HR 515 / IML Update from Registrant TAG

We ultimately met with six house legislative aides, mostly from the house foreign relations committee and also went to all the offices of cosponsors. We provided a copy of the talking points and a letter Janice Bellucci sent to the House Speaker. I will follow up tomorrow with an email to each of the legislative aides we had discussions with and aides with the other members that we left literature with. Before we met with the aids, it was clear there was little to no noise generated by the passage…

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Mexico: Human trafficking survivor – I was raped 43,200 times

Mexico City (CNN)Karla Jacinto is sitting in a serene garden. She looks at the ordinary sights of flowers and can hear people beyond the garden walls, walking and talking in Mexico City. She looks straight into my eyes, her voice cracking slightly, as she tells me the number she wants me to remember — 43,200. … Her testimony was used as evidence in support for H.R. 515 or Megan’s Law that mandates U.S. authorities share information pertaining to American child sex offenders when these convicts attempt to travel abroad. Full…

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UK: One in 1,000 Britons is a sex offender

Nearly one in every 1,000 Britons is a registered sex offender, it was revealed last night. Ministry of Justice figures show there are 50,000 sex offenders – including rapists, paedophiles and other sex attackers – on the national register. That total has increased by more than 60 per cent in less than a decade from just 30,000 in 2006. It means there are now 98 sex offenders for every 100,000 people in England and Wales – or nearly one in every 1,000. Full Article

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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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