Child sexual abuse is more common than many people think. Darkness to Light – an organization dedicated to helping protect children from sexual abuse – estimates that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18. Yet sexual abuse often remains a horrible secret for the victim; Darkness to Light estimates that only one in 10 sexually abused children will tell someone. It is not uncommon for a child to delay disclosure of sexual abuse, sometimes indefinitely. Sexual abuse can be challenging to talk about, but talking about it and talking about healthy sexual development may be exactly what is needed to create an environment where children can disclose a personal history of abuse.

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http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/article_c9395b68-700f-11e0-aeb2-001cc4c03286.html

GENESEE COUNTY, MI — Whether it’s domestic violence or shootings in the neighborhood, more children in the Flint area are being exposed to violence. Recent numbers show that children increasingly have to deal with violence at home and on the streets. According to the National Survey for Children’s Health, the national rate of children ages 2 to 17 with emotional behavioral or other mental conditions is 11.3 percent. In Michigan, that rate is over 12 percent.

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http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=8092646

Calif teen found guilty of molesting, drowning boy

FRESNO, CA — A California teenager accused of molesting and drowning a 4-year-old neighbor boy and hiding his body in a clothes dryer was convicted of first-degree murder Friday. A judge also found 15-year-old Raul Castro guilty of lewd and lascivious conduct, and sodomy. The judge found Castro not guilty of two counts of kidnapping. Castro was tried as an adult in the October 2009 killing of Alex Mercado. Castro was 14 when he drowned the preschooler in a bathtub after the child said he would tell his mother about the sexual assault.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVA5kD4uMeDrYEQXJi_gtZHsIDLw?docId=f5dceab550ff407babd1a06bc3607f31

Numerous human bite marks on the body of an Asheville-area 4-year-old child found beaten to death led investigators to request dental impressions of his accused killer, according to search warrants returned today. William Godfrey Hedden is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Trenton Scott.

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http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110425/NEWS01/110425042/Warrant-Bite-marks-present-slain-4-year-old?odyssey=nav|head

BUTTS COUNTY, GA  – A Georgia man accused of killing his wife and her child was convinced by a pastor to turn himself in. “We have him, Herman, and we’re taking him there,” said Sheriff Gene Pope, Butts County Sheriff’s Office. Pope says it started with a text message. Herman Jackson’s pastor wanted him to me them at the Henry County Jail.

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http://www.kplctv.com/story/14506539/man-accused-of-killing-wife-child-urged-by-pastor-to-surrender

(BREAKING NEWS) Man charged with murder in death

Rico Jones was charged with murder today for the death of his stepdaughter, Camryia Arnold, who died in December. Camyria was first brought to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital by Jones, who told doctors she had been acting sluggish and was breathing heavily. At the time, police charged Jones with one count of misdemeanor reckless conduct in that he had previously smoked or possessed marijuana in the child’s presence, but the reckless conduct charge was not directly connected to the child’s death, District Attorney Greg Edwards said.

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http://www.albanyherald.com/news/headlines/BREAKING_NEWS_Man_charged_with_murder_in_death_120643534.html?ref=534

The search for a man wanted on charges related to assaults on children ended around 3 p.m. Wednesday with the man’s capture near Fordland. Calvin Bloomer, 23, was taken into custody without incident, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Kelly Palmer said.

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http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110421/NEWS12/104210357/Man-accused-child-rape-cases-arrested?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Special%20Reports|s

Prosecutors called 60-year-old John Rolfe’s victimization of a little girl a case of obsession and control and the jury agreed, finding Rolfe guilty of raping the young girl and possession of child pornography Friday afternoon after a week-long trial. “He didn’t want me to get close to anybody else except him, at all,” his victim testified earlier this week.

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http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_47b047b8-6d31-11e0-b27f-001cc4c03286.html

Syracuse, NY – A Syracuse doctor who is imprisoned in Cambodia, accused of sexually abusing an underage boy, has been placed on leave without pay from Upstate University Hospital. 56-year-old James D’Agostino was arrested on Feb. 16 by the Phnom Penh anti human trafficking and juvenile protection police on charges that he purchased a child prostitute. D’Agostino was under investigation by the Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE) after they received information that he was abusing a boy who he had taken into his care.

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http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/Syracuse-doctor-on-unpaid-leave-after-child-sex/xpfimKrUcEW8EfA3TN_uyQ.cspx

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Maricopa Sheriff’s deputies arrested a three-year-old boy’s adoptive parents Friday in Scottsdale after finding the boy unconscious in a bathroom and documenting multiple other instances of possible abuse, officials said. Roman Bravo’s adoptive parents, Angel and Osanna Bravo, were taken into custody after an investigation revealed multiple incidents of potential abuse to their three-year-old son, officials said.

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http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_northeast_valley/scottsdale/adoptive-parents-arrested-in-child-abuse-case-say-child-%27can%27t-feel-pain%27

MANILA, Philippines – TV host Willie Revillame and top officials of TV5 have been sued for child abuse by rights advocates on Monday in connection with a crying boy who was made to dance suggestively and was given P10,000 on “Willing Willie” last March 12. Six people, including officials of the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), filed the complaint with the Quezon City Fiscal’s Office on Monday.

