[globalnews.ca 4/28/18] Much like there are support groups for alcoholics or drug abusers, one in Saskatoon is helping sex offenders. Meaghan Craig looks at its importance. As first reported by Global News, convicted sex offender ______ now has a new alias. In the last two months, the soon-to-be 30-year-old has taken the steps to legally change his name to ______ and mask his true identity to members of the public. This on the heels of long-term offender ______ arrest in late April, who was going by the name ______ ,…
Read MoreCategory: International
India Sex Offenders’ Registry Not the Answer
[hrw.org 4/27/18] Reeling from protests across the country demanding justice for victims in the recent spate of sexual assaults, Indian authorities are under pressure to respond. One step the government has decided to adopt is a sex offenders’ database, which will store the profile and personal details of convicted offenders and those accused of such offenses. Children accused of such crimes may also be included in the database. For several years, some senior government ministers have been calling for mandatory registration of sex offenders. It reflects public concern that children…
Read MoreIndia Just Approved Death Penalty For Child Rapists
[factswt.com 4/22/18] According to an announcement from the government of India, the death penalty will soon be imposed upon those convicted of raping a child who is under 12 years of age. An ordinance was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the cabinet. That ordinance will allow the death penalty in order to combat a rise in crime—including sexual violence crimes. According to Indian media, the ordinance has been sent to the President. While there are a number of crimes punishable by death in India, executions are…
Read MoreIndia: India to join 8 countries having sex offenders database
India will join a club of eight countries with a sexual offender database to monitor and track those convicted of such crimes, amidst growing criticism against it in the US, where it is pursued aggressively. Full Article
Read MoreAustralia: Overhaul of suppression order laws could see sex offenders identified
[theage.com.au] The identity of some of the most dangerous sex offenders could be revealed under reforms to the state’s suppression order laws being considered by the Victorian government. An independent review of Victoria’s Open Courts Act has recommended that courts should be restricted from making suppression orders concealing the identity or whereabouts of sex offenders living in the community under supervision. Safety of the individuals would still need to be considered, it said. The Victorian government has given its support “in full or in principle” to 17 of the 18…
Read MoreHow Sex Offender Registries Can Result in Vigilante Murder
Some Canadian conservatives are pushing for more public sex offender registries. But there is a history of deadly violence associated with them. Full Article
Read MoreUS Senate pass measure to fight sex trafficking, bill heads to Trump
[abs-cbn.com] WASHINGTON – The US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday aimed at countering sex trafficking that allows victims of such exploitation to seek justice against website owners who knowingly promote or facilitate it. Senators voted 97-2 to pass the measure, which cleared the House of Representatives last month and now heads to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature. Supporters hailed the passage of the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) as a major victory, but the measure is not without its critics: some say it would undermine…
Read MoreCanada: Law requiring lifetime sex-offender registration upheld, Appeal Court rules
Forcing repeat sex offenders to go on a national registry for life under provisions enacted by the former Conservative government is constitutional, Ontario’s top court has ruled. Full Article
Read MoreIreland: Falsely accused Belfast man slams vigilante paedophile hunters
[belfasttelegraph.co.uk] A Belfast law graduate has called for new legislation to curb vigilante paedophile hunters after he was wrongly identified as a sexual predator and falsely accused of grooming children. The Queen’s University graduate was left confused following a sudden influx of friend requests on social media, before it became apparent that he shared the same name as one of the vigilante group’s targets. A barrage of profane abuse soon followed. “It made me feel sick to the stomach. I was so angry when I realised what had happened, so…
Read MoreCanada: Calgary man suing police, feds for demanding fingerprints because of his birth date is same as a sex offender
