A surge in seizures of child-like sex dolls by border officers has led investigators to identify dozens of previously unknown suspected pedophiles. The lifelike silicone sex aids, which weigh around 55lb (25kg) and can cost thousands of pounds, are being imported into the UK after being sold by traders on sites including Amazon and eBay, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. READ MORE HERE
OKLAHOMA – A couple have been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a four-year-old girl and taking naked photos of the child. Kristina Koehn, 29, of Hominy, was arrested on Wednesday along with her 19-year-old boyfriend, Chance Hood. When questioned by police, Koehn and Hood admitted to taking the victim to a park in Sapulpa, where the boyfriend forced the toddler to touch and lick his privates, according to a probable cause affidavit. READ MORE HERE
Grooming is the process by which an offender draws a victim into a sexual relationship and maintains that relationship in secrecy. The shrouding of the relationship is an essential feature of grooming. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Welner explains the six stages that can lead up to sexual molestation. The grooming sex offender works to separate the victim from peers, typically by engendering in the child a sense that they are special to the child and giving a kind of love to the child that the child needs.
Different law enforcement officers and academics have proposed models of the “stages” of grooming. Since there are a variety of these models, it’s best to think of the grooming by sex offenders as a gradual, calculated process that ensnares children into a world in which they are ultimately a willing part of the sex abuse. CLICK HERE FOR THE STAGES
This fact sheet provides an overview of how trauma affects school-aged children and teens. You will also find information on treatments for PTSD in children. To learn about PTSD in very young children, please see our fact sheet Very Young Trauma Survivors: The Role of Attachment.
Children and teens could have PTSD if they have lived through an event that could have caused them or someone else to be killed or badly hurt. Such events include sexual or physical abuse or other violent crimes. Disasters such as floods, school shootings, car crashes, or fires might also cause PTSD. Other events that can cause PTSD are war, a friend’s suicide, or seeing violence in the area they live.
Child protection services in the U.S. get around three million reports each year. This involves 5.5 million children. Of the reported cases, there is proof of abuse in about 30%. From these cases, we have an idea how often different types of abuse occur:
Also, three to ten million children witness family violence each year. Around 40% to 60% of those cases involve child physical abuse. (Note: It is thought that two-thirds of child abuse cases are not reported.)
ROCKWELL, N.C. — A suspect has been taken into custody in Concord after evading Rowan County Police. Houston Ray McCarn, has been arrested after being found at the Howard Johnson Motel in Concord. According to police McCarn, and his girlfriend Amber Scarborough was wanted for the First Degree Murder of Kingston Aistrop, and Felony Child Abuse Causing Serious Body Injury. Kingston Aistrop, 8-weeks-old, was reported to not be breathing when the mother called 911 in July 2016.
OHIO – A 52-year-old Ohio school board superintendent and his wife — who is also a superintendent — were indicted Tuesday in connection with allegations of child rape involving a 13-year-old girl. Patrick O’Donnell, the superintendent at Indian Lake Schools in Logan County, is facing four counts of first-degree felony rape, four counts of second-degree felony sexual battery, five counts of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition and one count of fourth-degree gross sexual imposition, according to Logan County Prosecutor Eric C. Stewart. O’Donnell’s wife, Heather, 46, the superintendent at Midwest Regional Educational Service Center, has been charged with two counts of third-degree felony child endangering, according to Stewart. Both have pleaded not guilty. Patrick O’Donnell has been released on $150,000 bond. Heather was released on $25,000 bail, according to Stewart. READ MORE HERE
Mark Redwine, the father of Dylan Redwine, 13, who went missing in Colorado in 2012 and his remains were found in June 2013 on Middle Mountain has been arrested. He was arrested in Washington where he works as a truck driver. La Plata County Sheriff’s Dept. called Mark a person of interest in Dylan’s death years before. Elaine Hall, Dylan’s mom said she believed Mark Redwine had something to do with the disappearance of her son early on in the case. Back in 2014 it was thought that Mark had been arrested, but he was actually taken to the hospital. READ MORE HERE
LANSING, MI – An Ingham County judge found Thomas McClellan guilty of first-degree murder Friday, meaning the 25-year-old Holt man will spend the rest of his life in prison for stabbing then burning Luna Younger, his 5-year-old stepdaughter. Ingham County Circuit Judge Joyce Draganchuk also found McClellan guilty of first-degree child abuse and first-degree arson. Draganchuk alone deliberated because McClellan’s attorney, Patrick Crowley, requested a bench trial instead of trial by jury. READ MORE HERE
QUEENSLAND – A man who killed his seven-week-old baby will be sentenced for manslaughter after pleading guilty at the Brisbane Supreme Court. Rick Cataldo was arraigned over the May 2012 death of daughter Lily Rain Cataldo at the court on Thursday, where he entered a plea to a single charge. Lily’s mother Michelle Leask was in April sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after also pleading guilty to manslaughter. READ MORE HERE
German police have busted a child porn website with 87,000 members and arrested a man they accuse of running it. Officers detained the 39-year-old, who has not been identified, north of Frankfurt. Several suspected users were arrested across Germany and Austria They are all accused of involvement in a forum called Elysium, which had operated on the ‘Darknet’ since the end of 2016. The website was used for the worldwide exchange of child pornography and to make appointments for the sexual abuse of children, prosecutors said. “Among the child pornographic images and video files exchanged by the members of the platform were recordings of the most serious sexual abuse of children, including toddlers and depiction of sexual violence against children,” it said. READ MORE HERE
The internet is a fantastic tool, but dangers lurk within! Keeping your children and teens safe online becomes more challenging by the day. Don’t worry though! In this guide, I show you what dangers to look out for, and share some quick and easy tips to help protect your loved ones. The internet raises a host of dilemmas for modern parents. While we are keen to see our children harness the opportunities the web offers them, we also have to balance this with the obvious need to protect young people from its inherent dangers. The internet is now far too ubiquitous for parents to simply plead a lack of technical understanding. The dangers of the connected world are just as real as the benefits. READ MORE HERE
DREAMCATCHERS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN, INC. is an official non-profit 501(c)3 child abuse & neglect organization. Our mission is to educate the public on all aspects of child abuse such as symptoms, intervention, prevention, statistics, reporting, and helping victims locate the proper resources necessary to achieve a full recovery. We also cover areas such as bullying, teen suicide & prevention, children\'s rights, child trafficking, missing & exploited children, online safety, and pedophiles/sex offenders.
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