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http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/04/25/11/willie-revillame-tv5-execs-sued-child-abuse

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http://www.thirdage.com/news/child-abuse-victims-have-altered-brains-study-shows_04-25-2011

DENVER — Although more than two decades have passed, 26-year-old Rezal Martinez clearly recalls the extreme emotional toll sexual abuse took on her as a child.”From about the ages of 3 to 5, I was sexually assaulted by my father, and my whole life changed,” Martinez said. “It was so bad at age 5, I actually tried committing suicide. That’s when my mom decided, obviously, I needed to see a counselor.”

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http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/27660560/detail.html

The suspect in an alleged child abuse case in Revere was ordered held on $15,000 bail during his arraignment Monday morning in Chelsea District Court. Joseph Testa, 28, is accused of causing serious injuries to his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son. The boy was found by rescue personnel Friday morning lying unresponsive across the street from 590 Revere Beach Parkway. Testa was with the boy when medical personnel arrived.

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http://www.itemlive.com/articles/2011/04/25/updates/updates10.txt

Mistrial declared in Chris Collings case

Judge rules a mistrial in case of man accused in the rape and murder of nine-year-old Rowan Ford.

The trial of a Southwest Missouri man accused of raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl will not go ahead as scheduled on Monday. The judge in the case has declared a mistrial in the case involving Christopher Collings, according to Phelps County Deputy Circuit Court Clerk, Jill Cooksey.  A person who tells KY3 News they were in the jury pool says the mistrial was declared due to a lack of an adequate number of jurors left in the pool to meet legal requirements.

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http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-collings-mistrial-declared-mistrial-declared-in-chris-collings-case-20110423,0,2858679.story

Child Abuse in America

Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children. In 2007, approximately 5.8 million children were involved in an estimated 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations.

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http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics

An Orange County woman was molested for several years by a relative, becoming pregnant at age 11 and giving birth at age 12, prosecutors said. The man, Mariano Antonio Castro, 56, Santa Ana, was charged Thursday with a variety of felony counts of continuous sexual abuse and lewd acts on a child under 14. He is being held on $1 million bail and faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted.

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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/orange-county-girl-molested-for-years-by-relative-gave-birth-at-age-12.html

GLENS FALLS — The owner of a Glens Falls dance studio has been charged with a felony, accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a student, police said. Timothy McGuire, 49, was charged late Wednesday with second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child. The charge stems from the complaint of a former student’s family, and was investigated by city and state police, according to state police’s publish information website.

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http://saratogian.com/articles/2011/04/22/news/doc4db16ab5425bb994977362.txt

SAN DIEGO — An Oceanside woman who pleaded guilty to felony charges in the 2006 death of her 4-year-old foster child, was sentenced Thursday to a 16-year prison term. In December, Dania Yesenia Haros, 26, pleaded guilty in Vista Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter, three counts of felony child abuse and one count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/21/foster-mom-gets-16-years-death-child-4/

BALTIMORE — The discovery of a missing North Carolina teen’s body in a Maryland river brings the investigation of her disappearance into a new phase. The body of Phylicia Barnes, who disappeared while visiting her older half-siblings in Baltimore on Dec. 28, was one of two bodies found Wednesday near the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River. Barnes’ 17th birthday was Jan. 12.

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http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20110421/US.Missing.NC.Teen/

Taylor, TX – A Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota man will spend the rest of his life behind bars. 62 year old John Ruport was convicted on 15 counts of sexually abusing a 5 year old girl over the span of several years in Taylor, Texas.

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http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/crime/Hoyt-Lakes-MN-Man-Wont–120325249.html

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says calls to the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline have risen nearly 19 percent in five years. The department says calls increased from roughly 24,100 in 2006 to nearly 28,700 last year. Officials say April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

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http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/c5f31646e4f94842a876641513736fd2/NE–Child-Abuse-Prevention/

The father of a nine-week-old child is behind bars for felony child abuse. Tuesday night, Nebraska State Patrol investigators in Omaha were contacted by Children’s Hospital. Staff at the hospital reported a suspicious injury to a nine-week-old child they were treating.

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http://www.nebraska.tv/story/14486071/dad-arrested-for-abusing-9-week-old-infant

The Director of an East Albany Day Care Center was arrested Tuesday afternoon.  She’s charged with failing to report child abuse. 19-month old Janaysia Stevenson was beaten to death last month. Her mother and the mother’s boyfriend are charged with murder.

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http://www.walb.com/story/14477473/albany-day-care-center-director-in-child-death

Disturbing details: Man accused in brutal attack on newborn

He is under arrest for attempted murder of his infant son. 26-year-old Dario Finkel originally of Marblehead, now of Salem, was arraigned in Salem District court on Wednesday.  Jennifer Finkel, the child’s mother, told police that Dario stuffed a baby wipe into seven-week-old Michael Finkel’s mouth when the child would not stop crying.

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http://www.necn.com/04/20/11/Disturbing-details-Man-accused-in-brutal/landing_newengland.html?blockID=507699&feedID=4206