Pollsters have long known that the phrasing of a question can significantly affect how respondents answer it — think about the language battle over “pro-life” and “anti-choice.” So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that this applies to sexual assault: Both men and women will offer different responses to questions about rape depending on whether you use the word rape itself or describe the act in question. But it’s still weird how big some of the resulting gaps are. This isn’t actually a new finding. In a recent study on male college students’ attitudes toward rape led by Sarah Edwards of the University of North Dakota and published in Violence and Gender, the authors cite research first conducted in the 1980s. READ MORE HERE

18-Year-Old Opens Up About Dating Her Biological Father

A woman who recently opened up to New York Magazine’s Science of US Blog about dating her dad says she doesn’t understand “being judged for being happy” and is hoping her interview will help shed some light on what it’s like being in as unconventional relationship as the one she and her biological father are in. Explaining how the two began dating, the anonymous 18-year-old said she didn’t really know her father until recently. She was conceived on prom night when her parents were 18 and even though they continued to date throughout the pregnancy, they had broken up by the time she was born. After that the father was out of her life, except for a brief period when she was around five years old. Several years later, when the girl was 17, her dad resurfaced and they began chatting online. Realizing they had a lot of things in common, they decided to meet in person and it was then that the girl started feeling that this wasn’t just any father-daughter reunion. READ MORE HERE

Feds say trafficking will spike during Auto Show

Detroit, Michigan – The Detroit Auto Show draws thousands to the Motor City. And predictably, a good number of men. And no surprise, that means, officials say, the demand for sex spikes. “They are going to cater to a special group of people.” Human traffickers that is. READ MORE HERE

SUPERBOWL 2015 – Campaign vs. Trafficking

Be a Fan for Freedom! The Super Bowl is famously known as the largest sporting event in America. Drawing thousands of football fans from across the nation to a wild hotspot fueled by tailgate parties and flashy spectacle, millions of dollars are spent to ensure that the multitudes who flock to the game have a good time. For the weeks surrounding the big game, the region chosen to host the Super Bowl turns into an enduring party with a seemingly limitless flow of alcohol, drugs, and sex.

However, there is a much darker side of the sporting phenomenon that we as a society like to overlook. The Super Bowl attracts anywhere from 125,000 to 150,000 tourists from across the nation; this increase in visitors may contribute to a spike in demand for sexual solicitation. The excessive influx of people into one general area can prove to be especially lucrative for sex traffickers, especially when a large number of those travelers are wealthy men looking for a party.

In preparation for Super Bowl 2015, ECPAT-USA is working to protect children. ECPAT-USA is:

• Reaching out to Hotels to receive training on Child Sex Trafficking
• Raising awareness about Child Sex Trafficking
• Mobilizing volunteers around anti-trafficking efforts with a specific focus on the Tourism and Travel Industry.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

ROSEVILLE, Michigan — Authorities say the body of a newborn boy has been found at a suburban Detroit recycling center. Police in Roseville say workers at the Great Lakes Recycling Center discovered the body Wednesday night in a container among other items that came down a sorting line. Investigators say the child was between one and three days old and showed no signs of trauma. READ MORE HERE

DNA: Baby found in Roseville is not Okemos woman’s

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — A judge sentenced an Alabama woman to 219 years in prison Thursday for her role in an incestuous sex ring accused of molesting children for years. Wendy Holland, 35, showed no emotion as the judge condemned her to what amounts to a life sentence. She must serve at least 50 years in prison before parole consideration, a prosecutor said. Jurors convicted the woman of sodomy, sexual abuse and other charges last month. READ MORE HERE

DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Detectives need your help tracking down a wanted sex offender. Warren Blake, 49, failed to register as a sex offender.  He was convicted of sexual battery in 1998. His last known address is 928 SE 4th Avenue in Delray Beach. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Blake has been known to use these aliases: Clayton West, Clayton Darrell West, Radcliffe Warren Blake, Blake Radcliff, Radcliffe Blake, Warren Radcliffe Blake, Blake Radcliffe. Call the Delray Beach Police Department at 561-243-7800 if you know where he is. SOURCE

Parents File $100 Million Suit in Gym-Mat Death of Georgia Teen Kendrick Johnson

SAVANNAH, Georgia – The parents of a Georgia teenager found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat two years ago have filed a lawsuit accusing classmates of killing him at school in a case that was covered up by school officials and investigators. The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson of Valdosta names 38 defendants, including three Lowndes High School classmates it says attacked Johnson on Jan. 10, 2013. Sheriff’s investigators concluded the teenager died in a freak accident after becoming stuck upside down in the mat. No criminal charges have been filed. READ MORE HERE

Man charged with murder, child abuse in 1-year-old’s death

WILSON, N.C. — A 26-year-old Wilson man was arrested and charged Tuesday in the death of an one-year-old, police said Wednesday night. Melvin Eugene McNeil Jr., 26, of “104 Spruce Street SW at 1705 Tarboro Street SW,” is charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. He was held in the Wilson County jail Thursday under no bond. His first court appearance is scheduled for Friday. READ MORE HERE

A mother has been charged with rape and sodomy after she allegedly engaged in intercourse and oral sex with her son’s 12-year-old friend. Nicole Marie Smith, 30, of St Charles County, Missouri, has been jailed after she targeted the 12-year-old boy at her home, police said. The boy reportedly told investigators that he and his friend’s mother had sex and oral sex at her suburban home while her own son was in the basement. READ MORE HERE

AUBURN — A Lewiston man charged with killing his 14-week-old son appeared in court Friday and will remain in jail. Danny Adams, 24, made his first appearance in Androscoggin County Superior Court on Friday. The judge ruled that Adams be held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail pending a bail hearing sought by the state to establish probable cause in a formerly capital offense. That hearing hadn’t been scheduled as of noon Friday. READ MORE HERE

2-yo dies from injuries after alleged child abuse by mother’s boyfriend

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A two-year-old child passed away Sunday morning after being hospitalized following a suspected case of child abuse. On Saturday, Mirsad Hamidovic, 23, was initially facing two counts of child abuse for allegedly injuring the little boy, named Lorenzo, so severely that he was placed on life support at an area hospital. READ MORE HERE

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — A 60-year-old man has been arrested and is accused of getting a 12-year-old Jacksonville girl pregnant. Action News is speaking to that young girl’s family. To protect that girl, we’re concealing the faces of family members, who tell us they have a hard time believing what happened in their home. Behind bars is 60-year-old Walter Johnson, accused of getting a 12-year-old girl pregnant. Johnson is charged with three counts of sexual battery. We spoke with a woman who says that young girl is her relative. READ MORE HERE

The Ludhiana police have arrested a woman tutor and her two brothers on the charge of sexually exploiting a minor boy and filming the rapes. The trio were trying to flee to New Delhi and were at the Ludhiana bus terminus when the police arrested them on Sunday. They were produced in the court, which remanded them in police custody for two days. Accused Radha, 33, Raghav, 28, and Madhav, 24, have been absconding since October 2014. READ MORE HERE