Topic: child abuse

Sandusky Sentence Is 30 – 60 Years; We Hope It Raises The Bar For Child Sex Abuse Prosecution

Sandusky Sentence Is 30 - 60 Years; We Hope It Raises The Bar For Child Sex Abuse Prosecution

The Jerry Sandusky sentence came this morning, and the former Penn State assistant football coach got 30 to 60 years on 45 counts of child sex abuse. At 68 years old, that’s basically a life sentence, despite his sustained denial of all “the horrible things” he’s been accused of, and frankly, we’re glad it’s so severe. Now we just hope that other child sex abuse (and sexual assault in general) will start to get similar treatment. More »

The Real Lessons We Should Learn From The Jerry Sandusky Trial

The Real Lessons We Should Learn From The Jerry Sandusky Trial

Just in case you hadn’t heard, Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 of 48 charges against him on Friday evening. His crimes include 25 felonies and could land him a maximum of 442 years in jail. One can only hope that this verdict brings at least some peace and closure to the brave victims of this horrible man.

In the wake of this news, plenty are rushing to ask what’s next in the Penn State scandal. Who else will face jail time for covering up this criminals abuse and assault? How will this change coaching in college athletics? And most of all, what can be learned or gained from this horrible tragedy? More »

Kony 2012 Isn’t Perfect, But At Least We’re Talking About Child Abuse

Kony 2012 Isn't Perfect, But At Least We're Talking About Child Abuse

Since its release on Monday, KONY 2012 has skyrocketed around the internet, becoming one of the most successful examples of the power of social media ever. The man behind it all, Jason Russell, said he just wanted to tell a story about the horrors taking place in Uganda brought on by Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army. In a matter of days, he has done just that–managing to get the world’s attention about the child abuse taking place in this country from turning young children into soldiers, slaves and murderers. But despite the awareness he’s raised, Russell has a number of critics now saying his approach to stopping this abuse is all wrong. But if we don’t bring attention to the issues, how can we put an end to abuse? More »

Children Who Witness Domestic Abuse Show Brain Activity Similiar To Soldiers In Combat

Children Who Witness Domestic Abuse Show Brain Activity Similiar To Soldiers In Combat

The abuse of children has always been noted to cause developmental problems and perhaps cause a lifelong impact, but new research places kids who witness domestic abuse right next to soldiers who have experienced combat.

Researchers scanned the brains of children, aged about 12 years old, who had either been physically abused or had observed domestic abuse. The team concluded that when responding to images of angry or sad faces, children experienced more activity in two areas of the brain: the anterior insula and the amygdala. More »

Tape Recording Proves Bernie Fine’s Wife Knew About Sexual Abuse; She’s Just As Guilty

Tape Recording Proves Bernie Fine's Wife Knew About Sexual Abuse; She's Just As Guilty

Laurie Davis, wife of accused Syracuse coach, Bernie Fine who was recently accused of sexually molesting one of the team’s ball boys, is just as guilty as her husband.

Maybe she wasn’t the one having sexual encounters with him when he was a boy (although she is accused of having sex with him after he turned 18), but on a taped conversation between Laurie and her husband’s victim, Bobby Davis, she admits that she knew about the sexual molestation that was taking place the whole time. More »

Sandusky’s Legacy: Adults With Permanent Mental Health Disorders

Sandusky's Legacy: Adults With Permanent Mental Health Disorders

In the wake of child sex-abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky, two new cases were reported yesterday, bringing the total to eight victims–so far. The newest accusations come from those who are still under the age of 18 (all other victims are now adults), which means the former Penn State assistant coach now faces a whopping 40 criminal counts for sexual abuse over a 15-year period. If convicted, Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life in jail, but what about the boys (some of them now men) that he abused? It’s likely they will face a jail of their own with a life of mental health problems. More »

For The Record, Lolita Was Not Sexually Precocious — She Was Raped

For The Record, Lolita Was Not Sexually Precocious — She Was Raped

When I first encountered the literary classic Lolita, I was the same age as the infamous female character. I was 15 and had heard about a book in which a grown man carries on a sexual relationship with a much younger girl. Naturally, I quickly sought out the book and devoured the entire contents on my bedroom floor, parsing through Humbert Humbert‘s French and his erotic fascination for his stepdaughter, the light of his life, the fire of his loins — Dolores Haze. I remember being in the ninth grade and turning over the cover that presented a coy pair of saddle shoes as I hurried through the final pages in homeroom.

