Smith gets 40 years in jail for Subic rape

By Ferdinand Fabella

A MAKATI court convicted US marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith of rape and sentenced him to 40 years in prison yesterday in a landmark case hailed as a victory for women’s rights and the country’s independence from its former colonial power.

In a decision televised live nationwide, three other US marines and their Filipino driver were acquitted of complicity after a long, emotional trial that resurrected controversies linked to the US military presence in the Philippines.

The case has tested a joint military pact that paved the way for US counterterrorism training credited with helping local forces make gains against Muslim extremists in the restive south.

“We laud the triumph of impartial justice,” said Ignacio Bunye, spokesman for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. “The court maintained an even keel despite the tremendous pressures upon the bench. We have shown the world that due process is a hallmark of Philippine democracy.

“The outcome of this case will not in any way affect Philippine-US relations for it is not about diplomatic relations but about universal justice and the rule of law.”

A 23-year-old Filipina, known publicly by her pseudonym “Nicole,” accused Smith of sexually assaulting her while she was drunk last Nov. 1, with Staff Sgt. Chad Carpentier, Lance Cpl. Keith Silkwood, and Lance Cpl. Dominic Duplantis allegedly cheering him on.

Smith, 21, from St. Louis, Missouri, testified that the sex was consensual. Instead, he became the first American soldier to be convicted of wrongdoing since the Senate ordered US bases shut down in the early 1990s and joint training was established under a treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, in 1998.

“I’m sad that three were acquitted, but I’m also happy because one was convicted,” Nicole told ABS-CBN television in a telephone interview.

Smith was ordered to pay the woman P100,000 ($2,000) in compensatory and moral damages.

“He was the one who was on top of the complainant, who resisted his kisses, pushed him and fought him back until she lost consciousness because of alcoholic drinks she had taken,” said the lengthy decision by Judge Benjamin Pozon of the Makati Regional Trial Court, read by a court employee.

Pozon said the severe penalty was aimed “to protect women against the unbridled bestiality of persons who cannot control their libidinous proclivity.”

The verdict said Nicole was so intoxicated that she could not have consented to sex, pointing to testimony that Smith carried her to a van where the rape happened.

Some cheers and applause broke out in the courtroom, and Nicole began weeping as supporters embraced her.

“We’re very happy. We laud Judge Pozon for showing courage and judicial independence,” the woman’s lawyer, Evalyn Ursua, said. “It is a moral victory in addition to the legal victory.”

It was unclear whether Smith would serve the sentence in the Philippines or elsewhere.

Pozon ordered that Smith be held in the Makati City jail while the government and the US embassy in Manila negotiated where he would serve his sentence.

His lawyer, Ricardo Diaz, said he would appeal.

Makati police wrestled Smith away from American security men who tried to take him out through another door in the courtroom, presumably back to the US embassy.

The other marines, who backed Smith’s testimony and denied any wrongdoing, were immediately freed. Hours later, they were flown in a private six-seater Lear Jet to Okinawa, Japan.

An American embassy statement assured the public that the US would continue to comply with its Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines.

“This has been a difficult and emotional matter for all involved and for their families and friends. The US government has adhered throughout to the terms of the VFA which provides the framework for US-Philippines cooperation on legal cases involving US service members,” the statement said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the US may keep custody of Smith even during the appeal, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said. He said the Americans wanted to ship him to Okinawa too.

“But I am objecting to that. I have made my position known because the US is hinting that they will bring him to Okinawa for another trial,” he said.

Earlier, about 100 protesters gathered outside the courthouse, chanting and singing “Bayan Ko.” They waved a banner that read “Justice for Nicole, justice for our nation. Scrap VFA.”

Left-wing activists have rallied against the pact, saying it favored Washington.

As a van dropped the Americans off and they were escorted by 50 helmeted riot police toward the court, members of a women’s group came up from behind yelling, “Convict, convict! Justice, justice!” as they raised anti-US posters.

The incident happened inside a moving van at the former US naval base at Subic Bay after a night of drinking with Smith, Nicole testified. The marines had just finished a counterterrorism exercise.

Ursua had said conviction would be “a permanent blot on the record of the US servicemen in the Philippines” and would set a precedent, while acquittal would have made it difficult for other women to seek justice.

In his ruling, Pozon cited 14 pieces of circumstantial evidence that proved Smith raped Nicole.

These included Nicole’s vaginal injuries and bruises on her legs and arms, the testimony of prosecution witnesses who saw Smith carrying the unconscious Nicole out of the Neptune Bar, and Smith’s admission that he had sex with the complainant.

“Accused Smith’s claim [of consensual sex] does not inspire belief,” the judge said. “If the complainant consented, why should she resist him? If it were true, why would she charge him with rape?”

In a press conference after the verdict was read, June Lopez, Nicole’s psychiatrist, said the complainant was overwhelmed by the decision and chose not to face the media.

“She kept saying, ‘Thank you Lord.’ They are overwhelmed so let’s give them a chance to settle down,” Lopez said of Nicole and her mother.

In the House, Majority Leader Prospero Nograles welcomed the verdict against Smith and hoped the incident would not hurt Philippine-American relations.

But party-list Rep. Liza Maza of the women’s group Gabriela said she was disappointed by the acquittal of Smith’s alleged accomplices, saying the verdict was a “Solomonic political compromise because it is clear that the act of one is the act of all.”

