One in three teenage girls have been 'sexually assaulted by their boyfriends'

The rising sexual influence on television is being blamed for the alarming increase in assault cases
 

A third of teenage girls have been victims of sexual violence by a boyfriend, campaigners said last night.

Experts fear that some do not even realise they are victims of a crime and others are too terrified or embarrassed to speak out.

They blame the problem on the sexualisation of teenagers as TV, films and the internet bombard them with provocative messages.

The number of teenagers under the age of 18 are suffering the most
 

Sexual violence is often fuelled by online pornography that can be shared between mobile phones at the click of a button.

The Government revealed the figure before the launch today of an unprecedented advertising campaign to stem the tide of abuse.

Its hard-hitting advert is the first to confront teenagers with the grim reality of rape.

Ministers believe some young people define sexual consent too loosely. Research has shown some boys think girls must have sex with them if they spend enough money on them.

And campaigners say teenage girls often accept abuse in a relationship because they do not realise it is wrong or know how to stop it.

Based on research by the NSPCC and the University of Bristol involving 1,353 teenagers, the Home Office says a third of girls aged 13 to 17 have been the victim of some form of sexual violence from a partner.

It is thought that up to 900,000 young women are victims of sexual crimes that are likely to leave them scarred for life.

Further research found the highest proportion of sexual abuse is perpetrated by under-18s.

Officials discovered that while most teenagers know rape is wrong, many do not realise that sex without consent is always a crime.

The advertisement – to be broadcast on TV, in cinemas and online – urges young people to rethink their view of what constitutes rape.

It will be screened to viewers of TV programmes popular with teenagers such as Skins and Hollyoaks.

Both dramas have featured plots involving troubled adolescent relationships, violence and sexuality.

The advert shows an unwilling teenage girl being forced into sex by a boy at a party, superimposed with the words: ‘If you could see yourself, would you see rape?’ 

Campaigners believe explicit music videos and TV programmes are partly responsible for distorted views of sexual violence among young people.

And last month, NSPCC research found fewer than one in five girls who are sexually assaulted by boys tells anyone if the offender is under 18.

The charity said adolescents are responsible for a third of all sex offences committed against children, and in three out of four of these cases the victim will know the offender.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: ‘This hard-hitting campaign shows that rape is not just about violent attacks by strangers.

‘We want to bring this issue out into the open and get young people talking about the importance of consent.

‘The campaign will give teenagers the facts and support they need to recognise abuse and form healthy relationships.’ 

Jon Brown, of the NSPCC, said: ‘This campaign is highlighting a hugely important issue for teenagers, particularly girls who are raped or forced to carry out other sexual acts.

‘Many young people misguidedly accept this as part of a relationship and do nothing about it.

‘We have to change that view because this is sexual abuse and should not be tolerated.’

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

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Utah inmate asks to die by firing squad.

(CNN) -- A Utah death row inmate, convicted of beating a man with a tire jack and puncturing his liver with an inserted tire iron, has requested that he be allowed to die by firing squad, officials said Thursday.

Fourth District Judge Donald Eyre on Wednesday signed such a death warrant for Michael A. Archuleta, 49.

But the April 5 execution is not likely to happen, considering Archuleta still make can federal appeals.

The last convicted killer to die by firing squad in Utah was Ronnie Lee Gardner, executed in June 2010.

Gardner was only the third person to die by firing squad in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

Assistant Attorney General Tom Brunker said Archuleta, when convicted in 1989, did not request a specific manner of execution, and was not legally entitled to die by firing squad. But the state did not object Wednesday to Archuleta's request, although it reserves the right to ask for lethal injection, Brunker said.

Brunker said there is no question of guilt in the case.

In 1988, according to court records, Archuleta and Lance Wood met Gordon Ray Church, 28, at a convenience store in Cedar City and rode with him to a secluded area. At that point, Church told them he was gay, and Archuleta began to engage in a sexual act on Church, but stopped.

The two then bound Church, put him in the trunk of his car and drove to another location nearly 80 miles away.

The two attached battery jumper cables to Church's testicles in a failed attempt to electrocute him. They inflicted blows to his head with a tire jack and iron, records show. A tire iron was forced inside the college student's rectum and it punctured his liver.

Church's body was found with tire chains wrapped tightly around his neck, records show.

