A girl who was repeatedly sexually abused by her parents scratched ‘trapped’ into the wooden framework of the chicken shed she was raped in and buried the garden tools with which her father used to disfigure her. Her desperate attempts to escape the sickening abuse meted out by her mother and father, whom are described as well-regarded professionals, was revealed at a sentence hearing on Thursday. The NSW father, who cannot be identified, started abusing his daughter when she was five years old and it continued until she was 19, Judge Sarah Huggett told Sydney’s District Court.

A Maryland woman working as a nanny has been arrested after police said she force fed an eight-month-old baby girl who then died. Oluremi Oyindasola, 66, of Glenarden, Maryland, has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in death and other offenses, Prince George’s County Police said Wednesday. A home surveillance system recorded Oyindasola napping when the crying child, eight-month-old Enita Salubi, approached in a toddler walker, according to police.

Pedophilia is often thought of as synonymous with child molestation, but this is not always the case. Not everyone diagnosed with pedophilia will commit child sexual offences, and some people who sexually offend against children are not pedophiles. Now a new study has shown there are differences in the brains of those who attack children and pedophiles who have never molested anyone, and the findings could help predict whether or not a pedophile might go on to offend.

Since the pursuit of education is one of the most vital parts of healing, empowerment, self-esteem, and independence, many public and private organizations have established scholarships for survivors of crime to help get on the right track to a brighter future. Due to the devastating impact of violent crimes on human development, many victims often suffer from long-term effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiousness, fearfulness, and other disturbing symptoms that make it difficult to function, let alone pursue a degree. Luckily, the following are 25 of the best scholarship opportunities that are available to provide crime survivors with the financial support and resources for recovery in pursuing their dreams.

PHILADELPHIA – An FBI operation focused on combating child sex trafficking around the world resulted in the arrests of 15 suspected pimps and associates in the Philadelphia region, authorities announced Tuesday. Eighty-two minors were rescued and 239 alleged traffickers and their associates were arrested as part of this year’s Operation Cross Country, an annual international crime-fighting effort, according to the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

SICILY – A mother who murdered her eight-year-old son when the boy allegedly discovered she was having an affair with his grandfather has been jailed for 30 years in Italy. Veronica Panarello throttled her son Loris Stival with electrical cables and abandoned his body in a remote gully in Santa Croce, Sicily. Panarello had tried to pretend her son had been abducted, telling police she had taken him to school and that he had disappeared by the time she came to collect him in the afternoon.

The FBI is asking for help finding a suspected serial child abductor caught on surveillance footage. The suspect is wanted for the May 21 abduction of a six-year-old girl in Cleveland and forensic evidence has tied him to the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl in Elyria, Ohio, in February, the FBI said in a press release. A $20,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest.

Social anxiety can be a result of many things, and is often seen in adults or young people who suffered from abuse or bullying as a child. For students with social anxiety, getting a college degree can be a lot more difficult, as for them, simply going to class could be something that makes them feel like having a panic attack. However, along with the right treatment and support, there are many things that you can do in order to make college easier on your social anxiety. Use college to your advantage in order to overcome social anxiety and achieve your college degree.

WISCONSIN – Authorities in Wisconsin are asking for public help to determine the origin of a disturbing video posted online in 2009 that some believe may show a missing girl tied up in a basement. The video, titled ‘Hi Walter, I got a new gf today!’ posted by the user ‘Hi Walter, it’s me, Patrick!’ shows a man talking to the camera about his new girlfriend, then shows a female, apparently bound, in a small bathroom crying. Fifteen-year-old Kayla Berg, of Antigo, vanished a couple of months before the video was posted in 2009.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — A middle school student in Colorado was stabbed in the chest with a pencil during a fight, but the school did not call police or an ambulance. Kyle Nipper was stabbed when he got into a fight with another 6th grader at Carmel Middle School on Friday. The School District released a statement saying his injuries “did not appear to be severe at the time.”

One girl under 15 is married every seven seconds, according to a report by Save the Children released on Tuesday, with girls as young as 10 married off – often to much older men – in countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, India and Somalia. Early marriage not only deprives girls of education and opportunities but increases the risk of death or childbirth injuries if they have babies before their bodies are ready. “Child marriage starts a cycle of disadvantage that denies girls the most basic rights to learn, develop and be children,” said Save the Children International CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — A convicted child rapist will serve 50-100 years in prison. Jonathan Tyrrell, 54, formerly of the 1200 Block of Chestnut Street of Harrisburg, was sentenced today by Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Deborah E.Curcillo. Tyrrell was convicted of Rape of a Child with Serious Bodily Injury; Unlawful Contact with a Minor; and Corruption of Minors after a jury trial in July of 2016. The victim, who was 8 years of age at the time of the rape, described the assault in her testimony at trial. She also relived the aftermath which required her to receive reconstructive surgery at Harrisburg Hospital.

WEST VIRGINIA – An infant is clinging to life, and her mom’s boyfriend is behind bars in association with what authorities are calling the “worst case of sexual assault” that they’ve seen in 20 years. The Dreamin Demon reports that 32-year-old Benjamin Taylor is facing a variety of charges, which stem from the horrifying incident that took place on Monday morning. Police in Ripley, West Virginia say that they became aware of Taylor’s alleged actions when his girlfriend called 911 to report that her infant daughter was unresponsive. The nine-month-old victim’s mother told authorities that she woke up from her sleep to find that the little girl was missing — and so was her 32-year-old boyfriend. It didn’t take long for her to locate the infant, however, but under absolutely terrifying circumstances. The nine-month-old baby girl was found in the basement of the apartment building where the family has been residing. She was reportedly covered in blood and unconscious at the time of the discovery.

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado – An Evergreen couple pleaded guilty Monday to child abuse charges for starving their 6-year-old daughter nearly to death. Katherine and Jason Barton will face at least 10 years in prison and up to 24 each after they pleaded guilty to third-degree felony child abuse with serious bodily injury Monday in First Judicial District Court. Court testimony shows the Bartons wouldn’t allow their daughter to interact with other children and that she weighed just 25 pounds when she was taken to hospital in June 2015.