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo said the public must remain watchful because the verdict could be reversed on appeal. With Joyce Pangco Pañares, Rey E. Requejo, Vito Barcelo, Joel M. Sy Egco, AP

Other Links:
1. U.S. Marine Guilty Of Rape In Philippines

2. Philippine Court Finds US Marine Guilty of Rape, Acquits 3 Others

3. U.S. marine sentenced to 40 years for rape in Philippines

2-Month-Old Hospitalized with Alcohol Poisoning

COLORADO SPRINGS --

A 2-month-old baby was hospitalized with a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit for an adult driver.

Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Sharon Miracle said Monday she did not know the child's condition. She could not confirm earlier reports that the girl was expected to recover.

"Any time you give alcohol to a child, and at that quantity, it is extremely dangerous. It's virtually a poison," Miracle said.

The infant was taken to Memorial early Sunday with a 0.364 blood-alcohol level.

Police were investigating how she ingested the alcohol. Officers said the baby's mother had given conflicting stories.

Authorities said they believe the mother's boyfriend dropped her and the child off at the hospital and left. His whereabouts were unknown.

No names were released.

The baby was being treated in the hospital's intensive-care unit. She has been placed in the custody of the El Paso County Department of Human Services, police spokesman Lt. Rafael Cintron said.

A Colorado driver is considered legally drunk with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08.


Copyright 2006 Fox Denver (KDVR). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

Activisim days against violence

Sixteen days of activism against gender violence is due to be launched in Northern Ireland later.

Delegates from the health professions, policing, justice and women's sectors will hear the extent of violent abuse that women experience globally.

Women's Aid said the PSNI respond to a domestic incident every 22 minutes in Northern Ireland.

Its conference, which will also address human trafficking, gets under way in Belfast on Monday.

Annie Campbell, director of Women's Aid Federation, said: "Women's Aid has been supporting women affected by domestic violence for 30 years.

"Women rarely experience one form of violence in isolation.

"We know from supporting victims that there is often a horrific tale of interlinked abuse, which can include multiple rapes, forced prostitution, physical abuse, elder abuse and child abuse."

She said many women who were trafficked into Northern Ireland were themselves victims of domestic violence in their country of origin.

"Violence against women is endemic across the world," she said.

"This is intolerable; it is a global abuse of women's human rights. It is time for all of us to face the facts and work together to end all forms of violence against women."

Child abuse is your fault, public told

Peter Hughes,
chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development.
Picture / Mark Mitchell

Thursday November 16, 2006
By Paula Oliver

The head of the country's social services has lashed out at adult New Zealanders, saying it is time they took responsibility for child abuse and stopped blaming Government departments for events like the death of the Kahui twins.

Peter Hughes, chief executive of the Ministry of Social Development, said no department could have prevented the deaths of 3-month-old South Auckland infants Chris and Cru Kahui.

Until adults accepted responsibility for situations like those Child, Youth and Family encountered, "we will not solve this problem", Mr Hughes said.

"Those children were killed by an adult New Zealander - they were not murdered by a Government department." The Kahui twins died in the Starship hospital on June 18 of serious head injuries.

Mr Hughes' strongly-worded comments came during a marathon 2 1/2-hour appearance before Parliament's social services select committee yesterday.

He was answering questions from National MPs about Child, Youth and Family, which merged with his ministry this year.

Asked if the agency had any interaction with the Kahui family before the twins were born, Mr Hughes said "not the family unit".

There had been some involvement with other members of the family previously, he noted, but "CYF was not involved in any way".

When National MP Anne Tolley asked in an exasperated tone why there had not been any involvement, Mr Hughes said he wanted to respond to the "rhetoric" that had been in the media about that.

"I've been involved now with CYF for nearly 12 months, and the thing that I see constantly that is more remarkable to me, is the way in which adult New Zealanders refuse to take personal responsibility for these situations," he said.

He said some adults had repeatedly in the media expressed "deep and profound understanding" of the Kahui family's situation.

"Yet not one of those adults acted to intervene in that situation to enable us to help," Mr Hughes said.

"Not one of them even picked up the phone and phoned us."

Adult New Zealanders needed to "stop pointing the finger" at Government departments and other people, and take personal responsibility.

"All that is required is a phone call, an anonymous phone call - unless individual New Zealanders do that we will never get in front of this problem."

Mr Hughes was accompanied by a staff member who said that there had been, at some point, a conversation between a CYF social worker and other social workers about families at risk.

No names were exchanged during the conversation, but the Kahui family was one of the families that was discussed.

Mr Hughes said that there was certainly no conversation or information exchanged that would have enabled the ministry or CYF to act in "any way" to prevent the Kahui situation.

The twins' father, Chris Kahui, 21, has been charged with their murder.

Canada ISPs Fight Child Abuse

Techtree News Staff



Canada's biggest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have joined hands with Cybertip.ca, the country's child sexual exploitation tipline, to launch a new voluntary initiative to help in the battle against online child sexual abuse.

The new initiative, named 'Project Cleanfeed Canada', is the latest contribution from the multi-stakeholder Canadian Coalition against Internet Child Exploitation (C-CAICE). The effort is intended to make the Internet safer for Canadians and their families, by reducing chances of their accidentally coming across images of child sexual exploitation on the Internet.

The participating ISPs, which so far include Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, MTS Allstream, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw Communications, TELUS, and Videotron, will install sophisticated new filters designed to protect their customers from inadvertently visiting foreign Web sites that contain images of children being sexually abused, and that are beyond the jurisdiction of Canadian legal authorities.

