge pedophile ring received the longest jail terms. One man, known as Philippe, was jailed 28 years for his role which included the rape of his granddaughters. Another of his victims was his son, who himself was among the accused.
See also sidebar article: A Town Called Angers
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Child Pornography Possessors Arrested in Internet-Related Crimes – Findings from the National Juvenile Online Victimization Study (N-JOV) The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children presents this groundbreaking national survey. The survey of law enforcement estimated the number of arrests for child-pornography possessors in Internet-related crimes and described characteristics of the offenders, the crimes they committed, and their victims. 60 pages. Downloadable pdf file. ++++++++++ Trafficking in Persons The NCJRS (National Criminal Justice Reference Service) website's latest “In the Spotlight” feature highlights trafficking in persons information and resources. It includes a number of links and resource organizations too. ++++++++++ |
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