Although I remember admiring the book for all its literary prowess, what I don’t recall is how much of the truth of that story resonated with me given that I was a kid myself. Because it wasn’t until I reread the book as an adult that I realized Lolita had been raped. She had been raped repeatedly, from the time she was 12 to when she was 15 years old. More »

Financial Stress Makes People Do Heinous Things, Like Abuse Their Kids

Financial Stress Makes People Do Heinous Things, Like Abuse Their Kids

Here is more proof that the nation’s economic woes has made people do unthinkable things: According to a new research study, an increase in child abuse is being linked with the recession.

After a study of 422 abused children in 74 counties covering four different states, the results confirmed reports from pediatricians who have seen increasing numbers of shaken baby cases and other forms of brain-injuring abuse among younger children at the height of the recession, from late-2007 to mid-2009.
More »

Oprah’s Ties to Accused Child Molester Points to Irresponsible Reporting

Oprah's Ties to Accused Child Molester Points to Irresponsible Reporting

Everyone’s wrong sometimes. Even Oprah. We’ve pointed out the Queen of Talk’s past “oopsies” before, but a recent controversy surrounding Dr. Melvin Levine, a childhood education expert who frequently offered his counsel on her show, has led to yet another rehash of her more serious errors in judgment.

Levine, who committed suicide last Friday after 40 of his patients filed a class-action suit against him for medical malpractice and sexual abuse, consulted on her show years before any news of his patient abuse came to light. These days, there’s no trace of his name or advice on her site, of course, but we don’t doubt that Oprah’s smart enough to dissociate from doctors getting sued for malpractice and child abuse. We just wonder how much she and her staff really investigated his background before inviting him on board as a bona fide expert. More »

Disturbing Video: Freakish Boy Bodybuilder Is Back (Why Aren’t His Parents In Jail?)

Disturbing Video: Freakish Boy Bodybuilder Is Back (Why Aren't His Parents In Jail?)

Unfortunately, the world’s youngest body builder is back, and it turns out, his parents filmed an even more disturbing video starring his terrifying six-pack. The victim’s name is Giuliano Stroe, a six-year-old resident of Florence, Italy, but at the time this video was shot, he was just four. Apparently (according to his Wikipedia page), last February, Giuliano broke the world record for air push-ups, which are just like normal push-ups, except that your feet can’t touch the ground. Which is exactly what every six-year-old should be focusing on with the drive of a professional athlete. (Who needs stupid toy fire trucks and coloring books?) Judging from this video, it’s obvious that Giuliano’s parents, shall we say, encourage him. (You can hear his dad counting reps in a few of the clips.) It’s safe to assume that Mr. Stroe’s parenting skills are questionable at best, and potentially harmful at worst.

Sorry! This poll is now closed.

More »

Video: Little Boy Perfecting His Six-Pack Looks Like Child Abuse to Us

Video: Little Boy Perfecting His Six-Pack Looks Like Child Abuse to Us

So, does everything about this video seem wrong to anyone else? Really wrong? This kid can’t be any older than six or seven, and his parents (we’re assuming) are making him work out like a bodybuilder? After we saw this video of a six-year-old showing off his six-pack on our sister site, Crushable, we couldn’t help but feel completely disgusted. Kids are supposed to play games and run around, not lift weights and then flex for their parents’ camera, complete with a background soundtrack. More »

Click for more posts