NEW YORK — America uses flawed methods to tally and analyze the deaths of children who have been maltreated, and the latest annual estimate of 1,770 such fatalities is likely too low, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report to Congress. Better data, says the GAO, would aid in developing strategies that could save many children’s lives in the future. The GAO report, the subject of a House Human Resources subcommittee hearing Tuesday, says state agencies and the Department of Health and Human Services should broaden the scope of data collection, improve coordination, and seek uniform definitions of abuse and maltreatment.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hleAAvmjXWoEH7IqiVeRd1Jrmiqg?docId=883ba35174cc4b01a87bae962f0299c9

HAMILTON — A Madison Twp. man was given a life sentence today for repeatedly raping three juvenile members. Benjamin Vargo, 27, pleaded guilty in May to 24 felony counts, 22 counts of rape and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Butler County Judge Patricia Oney sentenced Vargo today to 15 years to life in prison. He has also been declared a Tier III sex offender and will be required to register his address every 90 days for life if he is released from prison.

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http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/madison-man-gets-life-in-prison-for-raping-family-members-1204877.html

Police were close to Amber Alert for 2 children later found dead

Madison police were close to requesting an Amber Alert on Tuesday for two young children found dead early Wednesday but held off in part because the children’s mother and other family members were in phone contact with the man accused of taking the children, police said Thursday.

The number of reports of family violence within the military, which had been in decline over several years, has been rising over the last two years, and reports of abused children and spouses increased significantly last year, a report by the Defense Department’s Family Advocacy Program shows. But what it means — more people reporting who had kept silent in the past, better record-keeping or more people in the military abusing their spouses and children — is unknown.

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http://www.stripes.com/reports-of-family-violence-abuse-within-military-rise-1.148815

Goa is becoming a child sex trade hub after Thailand’s crackdown on its thriving child abuse industry, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao said on Saturday. “Till recently, Thailand was considered to be the capital of the child sex tourism industry in this part of the world. It is now known how the Thai government, pushed by international child protection organisations, cracked down on the industry in that country,” Ferrao said. “As a result, the lords of the sex trade have been looking out for fresh locations in South-East Asia. India, with her almost magical name, presents herself as an ideal alternative and Goa, which is being presented as a land on a holiday for 365 days, is increasingly seen as the most viable place for such a shift of operations,” Ferrao said.

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http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_foreign-child-abusers-operating-in-goa-church_1564021

Protecting children from abuse and neglect would seem the first duty of any civil society. But only in 1912 did the United States adopt its first child-protection laws, and not until 1967 were such laws on the books in every state. Today, those early efforts sound almost quaint. In 1967, for example, Pennsylvania required only doctors to notify authorities if they suspected a minor in their care was being abused or neglected.

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http://www.philly.com/philly/news/125329178.html

A man has been jailed for 18 years for the abuse of a number of children spanning nearly two decades.

Colin Cooper, 60, formerly known as Alan Makinson, was convicted of 30 offences of sexual assault and rape involving eight children aged from three to 12. His first victim was attacked in the mid 1980s, and the abuse continued until 2001. Cooper abused the children on days out or during visits to his homes in the South Manchester and Tameside areas.

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http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Paedophile-Colin-Cooper-Jailed-For-18-Years-For-Abuse-Of-Children-Over-Almost-Two-Decades/Article/201107216028342?lpos=UK_News_First_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_16028342_Paedophile_Colin_Cooper_Jailed_For_18_Years_For_Abuse_Of_Children_Over_Almost_Two_Decades

GAG ORDER ISSUED IN CHILD’S ABUSE-DEATH CASE

GARY, Ind. — More than 13 people might have known of abuse endured by a Gary boy before his death but most said nothing to authorities, a published report said Sunday. Only one person claims to have taken her concerns about Christian Choate to legal authorities, The Times of Munster reported, citing its own review of Indiana Department of Child Services records.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-report-13-people-might-have-known-of-indiana-boys-abuse-20110710,0,7513546.story

GLOUCESTER CITY, N.J. — A South Jersey babysitter has been charged with the death of a little girl under her care, a little girl who died last night. It happened in a house in Gloucester City. Two year old Madeline McHenry was in the care of a babysitter; a babysitter who came with references and a resume, a babysitter who is now charged with murder. “I don’t know what was going through her mind or how she could pick her up and shake her and throw her across the room and kill my little girl,” said Dan McHenry.

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http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8239923

SANTA ANA — Police in Santa Ana say they have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the “suspicious” death of an 18-month-girl. Officers arrested Juan Carlos Aguilar, of Santa Ana, and booked him at the Santa Ana Jail, said Santa Ana police Cmdr. Steve Colon.    A staffer at Coastal Community Hospital called police about noon Saturday regarding the suspicious death of the toddler, Colon said. The girl was unconscious and not breathing when her 21-year-old mother brought her to the hospital.

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http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-santa-ana-toddler-suspicious-death,0,7212943.story

As 14-year-old Jaycee Dugard struggled in a crude backyard shed to deliver her baby daughter, the serial predator who had abducted and raped her stepped in to unwrap the umbilical cord that trapped the infant. “She was beautiful,” Dugard said of the child she birthed three years into her captivity in Northern California. “I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore. I knew I could never let anything happen to her.”

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http://www.ktla.com/news/nationworld/la-me-jaycee-dugard-20110711,0,4888848.story

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of child and caregiver participation in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of sexually abused children with posttraumatic stress symptoms. Method: Thirty-six sexually abused children (aged 5-17 years) were randomly assigned to a child-alone cognitive-behavioral treatment condition, a family cognitive-behavioral treatment condition, or a waiting-list control condition. Results: Compared with controls, children who received treatment exhibited significant improvements in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and self-reports of fear and anxiety. Significant improvements also occurred in relation to parent-completed measures and clinician ratings of global functioning. In general, parental involvement did not improve the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Maintenance of improvement was evident at a 12-week follow-up assessment. Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral treatment was useful, but further research is required on caregiver involvement. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolese. Psychiatry, 2000, 39(11):1347-1355. Key Words: children, sexual abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, treatment, randomized trial.

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http://business.highbeam.com/5884/article-1G1-67589561/treating-sexually-abused-children-posttraumatic-stress

Man arrested after punching 2-MO crying son with fist

Friday afternoon a Milton man was arrested following a family disturbance on Phoenix Dr. in Milton. Jeremy Alexander Davidson, 21, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse and domestic violence involving battery. Alexander is currently being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond. According to Sgt. Scott Haines, with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a family disturbance and discovered Davidson standing in the front yard.

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http://www.srpressgazette.com/news/davidson-13424-haines-family.html