Pope Francis, Eric Swearingen and another failure of “Zero Tolerance”

If Pope Francis were truly sorry for the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic church, he’s take a gander at a little Catholic diocese is California, where a cleric found guilty of abuse in a civil trial is still a powerful priest. Here’s the situation: Fresno priest Eric Swearingen was recently appointed the pastor of a Visalia,…Continue reading Pope Francis, Eric Swearingen and another failure of “Zero Tolerance”

What is “grooming” and how do child predators target children?

Grooming is a predator’s “ticket” to your child. It is the careful means by which a predator befriends, flatters, builds trust, removes inhibitions, and blurs sexual and body boundaries in order to make a child an “easy” target for abuse—a child who does not fight back and is far less likely to report. Grooming is…Continue reading What is “grooming” and how do child predators target children?

Big News: Hawaii Civil Window for child sex abuse victims EXTENDED; Includes public schools

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie just signed a law that extends Hawaii’s two-year civil window for sex abuse victims. But there’s more: victims in public schools are NOW eligible for accountability under the new law. For the first time, sex offenders in public schools and the people who covered up for them—including powerful unions and other gov’t…Continue reading Big News: Hawaii Civil Window for child sex abuse victims EXTENDED; Includes public schools

Lawsuit: White House “Model” program didn’t report child sex abuse

**Update** Thanks Glenn Reynolds for the INSTALANCHE! This press release crossed my desk this morning. Apparently, the White House and the US Department of Education didn’t check to make sure that their “model” program knew how to report suspected abuse. As I have noted before, child-on-child abuse is just as damaging as any other kind…Continue reading Lawsuit: White House “Model” program didn’t report child sex abuse