Source: iccl.ie 11/6/23 In response to a request for documents pertaining to the decision-making behind the proposed CSAM regulation, the European Commission failed to disclose a list of companies who were consulted about the technical feasibility of detecting CSAM without undermining encryption. This list “clearly fell within the scope” of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties’ request. The European Ombudsman has now held that the Commission’s failure to disclose the existence of this list constituted “maladministration”. The technical feasibility question is a major sticking point in the EU negotiations around…
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UK: Government to toughen sentences for sexual crimes in King’s Speech
Source: bbc.com 11/6/23 Offenders who commit murders with sexual or sadistic motives will spend the rest of their lives in prison, under government proposals. The plan will be in the King’s Speech, where King Charles reads out the government’s plan for the year ahead at the State Opening of Parliament. It will also include measures to force criminals to appear in the dock, and a law to prevent prisoners from marrying. This will be King Charles’s first time delivering the speech as monarch. It will also be Rishi Sunak’s first…
Read MoreCanada: Liberal bill updating sex-offender registry in response to court decision becomes law
Source: ctvnews.ca 10/27/23 OTTAWA – A Liberal bill that adds victims’ input to the process for publication ban decisions and changes how the national sexual offender registry works has received royal assent. The new law requires judges to ask prosecutors if they have sought a victim’s input when seeking a publication ban, and requires victims’ preferences about receiving information about their case after an offender’s sentencing to be entered into the record. It also adds new entries to the list of offences that can result in someone being added to…
Read MorePhilippines: American sex offenders denied entry into Philippines at NAIA
Source: palawan-news.com 10/22/23 Two convicted American sex offenders were denied entry into the Philippines by the immigration bureau at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) this week. They were identified by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as Eric Blair ___, 57, who arrived at NAIA Terminal 1 on October 19, aboard a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Los Angeles, California, and Marlon ___, 57, who arrived on a PAL flight from Honolulu on October 20. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said on Saturday that Smith is a registered sex offender (RSO) in…
Read MoreUK: Teacher sacked and arrested after girls made up sex claims ‘for fun’ gets payout
Source: msn.com 10/17/23 A male teacher at an all-girls grammar school has been awarded £45,000 after he was sacked over sex assault claims pupils later said had been made up ‘for fun’. Jonathan Hawker, who taught maths and computing, lost his job at Devonport High School for Girls after pupils said he assaulted them by touching their thighs and massaging their shoulders. He endured the ‘brutal experience’ of being arrested at his home before being dismissed from the Plymouth school for gross misconduct. His appeal against the sacking was then…
Read MoreFAC President Speaks to UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva Switzerland
Source: Florida Action Committee 10/16/23 Today, our FAC President Gail Colletta addressed the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva Switzerland to call out the United States’ failure to address the inhumane Registry scheme and specifically the practice of allowing states to create Sex Offender Residency Restrictions (SORRs). Gail had only two-minutes to define the problem and ask the UN to hold the United States accountable for the violation of numerous human rights. While there is more that needs to be done to abolish the Registry entirely, her presence today…
Read MoreEdinburgh, Scotland: Man who raped girl, 13, appeals conviction
A rapist given community service after attacking a 13-year-old girl says he is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Lawyers for Sean Hogg, 21, told the appeal court that the judge misdirected the jury during his trial and the conviction should be quashed. Hogg was found guilty of attacking his young victim multiple times in Dalkeith Country Park in 2018, when he was 17. He avoided prison after judge Lord Lake consulted Scotland’s new sentencing guidelines for people aged under 25. Donald Findlay KC told the Court of Criminal Appeal…
Read MorePhilippines: ‘Sex tourism’ comeback feared as 5 offenders denied PH entry
Source: globalnation.inquirer.net 9/12/23 MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday raised concern over the possible “resurgence of sex tourism” in the Philippines as five foreign offenders were stopped from entering the country in just one week. Four Americans identified as _______________ were denied entry as they were found to be registered sex offenders (RSO), according to the BI. “With the return of tourism also comes the return of aliens who will try to abuse our hospitality,” Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement. “We warn these predators…
Read MoreThailand: U.S. teacher and TikTok star arrested in Thailand after having sex with a teenager
Source: nbcnews.com 9/5/23 ACSOL note; Although we don’t normally post information about arrests, this is shocking and could serve as a warning to those who read our website and live overseas. BANGKOK, Thailand — An American teacher and TikTok star has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met online, authorities said. Luke ____ was arrested on Saturday in the Thai capital, Bangkok, according to police. He appeared in court on Monday night and was released on bail. The girl’s family said he passed…