Based on its widely recognized expertise in this area, Cybertip.ca will establish a list of the sites to be filtered, which will be incorporated automatically into the ISPs' filters. But the ISPs will have no involvement in compiling the Cybertip.ca list.

Moreover, Cybertip.ca and the ISPs will continue to work directly with Canadian law enforcement authorities that will investigate and take appropriate action in cases where a Canadian Web site contains child sexual exploitation images.

On this occasion, Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of Cybertip.ca and Chair of the C-CAICE Steering Committee, said, "Those of us active in fighting online child sexual exploitation understand that we need to fight this battle on many fronts and at many levels. 'Project Cleanfeed Canada' will make an important contribution to child protection by reducing accidental access by Canadians to child abuse images online."

Child Abuse Arrest In Portsmouth

Nov 27, 2006 01:11 PM

Portsmouth police have arrested and charged a Portsmouth woman with child abuse and neglect.

Police say the incident happened Sunday afternoon on Suburban Parkway. Two people were walking in front of a house when they saw a 4-year-old girl sitting on the front porch all by herself.

They approached her and asked why she was there alone and if her mommy was home. The little girl said that her mommy wasn't home and that she was all alone.

At that time, the people called police. Police arrived and arrested the mother, 24-year-old Acquelyn Shaneka Riser and charged her with abuse and neglect of a child. Riser is currently in the Portsmouth jail.

PATTY ANN KENLEY - Wanted

PATTY ANN KENLEY
Alias: Pattyann Hutson Kenley


UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD


June of 1997, allegations of sexual assault were made by a minor child to local authorities in Collin County, Texas. The eleven-year-old boy alleged that between April and June of 1997, his stepmother, Patty Ann Kenley, sexually assaulted him in the presence of his father, Phillip J. Kenley, and a younger sister. Arrest warrants were issued for Patty and Phillip Kenley on June 13, 1997. That day, the Kenleys were both arrested in Collin County, Texas, and posted bond. The Kenleys then failed to appear for their scheduled court date, resulting in the forfeiture of their bonds.

On August 25, 1999, federal arrest warrants were issued in Sherman, Texas, charging Patty Ann Kenley and Phillip J. Kenley with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CASE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI OFFICE OR THE NEAREST AMERICAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE.

Daryl Hannah's Mission: Ending Sex Slavery

When most famous actors or actresses wear disguises, it's to hide themselves from over-zealous fans or the relentless paparazzi. But when Hollywood actress, Daryl Hannah, conceals her identity, it's because her life could be in danger. That's because Daryl is going undercover to document the disturbing truth about modern-day slavery. Experts say most of today's slaves are women and children, forced against their will to have sex with as many as 40 men per day.

Daryl Hannah has made it her personal mission to not only rescue these sex slaves from the pimps and madams who illegally own them, but to spread the word about the growing problem by making a documentary about the issue.

Using her own money and resources for the low-budget film, Daryl straps microphones to her body and carries a hidden camera as she travels to brothels around the world. Her goal in making the film is to shed light on the serious issue of sex slavery and save the innocent people being held hostage and raped for profit.

A Pedophile's Playground

There are cities all around the world known for their reputation as a pedophile's playground. Child sex abusers travel to these places because they know the laws against sex slavery are not enforced there.

Sex slavery happens all over the world -- in Thailand, India, Cambodia, the Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Guatemala, Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, South Asia, and more. But slavery isn't only an issue overseas. Between 14,000 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year. And just as they are on foreign soil, many of them are forced into sex slavery.

One of the most notorious safe havens for pedophiles is Cambodia. Inside the capital city of Phnom Penh is a village called Svay Pak, an area where girls as young as six are forced to perform sex acts. Because virgins are preferred by many customers, some of the children are forced to endure surgery to trick pedophiles into thinking they've never had intercourse.

Additionally, most pedophiles who rape these children do not use condoms. When a child gets pregnant, she is usually forced to have an abortion. Many times, these girls are required to have sex with customers the very next day.

Lured Into The World Of Slavery By False Promises

No matter where these sex slaves are being held, the circumstances are almost always the same. Many of them are lured away from home with promises of money or new jobs. While recruiters for the brothels tell older girls they can make money as hair dressers, waitresses, or nannies, younger children are sometimes unknowingly sold as sex slaves by their own families.

In these cases, an impoverished family may resort to putting their children to work. Sometimes the families think their kids will be doing innocent work, like selling trinkets on the beach. Other times, the family may have an idea their child is headed for a life as a sex slave. But no matter how the children are recruited, the story always ends the same. When they arrive, they quickly realize there are no jobs.

Instead, experts say most of the girls are immediately raped and brutalized into submission. If they do not comply, investigators have seen cases where pimps and madams starve the slaves, burn them with cigarettes, and beat them with electrical cords until they give in. In some instances, the young girls are drugged to keep them from escaping. The girls are told they have to pay off their debts, including the amount their owners paid for their travel, and the cost of "living."

Those who have seen the living conditions first hand say that several girls are usually forced to live together in one room, with bare mattresses on the floor and a padlock on the door. Some of the brothels have no toilets.

It Could Happen To Anyone

Experts say anyone could fall victim to sex slavery -- even Daryl Hannah. She shared her personal story with AMW about how she nearly fell victim to a sex slave operation when she was 17 years old.

