When a toddler has a broken bone, paediatricians may be more likely to suspect abuse if the family is lower-income, a new study finds. Researchers found that paediatricians who read a fictional case report of a toddler with a leg fracture were more likely to suspect abuse if the child was described as coming from a lower-income family. A hypothetical child’s race, on the other hand, did not appear to influence doctors’ opinions. The second finding is somewhat surprising, according to the researchers. Studies looking at real-world cases have found that minority children are more likely to be evaluated for abuse than white children are. And it’s well known that the child welfare system in the US has a disproportionate number of minority kids.  READ MORE HERE

CHATTANOOGA  –  A Hamilton County Corrections Officer has been arrested on assault and child abuse charges. According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, a Grand Jury returned indictments against Robert Medford on charges of aggravated assault, official oppression and misdemeanor child abuse. The Sheriff’s Office says on December 29, a juvenile inmate sprayed a germicide liquid on Medford. READ MORE HERE

A Houston woman has been sentenced by a Fort Bend County Judge to a total of 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a young girl who was friends with her own children. Rowena Manuela Klinker was sentenced to 20 years in prison on each of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child after pleading guilty to the indictments.  Klinker was eligible for probation.  READ MORE HERE

More than half of social workers and a third of police officers feel powerless to intervene in suspected cases of child neglect, a report has revealed. The poll commissioned by Action For Children revealed while teachers, health workers and nursery staff are increasingly aware of child neglect they are often unsure what action should be taken. More than 4,000 people, including the general public, professionals and 47 local authorities, took part in the research through polling and focus groups. READ MORE HERE

On Sunday, Jan. 22, Orlando Harley-Davidson hosted a motorcycle ride along Interstate 4 to raise awareness of the Tri County Chapter of BIKERS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE (BACA), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help create a safer environment for abused children. Hundreds of riders took part in the charitable police escorted ride and after-party.  “We are honored to have teamed up with BACA in an effort to put an end to child abuse,” said Anne Deli, President of Orlando Harley-Davidson. “We were happy to provide motorcycle enthusiasts with an opportunity to support BACA by raising awareness for this worthy cause. It was a fun and meaningful day!” READ MORE HERE

North Vegas Cops: 12-Year-Old Was Raped And Gagged

Nevada cops are on the manhunt for Aldo Gonzalez, a man they say committed one of the most heinous crimes they’ve ever seen: kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old mentally-challenged girl. After being released by her captor, the young girl bravely led cops to the house where she was assaulted and identified the suspect as Aldo Gonzalez. Gonzalez plead guilty to the charges but fled while awaiting sentencing. Now, the U.S. Marshals have joined the manhunt for this brazen predator.
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Yes, you read that right- Fuck Joe Paterno. And you can HR me, unfollow me, curse me out or do whatever you want for saying that. Have at it. I don’t care. I don’t care that Joe Paterno is dead. I don’t care what he did for Penn State. I don’t care about how many wins he got, or how great a coach he was. I don’t want to see your glowing tributes to him, or gaze upon your precious photo layouts, or hear about all his great accomplishments. I don’t want to hear about what a great man he was, and get told I’m complicit in his death or that I’m not a decent human being since I’m not saddened by his death.  READ MORE HERE

Detectives are asking for the public’s help in finding possible molestation victims of a man who coached youth soccer in the Lompoc area in the mid- to late 1980s. The suspect, 52-year-old Terence Paul Stevens, is already facing multiple charges of child molestation, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.   Stevens will appear in Superior Court in Santa Maria for his preliminary hearing, according to the county District Attorney’s Office. During his coaching years, Stevens reportedly befriended several of his juvenile players, whom he ultimately molested, according to the Sheriff’s Department.  READ MORE HERE

Victims nearly double during previous decade

St. Clair County, MI–A report released today shows there are nearly twice as many confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect in St. Clair County as there were a decade ago. The number jumped 97% between 2000 and 2010, from 377 confirmed cases to 673 per year. At the same time, the total population of children aged 0 to 17 fell 12%, according to the 2011 Kids Count report, released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Michigan League for Human Services and Michigan’s Children.  READ MORE HERE

A policeman was starting an 18-year jail sentence today for sex abuse which a judge described as one of the ‘most despicable’ cases he had ever heard. The 43-year-old officer was sacked from Thames Valley Police after being disciplined for repeatedly threatening witnesses who had lodged complaints against him. He had also phoned a 14-year-old girl witness in a case he was dealing with and asking her to go on a date him.  READ MORE HERE