Read MoreUK: Wanted sex offender caught on facial recognition camera at King Charles coronation
Source: independent.co.uk 7/31/23 A wanted sex offender was sent back to jail after being caught by a facial recognition camera at the coronation of King Charles. The 33-old-man, who has not been named, was picked up by one of the cameras operating in a van near Buckingham Palace on 6 May. An image of his face was captured by the hi-tech cameras and fed into a database that matched a mugshot of a wanted suspect. This sparked an alert to the Metropolitan Police and the man was immediately arrested and…
Read MoreEurope: European Union to require U.S. travelers with passports to fill out visa application
Source: cbsnews.com 7/21/23 New requirements are on the horizon for travelers with a U.S. passport looking to get to Europe. The European Union continues to plan the rollout of new travel document requirements through its European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). It would require travelers with U.S. passports to fill out an online visa application before being granted entry into the EU. “It won’t be complicated, it’s just an annoyance,” said CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg. “Most Americans, in fact, all Americans, are not used to doing this…
Read MoreUK: Gimp in the crowd is much ado about nothing, says Globe theatre
Source: news.yahoo.com 7/22/23 The man wore head-to-toe latex with a face mask and leather harness Shakespeare’s Globe allowed a man in a gimp outfit to roam the theatre while children were present and dismissed complaints because his sexual fetish latex bodysuit “did not contain offensive slogans”. Theatregoers raised concerns that the man was wearing head-to-toe latex with a face mask and leather harness which was “a very scary sight” and put “parents in a very uncomfortable position”. However, an internal staff report circulated by a manager later that day said…
Read MoreItaly: Italian man cleared of assault because grope only lasted ‘between five and 10 seconds’
Source: theguardian.com 7/13/23 An Italian judge has provoked outrage after clearing a school caretaker of sexually assaulting a teenage girl because the grope lasted only “a handful of seconds”. A 17-year-old student at a school in Rome complained of being groped by the caretaker as she walked up a staircase with a friend in April 2022. She said her trousers had fallen down from her waist and as she was pulling them up she felt a pair of hands touching her buttocks before the man grabbed her underwear and lifted…
Read MoreInternational Travel 2023
This post is intended as a place for discussions about International Travel ONLY. We added a new post for this year in order to keep the discussion manageable. For more information and previous discussions on the topic, please see the pages in the International Travel menu named International Travel [year number] Click here for the latest International Travel Information and Resources
Read MoreAI-generated child sex images spawn new nightmare for the web
Source: washingtonpost.com 6/19/23 The revolution in artificial intelligence has sparked an explosion of disturbingly lifelike images showing child sexual exploitation, fueling concerns among child-safety investigators that they will undermine efforts to find victims and combat real-world abuse. Generative-AI tools have set off what one analyst called a “predatory arms race” on pedophile forums because they can create within seconds realistic images of children performing sex acts, commonly known as child pornography. Thousands of AI-generated child-sex images have been found on forums across the dark web, a layer of…
Read MoreFrance: Victims lose €3.5m in scam accusing them of viewing child abuse images
Source: theguardian.com 6/23/23 Eighteen arrests in France and one in Belgium over false emails threatening people with prosecution Police in France and Belgium say they have smashed a criminal ring that used fake court summonses accusing people of viewing child sexual abuse images to extort at least €3.5m (£3m). The phishing scam involved false emails from police, judges or institutions such as Europol threatening victims with prosecution unless they paid a “fine”. Police said they arrested 18 people in France and one in Belgium in an operation on Monday, with…
Read MoreEurope: Commission unveils law to fight child sexual abuse online amid swelling privacy fears
Source: politico.eu 5/11/23 The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a law to force digital companies to find, report and remove online child sexual abuse material circulating on their platforms. As reported by POLITICO, Google, Apple, and Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram could be faced with court orders to hunt down photos and videos of child abuse or else face hefty fines of up to 6 percent of their global revenue. Companies would also have to clamp down on grooming — conversations where offenders try to inappropriately connect with children. The proposals…
Read MoreMalaysia: Sex offender gets 263-year sentence and 20 lashes
Source: themalaysianinsight.com 5/15/23 A MAN [no name given!] was sentenced to 263 years in prison and 20 lashes after pleading guilty at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court today to 32 charges of committing sexual crimes against his now 16-year-old stepdaughter over the past three years. The swimming instructor was sentenced after all the charges were read out by a court interpreter in two separate proceedings before Judge Dharmafikri Abu Adam and Judge Mohd Sabri Ismail. However, the court ordered the sentence against the 36-year-old accused to run concurrently for 35 years…
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