Date rape drugs

From javno.com, here's a really great article you should absolutely take the time to read and absorb.

It is about the ever present dangers of so called date rape drugs like Ketamin, Rohypnol and GHB. Stay safe out there!

A scary list

Idaho -- A convicted Ontario sex offender has allegedly made a list of 32 girls to "look up" once he gets out of jail. Now parents worry for their children's safety as the man is soon to be released.

One parent talked about how their kids in effect were prisoners. "we don't know what to do to make it better for them," the parent said.

Sheriff's deputies reportedly found a list the man had written. It was titled "people to look up". 32 local girls between the ages of 6 and 17 were on the list, including his original 15 year old victim.

In order to come up with his list, authorities alleges the man read newspaper articles about the girls. It is said the list is so detailed it that had everything short of an address to look these girls up.

And still we somehow tend to hang on to this all-to-prevalent idea about 'random violence'...

Courage beyond belief

I strongly urge you to read this article. It's graphic and disturbing, but it leaves a lasting impression about this young woman's courage. What a will to survive!

A man of God ...

No jail?
I suppose it's because this religious man/creep is called Love (what a "fitting" name) ...

Story:
Alabama -- A Circuit Judge sentenced a 51-year-old Huntsville man to 15 years on each of three first-degree sodomy charges. But she followed the prosecutors' recommendation, ordering the man to spend five years on probation and undergo treatment in a sex offender program.

The an unordained minister pleaded guilty to charges of sodomizing three young boys he and his wife adopted. In exchange for the guilty pleas, the prosecution dropped ten counts of sodomy and three counts of sexual abuse against Love.

The man allegedly abused the boys multiple times over several years. The boys are now 13, 14 and 16.

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Scary attitudes

Arcane moral values and scary attitudes towards women are being presented in a recent report from a research group at the Norwegian Attorney General.

The report shows that several jury members in rape cases often times will question the moral character of the female victim - "nice girls don't act like this", seems to be a common allegation. Members of the jury will many times challenge the actions of the victim prior to the alleged rape.

On the other hand, the defendant may likely get sympathy from these jury members.

The people in this report had been jury members in six cases which had overturned a previous court sentence.

One may really begin to wonder the jury selection process ...

The second ordeal

In short: Read this story! It is about the need to come forward, and the - sometimes enormous - pressure that a victim/witness may face in a court of law.

Story:
A traumatised victim of a child-molesting teacher told last night of her second ordeal - helping bring him to justice.

The woman, now in her 40s, said giving evidence in court brought back the full horror of the abuse.

Fighting back tears, the woman told how her cross-examination by the defence barrister had left her feeling "isolated, violated and bullied".

She said: "The experience of being a witness, cross-examined in a very challenging and adversarial manner by the defending barrister, has had a significant impact on me. His attempts to discredit me and my occupation, has reopened old wounds and hurts."

During the trial, the defending barrister accused her of inventing the allegations because of an infatuation with him, and she broke down several times.

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Hazards at work, 25

India -- The State may claim to have a lion’s share in the national cotton industry, but those who make the ginning wheels run are being subjected to atrocities by unit owners and labour contractors. For thousands of tribal labourers from Rajasthan, who flock to the cotton ginning mills in Gujarat, the situation is only getting worse.

Sixteen-year-old Meena (name changed) from Dungarpur in Rajasthan escaped a rape attempt in the Neminath Cotton Mill in Shekhpur village, Surendranagar district. Her colleagues who came from villages in Dungarpur district were forced to flee without getting paid for their work. There are allegations of harassment, physical assault and sexual harassment against the mill contractor.

Sudhir Katiyar, executive member of Dakshini Rajasthan Majdoor Union (DRMU) said that since November, this was the third case of atrocity against the Rajasthani tribal labourers in the cotton ginning mills of Gujarat. "While the cases of atrocities are rampant, these people are also exploited by mill owners in a big way," Katiyar said, adding that cases of accidents are also very common in these mills. "Apart from number of cases of loss of limbs, as many as four deaths due to accidents in these mills have been reported from Kadi in the last one month alone," he said.

