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US hacker accused of blackmailing women into making homemade porn

whoiscarol — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:01:20 +0000

Washington, (ANI): A Santa Ana man, who hacked into hundreds of computers to extort victims into making sexually explicit digital videos for him, and to steal their credit card numbers, has been arrested.

Luis Mijangos, 31, allegedly tricked 230 people-including 44 children — into downloading a virus that allowed him to take over their personal computers, myFOXla…

http://article.wn.com/view/2010/06/25/US_hacker_accused_of_blackmailing_women_into_making_homemade/

Separated Haitian children risk being sold, trafficked or kept in slave-like conditions – UN human rights experts

whoiscarol — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:05:45 +0000

GENEVA ( February 2010) – “There is an increased risk of unaccompanied children in Haiti, including orphans and restaveks*, being abducted, enslaved, sold or trafficked, due to increased insecurity in the country,” a group of UN human rights experts warned Tuesday**.

The experts, who are mandated by the Human Rights Council to monitor slavery, sale of children, trafficking and violence against children, stressed that “protection of children must be at the heart of the relief operation in Haiti.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and Independent Expert on Haiti have also emphasized the critical need to protect children in the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake, and in light of the particular dangers posed by thousands of gang-members and other criminals who escaped from prisons damaged by the quake.

“Unaccompanied children are particularly vulnerable and it is essential, wherever possible, to register, trace and reunite children with their families,” the UN experts said, adding that “during the evacuation efforts, it is imperative to avoid the unnecessary separation of families which may place children at higher risk, aggravate their trauma and distress and hinder their recovery and reintegration.”

The group praised the UN’s establishment of a ‘Child Protection Sub-Cluster,’ which is geared to safeguard children’s rights and prevent violence, abuse and exploitation, and highlighted the efforts of this body to set-up a rapid registration system for unaccompanied children. “One of their key goals is to register children under five, and older girls, children and youth with mental disabilities or serious injuries, as well as restaveks that have been separated from their ‘employers,’” the UN experts said. “We welcome this vital initiative.”

They also urged the international organizations and governments assisting Haitians “to ensure that the work on child protection remains a priority and continues to be properly funded and coordinated under the umbrella of the United Nations.”

(*) Restavek means “staying with” and refers to the Haitian system under which parents who cannot support their children send them to live with more affluent relatives or strangers from whom they are supposed to receive food, shelter and education in exchange for work. The Restaveksystem is prone to exploitation and sometimes leads to children being kept as virtual slaves.

(**) Ms. Gulnara Shahinian, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery; Ms. Najat M’jid Maalla, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children; and Ms. Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children.

Childhood bullying affects adult life

whoiscarol — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:48:42 +0000

By Connie Agius

The report found many victims were female. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin, file photo)

Children who have been bullied tend to carry their battle scars throughout adulthood and become bullies themselves.

That is what a Wesley Mission report, Give Kids A Chance: No-one Deserves To Be Left Out, has found.

The organisation is calling on the Australian community and governments to put a stop to bullying.

The research found seven out of 10 adults have been affected by school bullying.

Wesley Mission CEO Keith Garner says the impacts of bullying flow into daily life.

“You’ve got no self esteem because you’ve undergone bullying experiences,” he said.

“You’re fearful of others, you can’t make meaningful relationships. This is the stuff of life. This is what makes us who we are.”

Mr Garner says those involved in bullying can also have difficulty trusting people and controlling their anger.

Others lack assertiveness and withdraw from society.

He says many victims are female.

“It’s not just a male thing. Females are very much a victim of bullying too,” he said.

“Our research has shown that in fact there are probably more females bullied then males, probably because males ride it out and they handle things in their particular way.

“The importance of having relationships with others is very, very important to a girl, and we’re saying it’s those things that are impacted the most, when bullying goes on.”

Christie O’Leary, a community worker for Wesley Mission and someone who is familiar with female bullying, says she was 10 when she was first bullied.

“It just started off with teasing, which then went up a level to pushing and shoving,” she said.

“Then the pack bullying began as well. So it was just like a bunch of people standing round in a circle while a few of them pushed and shoved you in between and then the punches just came out of nowhere.”

Ms O’Leary says bullying had an impact on her life.

“I felt really isolated from society. Like you should just be tough and not really be worried about it,” she said.

“And I just isolated myself, withdrew from my friends and social groups and even my friends became bullies as well.

“I think that was more out of fear of being targeted themselves, so they would just jump on the other side and join in.”

Ms O’Leary has seen many children suffering the same fate.

She says there needs to be a culture shift to create an environment where children feel safe enough to open up about bullying.

It is an opinion echoed by Mr Garner.

“I suppose what we’re saying is let’s create programs to help people speak up and name what’s wrong,” he said.

“Actually say that perhaps we need training in our schools along side people who are bullies and actually help them see there is a better way.

“Because people are not people who need bullying, bullies are people who need help.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Training Karyn Paluzzano says help is on the way with the implementation of an anti-bullying plan for schools.

The plan will include an education program for students, teachers and principals.

GMA signs Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009

whoiscarol — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:18:43 +0000

philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Arroyo has signed Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 which seeks to make Filipino children less vulnerable to the illicit trade by imposing stiff penalties on anyone found guilty of any form of involvement in child pornography and enjoining private entities to help in the effort, according to local media Wednesday.

Republic Act 9775, which Arroyo signed on Tuesday, defines child pornography as “any representation, whether visual, audio, or written combination thereof, by electronic, mechanical, digital, optical, magnetic or any other means, or a child engaged or involved in real or simulated explicit sexual activities.”

It provides that a victim of child pornography shall be considered as a victim of a violent crime, and metes out penalties ranging from mayor to reclusion perpetual and a fine of 300,000 to 5 million pesos (6438 to 107,296 U.S. dollars).

The new law criminalists hiring, employing, using, persuading, inducing or coercing a child to participate in the production or any form of child pornography; and any form of involvement in creating any form of child pornography.

It also criminalists publishing, offering, transmitting, selling, distributing, broadcasting, advertising, promoting, exporting or importing any form of child pornography; possessing any form of child pornography with the intent of selling, distributing, publishing or broadcasting them; and possessing and willfully accessing any form of child pornography.

The law also specifies the duties and responsibilities of internet service providers, mall owners and operators or lessors of business establishments, and internet content hosts to report any commission of any form of child pornography in their respective areas.