The Child Protection eNewsletter

Oprah case highlights abuse in South Africa… 

Alleged sexual assault at Oprah Winfrey's new girls' school sparks fresh discussion about the widespread problem.  Read More

In South Africa sexual assault rates are among the world's highest.  Even with rape and sexual assault considered underreported crimes in South Africa, the numbers here are staggering:  54,926 reported rapes in 2006 for a country of 47 million, according to the South African Police Force.  In the US, whose population is more than six times as large, there were less than double the numbers of reported rapes that same year -- 92,455.

For girls, abuse often happens at school, studies show.  The 2005 National Youth Victimization Survey, conducted by a team of academics, found that 23 percent of teens between the ages of 12 and 17 had been threatened or harassed at school, and 24 percent had been sexually assaulted at school.  In a 1998 health survey, which Dr. Jewkes helped conduct, more than half the women who said they were raped before they turned 15 identified the perpetrator as a teacher.

Students abused by teachers are often loath to report the crimes for fear of retaliation, advocates say.

In addition to the problem of girls being afraid to report abuse, a 2001 Human Rights Watch report documented widespread incompetence when it came to following up on girls' complaints.  The report found "a great deal of confusion over responsibility for resolving problems and repeatedly encountered breaks in the chain of communication between school officials, police, and prosecutors, with all actors shifting responsibility and sexually abused girls getting lost in the shuffle."

In a new study that Jewkes is working on, she says a close review of thousands of police rape files also shows consistent investigative lapses -- investigators losing track of a victim because they never asked for her phone number or address, for instance.

In a country plagued by violent crime, alleged sexual offenders are rarely brought to court swiftly -- if at all.  In spite of having one of the world's highest incidences of child rape -- including several horrific incidents of attacks on infants -- South Africa has a conviction rate of only 5 to 6 percent of all reported sex cases.  Read More  And those numbers tell only part of the story.  Organizations working in the field estimate that the 98,000 rape and sexual abuse charges reported to police between April 2006 and March 2007 reflect as little as 10 percent of the real figure.

More on the incident at Oprah’s school at  vol5_iss72  and  vol5_iss70.

Police:  Finland teen shooter left a suicide note… 

A bullied teenage outcast fired dozens of times in a rampage at his high school, emptying nearly 20 rounds into some victims before trying to start a fire, Finnish police said.  Read More

Investigators examined a suicide note and hate-filled Internet postings to determine why the killer, identified as 18-year-old Pekka-Eric Auvinen, went on the spree and killed people before he fatally shot himself.

Finns mourned the victims of the school massacre, with flags across the Nordic nation flying at half staff.  Grieving students placed candles outside the sealed-off high school in the south.  The president attended a memorial service for the victims in the capital.

Police said Auvinen left a suicide note, “saying goodbye to his family and a message ... indicating his will against society.”  They said he appeared bent on causing maximum bloodshed as he opened fire inside Jokela High School in Tuusula, about 30 miles north of Helsinki.

Police said they also seized books and other printed material that suggested Auvinen had “radical thoughts” and was planning an attack, Haapala said.

Investigators believe Auvinen revealed plans for the attack in postings on YouTube in which he urges revolution and grins after taking target practice.

One posting called for a popular uprising against “the enslaving, corrupted and totalitarian regimes” and appeared to anticipate a violent attack.

“I am prepared to fight and die for my cause.  I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection,” the posting said.

In other news…  

Facebook has unveiled plans to target advertisements by injecting them into its members' conversations, and now the popular online hangout must persuade its users to embrace the initiative.  Read More

Facebook is giving users some control over whether to share information on their buying habits and other online activities with friends.  For the program announced Tuesday to work, enough users must actually say "yes" so advertisers can show users their pitches in the guise of friends' endorsements.  See story on MySpace version of this idea at  vol5_iss72.

Officials at a U.K. high school were aghast after a stripper visited a student during class and whipped him in front of other students and a horrified teacher, Sky News reported.  Read More  A booking error is to blame after a mother arranged to send a "gorilla gram" to her son on his 16th birthday, an arrangement she cleared with Nottingham's Arnold Hill School and Technology College.  Instead, the agency sent a stripper clad in a policewoman costume, Sky reported.  Read More.

The cases of three girls listed on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Web site are being looked at by investigators because they show a "tremendous resemblance" to Baby Grace, KPRC Local 2 reported.  Read More  The hair color, height, weight, and ages of the girls are very similar to composite sketches of what Baby Grace may have looked like.  The 2- to 3-year-old's body washed ashore in West Galveston Bay on October 30.  Police said in each of the missing cases, the girls were abducted by their non-custodial fathers.

A Wisconsin woman, a former teacher, is charged with sexual assault after allegedly having an affair with her daughter's 13-year-old former boyfriend.  Read More  Thirty-nine year old Anne Knopf of Prescott, Wisconsin was charged with Sexual Assault of a Child Under 16 in Pierce County District Court.  The charge is the result of a four-month investigation into the relationship between Knopf and the boy.  The boy's parents became aware of the relationship and notified police in mid May.

On the heels of criticism over its violent content, the video game "Manhunt 2" will not be carried by Target, the company confirmed to ABCNEWS.com in a statement.  Read More  Since its release date was revealed, "Manhunt 2," a video game that chronicles the ultraviolent killing rampage of an escaped sociopath from a mental hospital, has stirred worldwide controversy for its violent imagery.  "All video games and computer software sold at Target currently carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board — from early childhood through mature audiences," the statement said.  "While 'Manhunt 2' was given a 'Mature' rating by the ESRB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code.  As a result, we have decided not to carry the game."

The chief operating officer of the National Children's Museum in Washington was arrested on child pornography charges, accused of using his work computer to send explicit images to others -- including an undercover New York City detective.  Read More  Robert A. Singer, 49, was arrested at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, on charges that he sent the pornographic images to a detective posing as a 33-year-old mother and her 12-year-old daughter, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said.  The complaint filed in Manhattan federal court said Singer used the screen name Badboy2at to initiate contact with the detective in a chat room.  Singer sent the detective about 80 explicit images of child pornography from his work and home computers, the complaint said.

A controversial bill to require sex offenders to display neon green license plates is making waves between Ohio lawmakers and law enforcement officials, MyFoxCleveland.com reports.  Read More  Prosecutors, sheriffs and police chiefs oppose Kristen’s Law, named for 14-year-old Kristen Jackson, who in 2002 was lured from a fair by a paroled sex offender, murdered and her body dismembered.  They say the perpetrators are smart enough to find other ways to corner their victims and fear the plates will cause vandalism and harassment against the offenders, as well as road rage and traffic hazards.

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