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Conservative costs

UK -- Violent sex attackers cost the Northern Ireland economy at least £30m-a-year.

And that figure is "only the tip of the iceberg" according to a major government paper.

'Hidden Crimes, Secret Pain' estimates that the cost to society of each rape or attempted rape at £79,000 - there were 391 such offences in 2005/6.

The costs to provide health treatment alone to the victims of rape annually top £1m.

The report adds that the figures it uses are very conservative: "It should be remembered that the recorded sexual offence statistics represent only the tip of the sexual violence iceberg."

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Foreign nationals

I guess political correctness prevent these issues being debated in a clear, concise and non-racist manner; still, here's some statistics to think about.

Story:
More than 9,000 sex offenders have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials through a series of stings called Operation Predator in three years of operation, a 2006 Department of Homeland Security Report says. But some experts are wondering if the efforts are enough to protect innocent American children from being preyed on by returning criminal alien sex offenders.

Foreign nationals account for roughly 85 percent of child sex offenders arrested by the operation, which was launched by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge in July 2003, officials say. And as media previously has reported, authorities also have linked illegal aliens to a wave of gang-rapes across the U.S.

Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, a researcher of violent crimes and criminal profiler who consults with FBI, state and local police, said, "Illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes first cross the U.S. border illegally, then gradually commit worse crimes and are continually released back into society or deported. Those who were deported simply returned illegally again. There is a clear pattern of criminal escalation. From misdemeanors such as assault or DUI, to drug offenses, illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes break U.S. laws repeatedly."

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A brutal indifference

UK -- It's too late for the five Ipswich street sex workers found brutally murdered in Suffolk. But to prevent the death toll rising, urgent action needs to be taken to protect other women who are working on the streets of Britain.

Among men convicted of murdering sex workers, killing is rarely the first offence. There is often a history of violent attacks on women. Street-based sex workers are at risk of violence and it is vital that a relationship of trust exists between the women and the police officers who can apprehend men who commit violent sexual offences against them. Sadly, trust is all too often absent between these two groups.

Not including the latest victims, at least 51 sex workers have been murdered since 1990. Most women working on the streets are funding expensive drug habits. They are among the most vulnerable members of the community. A report from the Economic and Social Research Council found that two-thirds of sex workers had experienced client violence, that women working on the streets were at greatest risk of violence, and that 28% said punters had tried to rape them.

Overwhelmingly, these women are not involved in serious crimes. While soliciting is a (non-imprisonable) offence, prostitution in itself is not illegal. More needs to be done to guarantee women a sympathetic hearing if or when they report attacks to the police.

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A staggering toll

Nearly 400 rapes were reported in Northern Ireland this year, it has been revealed. The alarming rise in the level of attacks was disclosed today as the government came under intense pressure to offer women greater protection from violence.

With the threat claimed to be at crisis level, political parties appalled by a damning new report demanded action.

Meanwhile, police councillors have been brought in to help a teenage victim after two men attacked her in Woodvale Park, north Belfast, leaving her seriously traumatised.

Her ordeal joins a staggering toll which showed 390 rapes and another 25 attempted sex assaults reported across Northern Ireland between January and November. Of the rapes 351 were against women and 39 on men.

The police figures showed a big rise from 318 for the same period on 2005 and 345 in 2004.

Source

All-male education

While teaching women how to prevent and fight back against sexual violence is positive and necessary, it is also great to see the root of the problem being addressed!

Story:
Oklahoma City -- A state Health Department official says an all-male education program is helping change the attitudes of men about sexual assault on college campuses in Oklahoma.

Steve Nedbalek told a legislative task force today he's optimistic the agency's "Man to Man" education program is attacking the problem of sexual assaults on women on campuses.