Daryl says she had just moved to Los Angeles for college and didn't know anybody in town. She met a girl in a grocery store who made an interesting offer. Daryl says the girl told her she was going with five girls to Las Vegas to model for an album cover. Shel said everything would be paid for; their plane ticket, hotel rooms, food, and clothing. Thinking it would be a great opportunity to meet new people, Daryl agreed to go.

But after they arrived in Vegas, Daryl's senses kicked in. She began to realize she was going into debt to these people and would be expected to do something in return. It wasn't long before another girl tipped her off, telling her that the situation she was about to get herself into wasn't a good one. That's when Daryl realized she was about to be forced into a sex slave ring. Daryl says she and another girl climbed out of a window and escaped.

Since then, Daryl has wanted to help others who have found themselves in the same situation, but weren't as lucky as she was. The problem of sex slavery is overwhelming and heart wrenching -- and Daryl Hannah isn't alone in her quest to do something about it.

What's Being Done?

Because they are denied a normal childhood, girls forced into sex slavery lack skills they need to survive in the workforce if they are lucky enough to escape their captivity. All they know is the life they led. It takes special safe houses and programs to teach these children what they need to know to survive, and luckily, these programs do exist.

In 2003, the International Justice Mission combined efforts with Cambodian police to conduct a massive sweep of brothels. They rescued almost 30 girls and arrested 13 suspects.

In 2005, the FBI, Immigration Custom Enforcement Agents, and members of the NYPD teamed up to conduct an investigation that resulted in the breakup of Korean sex slave rings up and down the East Coast, and in California. In all, they made 30 arrests and rescued 70 victims -- a small but important victory in a huge battle.

In 2006, Daryl Hannah changed the lives of several girls who were being held hostage as sex slaves in Cambodia. One of the girls Daryl saved had been trafficked from Vietnam to Malaysia, and then to Cambodia by a woman who promised her a job as a waitress.

There have been many more raids like these over the years, and little by little, people are working to solve the problem of sex slavery abroad and in the U.S. Although the raids may not seem to put a huge dent in the problem, experts say they actually prevent sex slavery in many cases. When a brothel owner sees another pimp or madam receive a jail sentence, they grow wary of continuing their own business.

The battle against sexual slavery is ongoing, and education about the issue increases the odds of winning the fight. Thanks to organizations like the International Justice Mission and individuals like Daryl Hannah, more and more people are getting the message that sex slavery is a massive problem, it ruins lives, and it must be stopped.

For Further Information

International Justice Mission

Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking

Village Focus International

The views expressed by the above organizations are not the views of the Producers of "America's Most Wanted" or the Fox Broadcasting Company.

Afghan Women Increase Suicide

by Grant Swank

They despair. They light themselves on fire. They die. Their number increases daily in Afghanistan, per AP Alisa Tang.

"Blood dripped down the 16-year-old girl's face after another beating by her drug addict husband. Worn down by life's pain, she ran to the kitchen, doused herself with gas from a lamp and struck a match.

"Desperate to escape domestic violence, forced marriage and hardship, scores of women across Afghanistan each year are committing suicide by fire. While some gains have been made since the fall of the Taliban five years ago, life remains bleak for many Afghan women in the conservative and violence-plagued country, and suicide is a common escape.

"More than a month after her attempt, her gnarled hands still bleed."

It is puzzling why more Western news feeds do not print this kind of extremist Muslim reality. But they don’t. Western women’s rights organizations don’t touch this kind of mistreatment. Why? It has no logical answer.

Actually in this AP article, there is not once mentioned "extremist Muslim" or "fascist Islam." The women are merely tagged as "Afghan women." Once again, extremist Muslim atrocities get masked by a free press.

"’It was my decision to die. I didn't want to be like this, with my hands and body like this,’ she said, sitting on a hospital bed in Kabul and hiding her deformed hands beneath her shawl.

"’It's all over the country ...The trend is upward,’ said Ancil Adrian-Paul of Medica Mondiale, a nonprofit that supports women and girls in crisis zones.

"The group has seen girls as young as 9 and women as old as 40 set themselves on fire. But many incidents remain hidden, Adrian-Paul said."

West news reports, including web sites overseen by conservatives, report on Anna Nicole Smith or the Tom Cruise wedding. Such trivia dominates an entertainment-crazed society such as America. Truths that expose Islamic extremism related to females are sidelined for the banal.

"’A lot of self-immolation and suicide cases are not reported to police for religious reasons, for reasons of honor, shame, stigma. There is this collusion of silence,’ Adrian-Paul said on the sidelines of a conference this week in Kabul on self-immolation.

"Five years after the fall of the repressive Taliban regime, domestic violence affects ‘an overwhelming majority’ of Afghan women and girls.

"An estimated 60 to 80 percent of Afghan marriages are forced, the report said. More than half of Afghan women are married before they turn 16 and many young girls are married to men who are several decades older, the report said. The exchange of women and girls to resolve a crime, debt or household dispute is also common.

"Under the hard-line Taliban regime, women were unable to vote, receive education or be employed. In recent years, women have gained the right to cast ballots and female candidates have run for parliament, but women are often still regarded as second-class citizens."

The Christian Church should be informing its constituents of the facts regarding extremist Islam. Instead, Christian leaders muffle themselves rather than get into the macabre of extremist Islam practices. The pastors don’t want to depress their congregations; therefore, they say basically nothing regarding extremist Islam. The same for most seminaries. The same for most Bible colleges. The same for most religious publications such as denominational family magazines.

