Trinity Mount Ministries - DOJ - PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD - Justice News - UPDATE

PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

JUSTICE NEWS

September 4, 2019

Press Release

Jury Finds San Antonio Man Guilty of Possession of Child Pornography

September 4, 2019

Press Release

Champaign Man Indicted on Charge of Attempted Enticement of a Minor

September 4, 2019

Press Release

Tennessee Sex Offender Indicted on Charge of Failure to Register

September 4, 2019

Press Release

Austin Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

September 4, 2019

Press Release

Doddridge County man admits to sex offender registry violation

RESOURCES

Amber Alert

iKeepSafe

INOBTR ("I Know Better")

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Office of Educational Technology Internet Safety

Read the Project Safe Childhood Fact Sheet »

Featured Videos

View the Project Safe Childhood Video Page »

New 911 Program Helps Find Missing Children Faster

Abisola Adeyemo

Marshall County - When children go missing 911 works to gather information to bring them back home.

Marshall County 911 dispatch partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to train dispatchers. They will now gather more detailed information, using a checklist to get the right resources to the scene and find the child faster.

911 Assistant Director John Townsend completed the training for the new program. He said at the training he heard from parents who had missing children that were never found.

"It was hard to sit there and look somebody in the eye while they told you the story about how they lost their child," Townsend said. "You know that they're never going to come back when the circumstances may have been different had the people in their community had the training we were taking."

911 Director Chris Freeman said the new protocol cuts response time in half.

"You got to protect your children," Freeman said. "The children are the future of our community, they're our future leaders. They need every opportunity and when something like that happens, we've got to come to their aid."

Townsend said other dispatch centers need the program, so more families might get the answers they're looking for.

It's the law: Protecting children from abuse falls on all of us

By STEPHEN D. HALL, Esq.

Q. I am worried about my neighbor’s children. We live in adjoining apartments. I have often heard my neighbor’s boyfriend yelling (sometimes very angrily) at her children, and the children start crying abruptly. I fear that he might be hitting them, especially because the children always seem to have lots of bruises, but I have no absolute proof. I’ve tried talking to the mother, but she doesn’t seem to want to listen. Since I don’t have proof, could they sue me for reporting him?

A. Protecting children from abuse and neglect falls squarely on all of us, and not just because of social norms or moral obligations. Idaho law has long required anyone having reason to believe that a child has been abused, abandoned or neglected to report it to law enforcement or to Child Protection. The report must be made within 24 hours. Failure to report is a misdemeanor.

When you make a report, your identity must be kept confidential. The law also gives you immunity from civil and criminal liability for reporting. To be eligible for that immunity you only need reason to believe that a child has been abused, abandoned or neglected, and you must make the report in good faith. Honest, reasonable concern for a child’s health and safety is certainly good faith.

To determine whether you have “reason to believe,” you need to know the legal definitions of the terms abused, neglected and abandoned.

“Abused” means that a child has been a victim of physical abuse or sexual conduct. Emotional abuse alone, such as yelling, is not “abuse” under this law. Physical abuse means conduct or omission resulting in skin bruising, bleeding, malnutrition, burns, fracture of any bone, soft tissue swelling, subdural hematoma, failure to thrive or death, where that condition is not justifiably explained. Sexual conduct includes rape, molestation, incest, prostitution, obscene or pornographic photographing and other sexual exploitation.

“Neglected” means most situations where a child is without proper parental care and control.

“Abandoned” means situations where a parent fails to maintain a normal parental relationship with a child, including reasonable support and regular personal contact, for an extended time.

You should carefully consider all that you have seen and all you have heard to determine whether, in your best judgment, you have reason to believe that the children have been physically abused. You do not need proof positive. You only need a reasonable belief, that is, a belief grounded in evidence rather than mere suspicion. In this case, the existence of persistent bruising on more than one child is particularly telling. You do not need to try to find out the explanation for the bruises. Law enforcement or Child Protection Services will do the required investigation.

Stephen D. Hall is an attorney practicing in Idaho Falls. This column is provided by the 7th District Bar Association as a public service. Submit questions to “It’s the Law,” PO Box 50130, Idaho Falls, ID 83405, or by email to rfarnam@holdenlegal.com. This column is for general information. Readers with specific legal questions should consult an attorney. A lawyer referral service is provided by calling the Idaho State Bar Association in Boise at 208-334-4500.

Trinity Mount Ministries - DOJ - PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD - Justice News - UPDATE

PROJECT SAFE CHILDHOOD

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

JUSTICE NEWS

December 13, 2019

Press Release

Pierce County Resident Sentenced to 12 Years for Distributing Child Pornography

December 13, 2019

Press Release

Foreign National Sentenced to Over 13 Months in Federal Prison for Illegally Re-Entering the United States Following Previous Deportations

December 13, 2019

Press Release

Sex Offender Is Sentenced To 30 Years

December 13, 2019

Press Release

Mission Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

December 13, 2019

Press Release

Amusement Park Employee Sentenced To 20 Years For Attempting To Entice A Child For Sex

RESOURCES

Amber Alert

iKeepSafe

INOBTR ("I Know Better")

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Office of Educational Technology Internet Safety

Read the Project Safe Childhood Fact Sheet »

Featured Videos

View the Project Safe Childhood Video Page »

Trinity Mount Ministries - DOJ - Homeland Security - BLUE CAMPAIGN - WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

Watch Video Presentation

What Is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations.

Language barriers, fear of their traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement frequently keep victims from seeking help, making human trafficking a hidden crime.

Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. They look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters, or political instability. The trauma caused by the traffickers can be so great that many may not identify themselves as victims or ask for help, even in highly public settings.

Many myths and misconceptions exist. Recognizing key indicators of human trafficking is the first step in identifying victims and can help save a life. Not all indicators listed are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any of the indicators is not necessarily proof of human trafficking.

The safety of the public as well as the victim is paramount. Do not attempt to confront a suspected trafficker directly or alert a victim to any suspicions. It is up to law enforcement to investigate suspected cases of human trafficking.

Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign, designed to educate the public, law enforcement and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. Blue Campaign works closely with DHS Components to create general awareness training and materials for law enforcement and others to increase detection of human trafficking, and to identify victims.

Located within the Office of Partnership and Engagement, Blue Campaign leverages partnerships with the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), law enforcement and state/local authorities to maximize national public engagement on anti-human trafficking efforts. Blue Campaign’s educational awareness objectives consists of two foundational elements, prevention of human trafficking and protection of exploited persons.

You are he

• a Blue Campaign Parter
• Report a Tip to Law Enforcement
• Human Trafficking Awareness Training
• Get Help From an NGO
• 
  

  Resources for Law Enforcement
• 
  

  Spread Awess
  

  
  

To report suspected human trafficking:

1-866-347-2423

To get help from the National Human Trafficking Hotline:

1-888-373-7888

or text HELP or INFO to

BeFree (233733)