Canada: American Sentenced For Possession Of Child Pornography . . . Of Cartoon Characters

There is an interesting criminal case in Canada where American ____ ____ 25, of Murrells Inlet, S.C., is under arrest for possession of child pornography. However, the images were not of human beings but cartoon characters. Canada treats sexual cartoon images as pornography – a view widely rejected in the United States as inimical to free speech protections. Full Article

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Bermuda: Dismont advises against naming offenders

Early education and awareness is key to protecting children from sexual abuse, according to Family Centre’s executive director. Martha Dismont said treatment of convicted offenders was the next most important step to reduce reoffending. However, the charity would not advise naming sexual offenders because this “has not been shown to be the best method of keeping the public safe”. Full Article

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National RSOL: International Travel Group

If you or someone you know was denied entry into another country as a consequence of registration, we want to hear from you. A new group, supported by RSOL National, is examining the issues related to registered citizens traveling, including the practice of the US Government notifying receiving countries that a registrant is traveling there. A representative of FAC will serve on the board of this new group. We want to make sure that your experiences areincluded in our efforts to enable registrants to travel freely and unmolested. Please send…

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India: Why it is wrong on the part of the government to propose ‘naming and shaming’ offenders who haven’t been convicted

India, the largest democracy in the world unfortunately possesses a government that leaves a lot to be desired. Leaving no stone unturned to disappoint the very people it was elected to protect, the Indian government has time and again come up with laws and policies that make little or no sense. The latest in line is Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s Independence Day announcement that a list of sex offenders would be made publicly available on a national portal, to be launched soon, in order to keep the public alert.…

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Australia: Think twice before demanding harsher sentences for child sex offenders

How should we sentence sexual fiends, monsters and perverts? By sentencing them to prison for as long as possible – preferably never letting them free – would seem to be the popular view, if some media reports are to be believed. This group of offenders is particularly demonised due to fears they are a highly dangerous, recidivist and predatory class of criminals. Full Op-Ed Piece

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Malaysia: Sex offender registry needed to monitor offenders

DAP lawmaker Zairil Khir Johari has called on the government to consider setting up a sex offender registry to monitor and restrict known sex offenders in the country. His call comes following the case of Malaysian student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, 23, who was offered a second chance by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) to continue his studies once he returned home after serving a sentence in London for possessing paedophilia. Zairil said he was not against any efforts towards rehabilitating sex offenders, but was worried about others who would be studying alongside…

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AUS: Sex offender registers don’t mean we can assume children are safe

The sexual abuse of children remains one of the most urgent and unremitting issues across the globe. The royal commission into sexual abuse of children in institutions has given currency to an entrenched and critical social problem. However, our newly published research into Australia’s first publicly accessible register of sex offenders highlights the dangers of public misunderstanding of how it works and, indeed, of where the risks for children are greatest. Full Article

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UK: Number of convicted sex offenders in jail reaches record high

The number of convicted sex offenders in prison has reached record levels, with nearly a fifth of prisoners in England and Wales now serving time for a sexual offence. New data from the Ministry of Justice revealed there were just under 11,600 sentenced sex offenders at the end of March, with 779 additional sex criminals compared with a year earlier, a 7 per cent increase. It means 17 per cent of the sentenced prison population is now a sex offender, compared with just 10 per cent at the turn of…

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Northern Ireland: Sex offender awarded £20,000 in damages against Facebook

A convicted child abuser who featured on a Facebook page set up to monitor paedohphiles in Northern Ireland is to be awarded £20,000 in damages, a High Court judge ruled today. In a landmark verdict, Mr Justice Stephens held that both the social media giant and page operator Joe McCloskey were liable for misusing private information. He also ordered that the ‘Keeping Our Kids Safe From Predators 2’ profile at the centre of the lawsuit is to be terminated. Full Article Related: Facebook case: ‘I’d rather go to jail than…

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UK: Child prisoners more likely to become sex offenders, report suggests

Children who serve time in prison are at greater risk of becoming sex offenders later in life, a study has suggested. Researchers found teenagers who were sent to Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) often went on to display sexual aggression in adulthood and would sometimes find themselves back in prison for offences such as rape and child abuse. Full Article

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UK: British MPs Recommend Prevention Orders Used for Sex Offenders to Tackle Antisemitism on Social Media

A report following a British parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism released Sunday proposes that those spreading racial hatred online should be treated like sex offenders and served anti-social behavior orders or “Asbos” restricting their online access and possibly banning them from social media sites, various UK media outlets reported. Full Article

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UK: Preventing sexual abuse in the UK: A conversation with Donald Findlater by Jon Brown

As part of the new prevention series I had a conversation with Donald Findlater, Director of Stop it Now UK. (www.stopitnow.org.uk) Stop it Now UK was established in 2002 by the Lucy Faithful Foundation ( www.lucyfaithful.org.uk) as a result of the inspirational work of Fran Henry, Joan Tabachnick, Alisa Klein and others who of course set up Stop it Now in the U.S. The Lucy Faithful Foundation is the only UK wide charity dedicated solely to reducing the risk of children being sexually abused. Stop it Now UK was advocating…

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UK: The utterly ludicrous and petty campaign against Ched Evans

He has served the required amount of his sentence, and he should be allowed to do the job he chose and is qualified for A new name to help us welcome in the new year: Jean Hatchet. A name which is almost certainly too good to be true for a perpetually infuriated radical feminist — much as, say, Roz Termagant or Betty Hitler would be. It is a pseudonym, apparently. Ms Hatchet — I assume that is the title she would prefer, although Mx is catching on quite quickly — is the woman…

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Canada: Border agents stopped 150 U.S. sex offenders from entering Canada

Canada Border Services agents stopped more than 150 U.S. sex offenders from entering Canada, in part due to a partnership with United States customs, the federal government announced Monday. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney made the announcement Monday morning at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport. In 2014 alone, information provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents helped CBSA agents refuse entry to 59 sex offenders. Full Article

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H.R.4573 – International Megan’s Law Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar (Updated – reintroduced as HB515)

UPDATED WITH VOTE: WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation to extend Megan’s Law beyond American borders. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.), would require the U.S. to tell other countries when convicted sex offenders are traveling there. It would also try to set up reciprocal notification systems so the U.S. is told when convicted sex offenders travel to this country. A 2010 Government Accountability Office report said that at least 4,500 U.S. passports went to registered sex offenders in fiscal year 2008.…

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Bermuda: Public sex offenders list on agenda

Both political parties have come together in support of a committee to investigate how the Island should deal with sex offenders. The motion, moved during Friday’s session of Parliament by the PLP’s Zane DeSilva and amended by OBA backbencher Mark Pettingill, would create a joint select committee to examine existing legislation surrounding the sex offenders registry, and other matters related to convicted sex offenders. Full Article

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International Travel Experiences

Please supply your recent experiences with traveling abroad using the format below plus your comment / narrative. This is intended to collect experiences AT THE PORT OF ENTRY IN THE FOREIGN COUNTRY – Fall 2013 and later and being detained, denied or allowed in. NOT about re-entering the US and secondary inspection. It is assumed that there were no issues before Fall 2013 / early 2014 and that there is always a secondary inspection in some form upon returning to the United States. In the interest of organization please copy…

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