It is the same positive thinking, comfortable spread put out throughout Christianity. It is the same ritual, liturgy, religious forms while Islam World Rule moves forward with a fresh zeal.

"For Gulsum, who goes by one name, the marriage proposal came with a simple cultural gesture her father could not refuse: The groom's sister-in-law lay her newborn son at the father's feet - an act signifying purity and innocence - and asked for the girl's hand.

"’My father said, "The baby is like a holy book, so I can't say no,"" the teenager recalled of her abrupt betrothal last year to a white-haired, 40-year-old man. ‘In the tradition of our country, when our fathers give us away to be married, we have no choice but to accept.’

"She and her husband lived for six months at her parents' home in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The newlyweds then moved in with his family in neighboring Iran, which is home to many Afghan refugees.

"Once out of her parents' care, her husband turned to heroin and alcohol, and the beatings began, Gulsum said. The beatings became worse when she confronted her husband about his addictions. The last time he hit her was earlier this fall when she set herself on fire.

"Her husband and his family did not help the burning girl. Their neighbor wrapped her in a blanket to put out the fire and took her to the hospital.

"Herat public health director Raoufa Niazi has seen about 150 self-immolation cases over the past two years and pleads with women who survive that fire is not the way to escape their problems. ‘I tell them to go to complain to the government, but the government doesn't help them,’ Niazi said. ‘The government doesn't punish the people who hurt these women. Instead, they just say, 'Why has she done this to herself?'"

Copyright © 2006 by J. Grant Swank, Jr.
http://www.truthinconviction.us/weblog.php
joseph_swank@yahoo.com">joseph_swank@yahoo.com

links:
Women on Fire in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Behind the burqas

Of kites and makeup

Pakistan parliament backs rape bill

Pakistan's parliament has approved a controversial bill aimed at helping victims of rape, despite strong protests from muslim politicians who claim the legislation violates Islamic law.

The bill is set to go before Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, who is expected to ratify the document.

President Musharraf has been a strong supporter of changing contentious sections of the 1979 Hudood Ordinance, or rape law, as a way of softening the country's hard-line Islamic image and appeasing moderates and human rights groups opposed to the statutes.

Activists have long condemned the laws for punishing, instead of protecting, rape victims while providing legal safeguards for their attackers.

But conservatives and opposition supporters have rallied to keep the old laws, which were introduced by general Zia ul-Haq, the sixth president of Pakistan, to make laws more Islamic.

"Protection of Women Bill"

The government-controlled senate passed the amendments in an evening vote, said Mohammed Ali Durrani, the Pakistani information minister.

The legislation, dubbed the "Protection of Women Bill", came a week after it cleared the lower house of parliament.

The new law would drop the death penalty for people found to have had sex outside of marriage, and empowers judges with the ability to try a rape case in a criminal court or an Islamic court.

Under the Hudood Ordinance, rape victims can only raise a case in the Islamic court, which requires testimony from four witnesses to the crime.

"The approval of the bill by the Senate is a great thing," said Mehnaz Rafi, a female politician who has worked to change the law for 27 years.

"Today, the senate gave protection and justice to women."

Under the new law, consensual non-marital sex remains a crime, but it is punishable by five years in prison or a 10,000 rupees ($165) fine instead of death.

Calls for change

International and local calls for change intensified after the 2002 gang-rape of a woman, Mukhtar Mai, who was assaulted after a tribal council in her eastern Punjab village ordered the rape as punishment for her 13-year-old brother's alleged affair with a woman of a higher caste.

Ahead of Thursday's vote, senator Khurshid Ahmed, leader of the opposition religious coalition, condemned the bill as "an attempt to promote an alien culture and secularism in Pakistan".

Discussion on the new bill broke down in September after the government failed to win support from opposition Islamic groups, particularly for abolishing the need for four witnesses to a rape, which is a crime that often has no bystanders.

In a compromise, the government proposed the clause allowing a judge to try cases in either a criminal court or in an Islamic court.

The new bill also removes the right of police to detain people suspected of having sex outside of marriage, instead requiring an individual to make a formal accusation directly to a court and not the police.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Bill makes it easier to prosecute rape

The Senate amended its rape law Thursday to make it easier to prosecute sexual assault cases. The amended law also would drop the death penalty for people found to have had sex outside of marriage, though they still would be subject to a 5-year prison term or $165 fine.

Judges also will be able to choose whether to try a rape case in a criminal or Islamic court.

Under the current Hudood Ordinance, rape victims can raise a case only in the Islamic court. Testimony from four witnesses is required, making a trial of a rape suspect almost impossible.

The bill now goes to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who is expected to sign it into law.

Links:
Hudood Ordinance of 1979 (pdf)

Negotiating Women's Rights

Pakistan: a Rapist's Paradise, Sanctioned by Allah?

Opposition in senate has slammed the Women Protection Bill (WPB)

Beshir: Sudan wants no UN troops in Darfur

November 23 2006 at 11:46AM

Khartoum - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir told Britain and the United Nations that he still rejects the deployment of UN troops in war-torn Darfur, the state-run Suna news agency reported Thursday.

The agency said Beshir spoke by phone with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair late on Wednesday.

Beshir "stressed Sudan's rejection of any UN forces or UN command for the African Union (AU) forces in Darfur," SUNA said.

