The Jerry Sandusky criminal trial and civil settlements brought to the public’s attention a series of crimes that one man had perpetrated against dozens of innocent victims. The number of victims and the lengthy timeline of abuse was overwhelming for many Americans following the trial. They also served as an important reminder that child sexual […]
One of the major stories currently making news has to do with contested sexual assault allegations. Recently, Rolling Stone Magazine did a feature story about a young woman identified as “Jackie,” who is or was a student at the University of Virginia. She alleged in an interview that she had been gang raped by a […]
We have previously written about the problem of child sex abusers who gain access to their victims by taking jobs that involve interaction with kids. This includes teachers and youth sports coaches. Sometimes, however, adults are not the offenders. Other kids are. Under the guise of “hazing” rituals, sexual violence has become a major problem in […]
The Jerry Sandusky scandal has largely left the headlines (although his crimes have inspired more stringent laws in Pennsylvania for adults who want to work with children). The evidence against Sandusky was so plentiful and so strong that, once exposed, he was easily convicted. After the criminal trial concluded, many sexual abuse victims were able to obtain […]
Earlier this month, we wrote about a Pennsylvania priest who has been charged with possession of child pornography and sex tourism. Under the guise of missionary work, the priest allegedly traveled to Central America to sexually abuse boys in orphanages. Until his arrest, that priest worked in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. If that diocese sounds […]
The Jerry Sandusky scandal has made all Pennsylvanians more vigilant about the threat of child sexual abuse. It has also raised awareness that child predators do not necessarily stand out as suspicious and that this is why it may be easy for them to gain access to children in a professional or volunteer context. Thankfully, […]
Last month, a Pennsylvania priest was arrested on charges of possession of child pornography and engaging in sex tourism. Authorities say that for more than a decade, the 69-year-old priest would travel to countries in Central America under the guise of doing missionary work with young, male orphans. Instead, he allegedly sexually abused these boys. […]
The clergy sex abuse scandal involving priests in the Catholic Church is an example of how child predators will continue to abuse children until or unless they are stopped. Over the last half-century or more, many priests who had been credibly accused of child sex abuse were not arrested or defrocked. Instead, they were quietly asked to […]
We have written many times in past posts about the act of “grooming.” This is what child sex abusers do to gain their victims’ trust, break down boundaries and eventually keep victims from reporting the abuse. It takes patience, skill and the ability to be highly manipulative. Victim grooming is how many child sex abusers […]
There is no doubt that the internet has long been used as a tool to facilitate sex crimes against children. Despite the efforts of specialized law enforcement units and other concerned advocates, child pornography and even ads for child sex trafficking are abundantly available online. Perhaps the most infamous, non-anonymous player in child sex trafficking […]
