MANILA, Philippines – TV host Willie Revillame and top officials of TV5 have been sued for child abuse by rights advocates on Monday in connection with a crying boy who was made to dance suggestively and was given P10,000 on “Willing Willie” last March 12. Six people, including officials of the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), filed the complaint with the Quezon City Fiscal’s Office on Monday.

Victims of child abuse may have altered brains and stunted stress responses, according to new Canadian research. Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can alter victims’ brain chemistry and may increase their risk of depression, the study shows. The study looked at adolescents who had some form of abuse as children and who were mildly depressed. They were found to release abnormally high levels of cortisol in response to mild stressors.

DENVER — Although more than two decades have passed, 26-year-old Rezal Martinez clearly recalls the extreme emotional toll sexual abuse took on her as a child.”From about the ages of 3 to 5, I was sexually assaulted by my father, and my whole life changed,” Martinez said. “It was so bad at age 5, I actually tried committing suicide. That’s when my mom decided, obviously, I needed to see a counselor.”

The suspect in an alleged child abuse case in Revere was ordered held on $15,000 bail during his arraignment Monday morning in Chelsea District Court. Joseph Testa, 28, is accused of causing serious injuries to his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son. The boy was found by rescue personnel Friday morning lying unresponsive across the street from 590 Revere Beach Parkway. Testa was with the boy when medical personnel arrived.

The trial of a Southwest Missouri man accused of raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl will not go ahead as scheduled on Monday. The judge in the case has declared a mistrial in the case involving Christopher Collings, according to Phelps County Deputy Circuit Court Clerk, Jill Cooksey. A person who tells KY3 News they were in the jury pool says the mistrial was declared due to a lack of an adequate number of jurors left in the pool to meet legal requirements.

Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children. In 2007, approximately 5.8 million children were involved in an estimated 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations.

An Orange County woman was molested for several years by a relative, becoming pregnant at age 11 and giving birth at age 12, prosecutors said. The man, Mariano Antonio Castro, 56, Santa Ana, was charged Thursday with a variety of felony counts of continuous sexual abuse and lewd acts on a child under 14. He is being held on $1 million bail and faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted.

GLENS FALLS — The owner of a Glens Falls dance studio has been charged with a felony, accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a student, police said. Timothy McGuire, 49, was charged late Wednesday with second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child. The charge stems from the complaint of a former student’s family, and was investigated by city and state police, according to state police’s publish information website.

SAN DIEGO — An Oceanside woman who pleaded guilty to felony charges in the 2006 death of her 4-year-old foster child, was sentenced Thursday to a 16-year prison term. In December, Dania Yesenia Haros, 26, pleaded guilty in Vista Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter, three counts of felony child abuse and one count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.

BALTIMORE — The discovery of a missing North Carolina teen’s body in a Maryland river brings the investigation of her disappearance into a new phase. The body of Phylicia Barnes, who disappeared while visiting her older half-siblings in Baltimore on Dec. 28, was one of two bodies found Wednesday near the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River. Barnes’ 17th birthday was Jan. 12.

Taylor, TX – A Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota man will spend the rest of his life behind bars. 62 year old John Ruport was convicted on 15 counts of sexually abusing a 5 year old girl over the span of several years in Taylor, Texas.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says calls to the state’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline have risen nearly 19 percent in five years. The department says calls increased from roughly 24,100 in 2006 to nearly 28,700 last year. Officials say April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The father of a nine-week-old child is behind bars for felony child abuse. Tuesday night, Nebraska State Patrol investigators in Omaha were contacted by Children’s Hospital. Staff at the hospital reported a suspicious injury to a nine-week-old child they were treating.

The Director of an East Albany Day Care Center was arrested Tuesday afternoon. She’s charged with failing to report child abuse. 19-month old Janaysia Stevenson was beaten to death last month. Her mother and the mother’s boyfriend are charged with murder.