The discussions looked at how the UN could assist AU forces on the ground, it added.

The UN Security Council in August adopted a resolution calling for the deployment of 20 000 UN peacekeepers to replace an ill-equipped and under-funded AU contingent in Sudan's troubled western region.

Beshir consistently opposed such a plan, but Annan said last week that Sudan had accepted a "hybrid force" comprising forces from both the UN and the AU.

Khartoum denied it had accepted a deal for a joint AU-UN command and said it would only tolerate assistance to AU forces from UN technical units.

Blair warned on Wednesday that this compromise solution could be Khartoum's last chance to avoid sanctions.

"If the government (of Sudan) does not seize this opportunity then we will have to look at tougher measures," he said.

Annan said on Wednesday he was awaiting a letter from Beshir clariying Sudan's position on the proposal for a joint AU-UN peacekeeping operation.

The war in Darfur erupted in February 2003 when rebels from minority tribes took up arms to demand an equal share of national resources, prompting a heavy-handed crackdown from government forces and a proxy militia called the Janjaweed.

At least 200 000 people have since died from the combined effects of fighting, famine and disease, according to the UN. Some sources say the toll is much higher.

- Sapa-AFP

Police: Child's throat slashed by father

12-year-old pronounced dead at the scene

(Belmont - WABC, November 22, 2006) - Police say a Bronx father has admitted to killing his 12 year-old autistic child by slashing the boy's throat. The brutal crime happened on 24-05 Southern Boulevard in the Belmont section of the Bronx.

Eyewitness News reporter Marcus Solis has the latest.

Through out the afternoon, the detectives had been interviewing the boy's father as they trying to find out what happened.

The police commissioner says Jose Stable has already made statements indicating that he did kill his son.

By midmorning, crime scene investigators had wrapped up their task.

A 12-year-old boy found dead in the bathtub of sixteen floor apartment. Ulysses Stable's throat had been slit.

Around 6:30 a.m. police responded to the building on Southern Boulevard after the boy's father used a fire call box to tell a dispatcher his son was dead.

Police recovered the murder weapon in the kitchen sink.

"Jose Stable made statements to the fact that I have terminated the life of autistic child." Ray Kelly, NYC police commissioner, said.

The boy suffered from autism, and attended a special education facility in Hawthorne in Westchester County. He lived alone with his father Jose Stable who had been granted custody.

The boy's mother has several prostitution and narcotics arrests. Neighbors say there was no outward sign of trouble between father and child.

"He acted normal, the father was like normal with everybody," neighbor, Julie Cassetta, said. "He didn't make it look like anything was wrong."

"I never had seen him abuse the kid& real protective toward the kid. I just don't know," neighbor, Russell Lewis, said. "I don't understand what happened."

The administration for children's services, ACS, says it actually went to court last year trying to gain custody of the boy because he was not going to school. A judge, however, recommended court-ordered supervision.

ACS said it had been in contact with family and now conducting its own investigation.

(Copyright 2006 WABC-TV)

Man Sentenced for Ant Abuse Punishment

JACKSON, Miss. — A college business professor who allegedly punished one of his children by covering the boy with ants and putting pepper juice in his eyes has been sentenced to two years in prison for child abuse.

Hinds County Circuit Judge L. Breland Hilburn sentenced Alcorn State University professor Festus Oguhebe on Monday to five years in prison with three years suspended and two to serve.

Oguhebe, a Byram resident, pleaded no contest in October to one count of child abuse. With a no contest plea, a defendant is not admitting guilt, but is not contesting the charges.

The judge allowed Oguhebe to remain free on bond until Jan. 5.

Oguhebe, a native of Nigeria, was arrested in March 2005 on five counts of felony child abuse, stemming from the bizarre punishment methods he allegedly used on his 11-year-old son.

The punishment included "placing him in a bathtub, then putting hot pepper juice in his eyes, on his penis and buttocks; and also by tying his hands behind his back and covering his body with ants," according to court records.

Oguhebe had maintained that he used punishments that were customary in his native Africa.

The children, ages 7 to 13, were allegedly punished by their father for things like not finishing school work and taking food from within the household when they were told to fast, court records reveal.

The professor also was accused of abusing his son by "whipping and striking the child in such a manner as to cause serious bodily injury," according to records filed by Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Purnell.

Affidavits filed in Hinds County Court had claimed the professor beat his children with extension cords, choked and sometimes made them sleep outside as punishments.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

other articles:
Nigerian Tribune article

Study Reveals Scale of Violence Against Africa's Children

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
21 November 2006

An international study on violence against children, commissioned by the U.N., reveals the severity of violence children suffer in West and Central Africa. The report also highlights steps to improve the situation.

Throughout central and West Africa, it may be a common sight to see children begging at street corners, but the signs of poverty and violence that children endure are not always evident.

In a region where almost half of the population is not registered at birth, children are among the most vulnerable and invisible, according to the U.N. children's body, UNICEF.

Against this backdrop, the U.N. commissioned four years ago an international study to measure the scale of violence against children. The study combines human rights, public health and child protection perspectives, and focuses on five settings where violence occurs: the home and family, schools and educational settings, institutions - including care and justice - the workplace, and the community.

El Kane Mooh, the regional advisor for the non-governmental group Save the Children West Africa, describes the most common types of violence children face in the region, starting with violence in the workplace.