[calgaryherald.com] A Calgary man says he was forced to provide his fingerprints or give up a 12-year career of coaching youth hockey, all because he shares the same date of birth as a pardoned sex offender. And after a fruitless five-year odyssey for an explanation for what he feels is a violation of his constitutionally protected Charter rights, retired oil engineer Jim Besse is now suing the RCMP, Calgary police, the Calgary police commission and Chief Roger Chaffin. “I have always been upfront, saying, ‘Take five minutes and tell me…
Read MoreTurkey: Considering Chemical Castration of Sex Offenders
Turkey has opened the door – again – to the idea of mandating chemical castration for those convicted of sex offences against children, a wrongheaded and abusive approach to dealing with child sexual abuse. Full Article
Read MoreUK: Crossing Guard, 77, Accused of “Grooming” Children By Giving Them High-Fives
[letgrow.org] A 77-year-old school crossing guard was ordered to stop high-fiving kids, as this could be the gateway to sexually abusing them. In response, he has thrown in the towel. Bryan Broom, a “lollipop man” (so-called not because he gave kids lollipops, but because crossing guards in Britain hold up circular stop signs on sticks), said he can’t stand the idea that merely being friendly to kids could be interpreted as skeevy. As the UK’s Mirror reports: Bryan has revealed why he made the tough decision to quit doing the…
Read MoreN. Ireland: Self-styled ‘paedophile hunters’ revealed
[bbc.com – UPDATED LINKS 2/15/18] Some of the leaders of self-styled paedophile-hunting groups operating in Northern Ireland have been identified for the first time. There are increasing concerns about the methods many of the groups use, and their lack of accountability. The so-called paedophile-hunting groups target people online who they believe are sexual predators. They confront them and broadcast the encounter live on the internet, then call the police. There have been more than 100 incidents of that nature reported to police in Northern Ireland, but no-one has been charged…
Read MoreAustralia: Victoria gathers momentum on radical new sex offender plan
[news.com.au] IF A convicted sex offender moved in next door, wouldn’t you want to know? “Of course you would,” says Sonya Ryan, a grieving mum who knows all too well what a predator can do. Ms Ryan, whose daughter Carly was murdered by Gary Newman in 2006, is 100 per cent in favour of a new push in Victoria that would give everyday Australians access to a database of the worst of the worst. “It’s long overdue,” Ms Ryan told news.com.au. “When an adult preys on a child, I truly…
Read MoreIn Denmark, Viral Video Sparks Wave Of Child Pornography Prosecutions
[npr.org] A video that went viral in Denmark three years ago is now the basis for a wave of prosecutions. More than 1,000 young people, many of them teenagers at the time, are now charged with the distribution of child pornography. Sidsel Overgaard reports from Billund, Denmark. SIDSEL OVERGAARD, BYLINE: The video shows two 15-year-olds engaged in sexual activity at a party in 2015. The two boys who filmed it were prosecuted several years ago, but now, 1,004 young people who shared it on Facebook Messenger face charges that could…
Read MoreIreland: Teenage sex offenders a growing challenge for social workers
In world of online porn, more than 25% of sex offenders found by Garda are teenagers. What’s the best way to deal with sex offenders? Most people would probably answer they should be locked up, ideally for a long time. But what if the offender in question is a 17-year-old? Or as young as 12? This is where Joan Cherry comes in. She is one of a small number of social workers who have worked with young sexual offenders – or as she prefers to refer to them, “young people in…
Read MoreOrange passports for India’s migrant workers create ‘second class citizens’
[reuters.com] MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – India’s plan to introduce orange-colored passport jackets for some migrant workers is discriminatory and could increase the vulnerability of workers often duped by middlemen who promise them jobs, said legal experts and campaigners. The Ministry of External Affairs said last week migrant workers who need emigration clearance – those who have not passed 10th grade at school – to travel to a group of 18 countries, mostly in the Gulf region, would soon be issued orange passports. “Passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required)…
Read MoreSamoa passes law enforcement only Sex offender registry
[floridaactioncommittee.org] Samoa just passed a sex offender registry. There are two important differences, however, between theirs (and most other countries that have a registry) and the US. Firstly, the registry and accompanying requirements will not be imposed retroactively against those who are not in custody as of it’s enactment. and secondly, the registry is for law enforcement only. Read more
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