The program started in 2004 with the goal of changing attitudes toward rape and helping men understand what constitutes sexual coercion.

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Not just a women's issue

There's no doubt about it - violence against women is an issue that we - men - ought to make our own problem!

Story:
In the Kansas City area, there is a forcible rape or attempted rape reported almost every day. Many more go unreported.

Incidents of nonsexual assaults, robberies and homicides have declined nationwide in the last decade. But, sadly, rape rates have not, nor has sexual violence against women.

Greater Kansas City is served by the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), which exists to lessen the ill effects of sexual assault and abuse through prevention, education, intervention, treatment and advocacy.

Sexual violence is not, however, just a women’s issue. MOCSA always has been strongly supported by both women and men, but now is the right time for a special effort directed at the men in our community.

Empowering men to examine their own attitudes, promote an attitude of respect, understand the unique vulnerabilities of females in our society, confront abusive peers and speak out against factors that perpetuate a rape culture are keys to sexual violence prevention.

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A tragic truth

Here are some chocking figures about violence and teen pregnancy.

Story:
Only six months ago, the relationship between sexual violence and teen pregnancy was revealed in a report titled "If Truth Be Told" by United Way of Greater Milwaukee and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Advisory Committee.

The report's statistics are almost incomprehensible. More than half of teen mothers are sexually molested prior to their first pregnancy.

Between 30% and 44% of teen mothers have been victims of rape or attempted rape, and 23% of assault victims become pregnant by their assailants.

In our state, 71% of babies born to teen girls are fathered not by teen boys but by men over the age of 20.

Nationally, 42% of girls younger than 15 reported that their first intercourse was non-consensual. As a parent, that is terrifying.

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False reports

This is such a cruel, egotistical, terrible thing to do.
First of all it shows a monumental lack of respect towards all those that are actual victims of sexual crimes.
Then it gives unneeded ammunition to those (few, but very vocal) who argue that "a large number of rape reports are false."
It also stir up fear, uncertainty and anger amongst other residents in the area of the bogus alert. Finally, it puts unnecessary loads of work on the police.

And for what? Because her boyfriend had forgotten their anniversary... I'm at loss for words.

I can understand that a young girl or a teen can make up a story to achieve something, like gaining sympathy, or covering up the fact that she's been out late. But from what I understand this is an adult. Again, I don't know what to say.

Story:
A woman who told police she was grabbed and dragged into the woods while walking in Lake Oswego Tuesday evening, sparking a widespread manhunt, actually made the whole story up, according to police who said she confessed Friday.

Her story changed after ongoing questioning from police who became suspicious when she refused to cooperate with investigators.

The woman allegedly filed a report of kidnapping and attempted rape because her boyfriend had forgotten their anniversary, police said.

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Culture of violence

Marlin Mata has awakened from a coma she suffered after throwing herself from a moving bus to escape two men trying to rape her, but Peru is still deep in the nightmare of spiraling violence against women.

More than half of all Peruvian women over the age of 15 say they have suffered sexual or physical violence by men during their lifetime — one of the world’s highest rates.

Male frustration at high unemployment in Peru despite the country’ unprecedented economic growth since 2002 and a corrupt justice system that rarely makes convictions are exacerbating violence against women in an already macho society.

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Who's on trial?

This article from South Africa shows you how many court rooms effectively puts the rape victim on trial. This degrading treatment of victims of sexual violence really is a crime in itself!

Article:
Outside the High Court we have rent-a-mob labelling the complainant a bitch, a liar and a whore who deserves to be stoned and burnt.

And should some women still not have absorbed the message from Zuma's court supporters to shut up and take it, the law was there to underline it in bold.

Much of this degradation was achieved through the humiliating cross-examination of her sexual history.

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Peering into the mind of a stalker

"Sex offender expert says stalking is a cycle of practicing and perfecting a technique on the streets."

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