"In West Africa, many children are working," said El Kane Mooh. "[There is also] sexual violence, rape, but also incest, and traditional practices, mainly female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage, and debt [labor] bondage."

Michel Gregoire, with the International Labor Organization, describes the less visible forms of violence children suffer, such as those who are employed as domestic workers.

These less visible forms of violence, he says, are more dangerous because these children are subject to all types of hidden abuses. Gregoire says that there are several million of these less visible victims throughout Africa, who deserve the attention of governments, civil society, and development organizations.

He and other aid workers and advocates for children hailed the study as much needed in the campaign to increase awareness about the often endemic violence children suffer throughout the world.

How can we fight against something if we don't know what the enemy is, asks Gregoire. Only then, he concludes, can we possibly find ways to defend, protect and fight against this violence.

The report calls for a wide range of actions to be taken. One specific recommendation is for governments to set up an independent body that advocates for the rights of children.

Mamadou Ndiaye Diom, 16, a member of a youth club in Dakar, has his own recommendation to end violence against children.

My idea would be, he says, to speak with you and try to break the silence surrounding violence, try to advise youth to speak up and to know what their rights are.

Darfur 'genocide crosses to Chad'

Chad's government has accused Sudan of "exporting the genocide" in Darfur across the border.

It says there have been "numerous victims" of recent clashes between Arabs and non-Arab groups just across the border from Darfur.

Earlier, a minister said that more than 100 people had been killed in separate clashes in south-eastern Chad.

Eastern Chad and Darfur have a similar ethnic make-up and the two governments have swapped charges of backing rebels.

Chad's government called for UN peacekeepers to be deployed along the border area.

"There is a genocide overflowing from Sudan's region of Darfur," it said about the clashes in the Dar Sila area.

Earlier, National Administration Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir said several villages had been burned in last week's violence in Salamat.

He said Arabs had organised attacks on local Kibet villages but that the situation was now under control.

There has been an ongoing dispute between the Arab and the Kibet communities over land issues and water resources.

The BBC's Stephanie Hancock in Chad says there is a general pattern of conflict in the east of the country between Arabs, both from Sudan and Chad, and non-Arab groups.

In April, Chad rebels reached the capital, N'Djamena, before being repulsed.

Sudan denied claims it had backed Chad's rebels, while Chad denied supporting the black African rebels in Darfur.

Some two million people have been displaced in Darfur and at least 200,000 are estimated to have died in the three-and-a-half year conflict.

Sudan's government says it is disarming Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, who have been accused of carrying out genocide on its behalf.

Khartoum also denies claims of genocide.

Track child sex offenders by satellite, says charity

By Chris Greenwood, PA
Published: 14 November 2006

Satellite tracking and lie detector tests could help protect children from sex offenders, a report by a leading children's charity said today.

The compulsory use of polygraph tests and tracking devices could radically improve the supervision of sex offenders released in to the community, Barnardo's said.

Its chief executive Martin Narey said the measures would be more effective than the introduction of a Sarah's Law in protecting children.

Mr Narey, former Head of Prison and Probation Service, said such a law would create a false sense of security and risk forcing offenders underground.

He said polygraph tests have been shown to be effective in monitoring whether offenders comply with their licence conditions.

And he added that satellite tracking technology, which makes it possible to follow the movements of offenders, has already been piloted in three areas of England.

Mr Narey said: "Having a child abducted and assaulted is every mother and father's nightmare.

"Barnardo's is committed to protecting children from harm, but we feel that a Sarah's Law would offer a false comfort to parents and could put children in more, not less, danger.

"That said, the current arrangements for the safe supervision of dangerous offenders need to be strengthened and public confidence restored.

"Our report outlines how the use of polygraphs and satellite tracking could radically improve the effectiveness of supervision.

"All the indications are that polygraphs can be effective in helping control behaviour.

"I have personally seen their use on sex offenders, spoken to the probation staff who have used this technology in a pilot in the North East, and been impressed by the officers conviction that it significantly improves the rigour of supervision."

The Government is expected to once again bring forward a bill on offender management in the Queen's speech at Westminster tomorrow.

Last year it announced the Management of Offenders Bill, but has not yet been published.

There has been a sustained campaign for access to information about the identity of sex offenders living in the community.

The move was dubbed Sarah's Law after Sarah Payne who was kidnapped and murdered by convicted sex offender Roy Whiting.

But the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said the law would drive sex offenders away from supervision and into hiding.

Senior members of Barnardo's believe there will be specific circumstances when the authorities must advise families of the potential danger from a sex offender.

Multi Agency Protection Panels (MAPPAs), groups that manage the most dangerous offenders once they are released from prison, already have the power to give some individuals and agencies details of registered sex offenders.

Child dies of injuries; stepfather facing charges

A 17-month-old Lawrence Township boy has died of head injuries suffered after he was allegedly shaken by his stepfather, authorities said today.

DeJon Nelson died Friday morning at Methodist Hospital.

His stepfather, Jermaine Reaves, had been arrested by investigators on Thursday and preliminarily charged with aggravated battery and neglect. Marion County Sheriff’s Capt. Brian Mahone said Reaves was now likely to face additional charges in light of the boy’s death.

DeJon’s mother, whose name was not available, was out of state when medics were called to help a choking infant at the family’s residence in the 9000 block of East 42nd Street about 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Authorities determined the child’s injuries were consistent with “shaken baby syndrome,” Mahone said.

Copyright 2006 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved

Parental Controversy on Dr. Phil

Shocking Accusations



A desperate grandmother sent Dr. Phil a video showing how her 3-year-old granddaughter, Kaylee, reacts when she returns from visits with her father. The disturbing footage raises questions about how Kaylee is being raised by both her father and mother.

Searching for Help

Krista and her mother, Bonii, say they only suspected Kaylee's father, Jeremy, of molesting Kaylee, until she ended up in the hospital with a mysterious injury. After that, they say, their fears were confirmed.

Tug-of-War

Jeremy and his wife, Danielle, shot their own home video to show what their life is like with Kaylee.

Jeremy's Lie Detector Test Results

When it’s Jeremy’s turn to take the lie detector test, Howard Swabash, the polygraph examiner, tells him, “I will pass you on this test if you’re telling 100 percent the truth. You know in your heart if you did it or not.”

Howard instructs Jeremy to close his eyes to think about every question, and to breathe normally. He also tells Jeremy to uncross his legs, so both of his feet are on the floor. When Howard asks Jeremy if he’d done anything to compromise the test results, Jeremy answers, “I wouldn’t have the slightest inkling of a clue even how to do that.”

Before Dr. Phil opens the envelope containing Jeremy’s test results, he asks Howard if he had determined Jeremy had not taken any illegal drugs before taking the test. Howard answers yes. Dr. Phil then asks Howard if all the test results were double-checked by an independent review board. Again, Howard answers yes.

Dr. Phil says, “I noticed you were telling Jeremy to be still during this and stop moving around. What was going on there?”

Howard answers, “I wanted to make sure that he did not employ any countermeasures to defeat the tests.” He was concerned that Jeremy was trying to beat the polygraph; there are hundreds of Web sites with tips on how to do it. “What people don’t know is, I read these sites and I also go to federal and state institutions to learn how to counteract countermeasures,” Howard adds.



Dr. Phil asks Jeremy if he was indeed trying to beat the test.

Jeremy scoffs and says, “Like I said, I wouldn’t have any idea how to do that.”

"Do you have access to a computer?" Dr. Phil asks.

Jeremy answers, "At the library, yes."

"Do you know how to use a computer?" Dr. Phil asks.

"I know how to get on my e-mail. That’s about it," Jeremy answers.

Dr. Phil looks through his notes. "Do you have an e-mail address that is analbastard@hotmail.com?" he asks.

Jeremy answers, "Yes, I do."

Dr. Phil reads the results of Jeremy’s polygraph.

"Question number one: Have you ever put your tongue into Kaylee’s mouth while kissing her. Your answer was —"

"No," Jeremy answers.

"The results are that that is deceptive," Dr. Phil says. "Question number two: Have you ever touched Kaylee’s vagina for your own sexual gratification. Your answer was —"

"No," Jeremy says.

Dr. Phil says, "The result is that is deceptive." Bonii is in tears, and Krista is visibly shaken.

Dr. Phil reads the next two questions: Whether Jeremy knew for sure how Kaylee’s labia became torn; if he put his penis or anything else into Kaylee’s vagina. Jeremy answered no to both questions and the test results say that in both cases he was being deceptive.

The only indication that Jeremy was telling the truth was on the final question: Whether or not he had ever taken inappropriate photos of Kaylee. Jeremy answered no, and the test result indicated he was being truthful.

Dr. Phil asks Jeremy, “Are you still maintaining that you’ve done nothing inappropriate with this child?”

Jeremy answers, “You’re damn straight I am.”

Man ordered to wear "sex offender" T-shirt

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Delaware judge on Friday ordered a man who twice exposed himself to a 10-year-old girl at his workplace to wear a T-shirt with the words: "I am a registered sex offender" in bold letters, a prosecutor said.

Russell Teeter, 69, who pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent exposure, also was sentenced to 60 days in jail by Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden in Wilmington.

Deputy Attorney General Donald Roberts said he requested the unusual T-shirt punishment because he was concerned about Teeter exposing himself to children at the gardening business he runs with his wife.

"This is a unique way to let his customers know that he is a sex offender," Roberts told Reuters.

Roberts said Teeter had at least 10 prior convictions dating back to 1976 for exposing himself to children and had been diagnosed as a compulsive exhibitionist.

Teeter, who has 30 days to appeal the sentence, will have to wear the T-shirt at work for 22 months after he gets out of jail.

Teeter's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Jail for woman who kept sister-in-law as slave

A mother of six was jailed for seven years today for turning her sister-in-law into a domestic slave.

Antonia Pearson-Gaballonie, 35, kept Veronica Sandeman, now 26, as a slave, assaulted her, forced her to work naked and made her beg for food over a number of years, York Crown Court heard.

Pearson-Gaballonie, of New Lane, Acomb, York, was sentenced to a total of seven years after being found guilty earlier of false imprisonment, making threats to kill and six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a week-long trial.

Her partner Neil Pearson, 35, whom she married in June 2004, was jailed for two years after being found guilty of one count of aiding and abetting an assault.

The Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, told Pearson-Gaballonie she was a "manipulative and cunning" individual who committed "callous and brutal" attacks on her sister-in-law in a period of systematic abuse, much of which was carried out while the victim was falsely imprisoned and forced to work naked under the gaze of Pearson.

The judge also said she had gone to great lengths to avoid the trial, including making an attempt on her life, and even initially refused to enter the dock for the sentencing hearing today.