The attackers took Church's wallet and watch, Brunker said.

"They both said the other one did everything," said Brunker. "Archuleta's pants were soaked in the victim's blood. Wood had some blood spots."

Wood received a life sentence.

An attorney for Archuleta did not immediately return a message left by CNN.

But in one of three appeals, Archuleta raised questions about the competence of his previous counsel and alleged errors by the trial court. The Utah Supreme Court turned down that appeal in November 2011.

According to Brunker, after a statutory change in 2004, lethal injection became the only available method of death in Utah for those who did not elect firing squad at sentencing.

A spokesman for the Utah Department of Corrections said four of the eight individuals on death row initially asked for the firing squad option at the time of their sentencing. Seven were sentenced before the 2004 law change.

In Utah, five anonymous marksmen, each with a matching .30-caliber rifle, are used in firing squads.

They stand behind a wall cut with two gunports, said corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke. One of the rifles will hold an "ineffective" round, similar to a blank, which delivers the same recoil as a live round.

The marksmen fire from a distance of 25 feet. The inmate is blindfolded and strapped to a chair with a target pinned to his chest.

SOURCE: CNN NEWS

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Death of 10-year-old involved in school fight declared a homicide.

Fifth-grade student Joanna Ramos died last week after 

an altercation with a female classmate in Long Beach, California. 

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Officials have ruled the death of a 10-year-old girl who got into a fight last week to be a homicide, authorities said Monday.

Joanna Ramos, a fifth-grade student at Willard Elementary School, died of blunt force trauma to the head six hours after an altercation with a female classmate that lasted less than a minute, said Long Beach Police spokesman Sgt. Rico Fernandez.

Authorities have identified the other girl, who is 11, as well as several onlookers, and they are continuing to investigate what happened.

"There are several accounts of what transpired based on interviews with witnesses, but we have not concluded the precise motive," Fernandez said.

In a statement, police said Ramos and her unidentified classmate had challenged each other to a planned fight when their school session ended Friday. "The two girls met in a nearby alley next to a church and began hitting each other," Fernandez said.

The fight was brief, and no weapons were involved, authorities said.

According to Long Beach Unified School District spokesman Chris Eftychiou, Ramos finished her regular school session at 2:12 p.m. Friday and was supposed to remain on campus to begin her scheduled after-school program at 2:30.

"We believe the altercation occurred during that 15-minute window because she apparently left and returned for the session, which involves help with homework and academic-related activity," said Eftychiou.

After the fight, the girls left and went their separate ways.

Ramos stayed in the afternoon session for about an hour but did not exhibit obvious signs of physical trauma, said Eftychiou. "When she did complain of not feeling well, her cousin picked her up, but we had no indication she was involved in an altercation," he said.

"Only when she was at the hospital did we get word about the altercation, and there is no indication that bullying was a factor," said Eftychiou.

Once the investigation and autopsy are complete, the findings will be turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for review and to determine whether charges will be filed in the case.

No arrests have been made, authorities said.

On Monday, grief counselors were brought into Willard Elementary to assist instructors and students. "It was a somber day," said Eftychiou.

Ramos had been enrolled at the school for about a year and a half, he said.

SOURCE: CNN NEWS

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Malaysia deports Saudi blogger behind Prophet Mohammad tweets.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia deported a Saudi Arabian blogger on Sunday, police said, despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country over Twitter comments he made that were deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad.

Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old columnist, sparked outrage in the oil-rich kingdom with comments posted on the Prophet's birthday a week ago that led some Islamic clerics to call for him to face the death penalty.

Kashgari fled the country, but was arrested by police in majority-Muslim Malaysia on Thursday as he transited through Kuala Lumpur international airport.

"The Saudi writer was repatriated to his home country this Sunday morning," a police spokesman told Reuters. "This is an internal Saudi matter that we cannot comment on."

Malaysia has a close affinity with many Middle Eastern nations through their shared religion. The Southeast Asian nation is also a U.S. ally and a leading global voice for moderate Islam, meaning that the decision to extradite Kashgari is certain to be controversial.

"Saudi clerics have already made up their mind that Kashgari is an apostate who must face punishment," Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Friday.

"The Malaysian government should not be complicit in sealing Kashgari's fate by sending him back."

Kashgari's lawyer in Malaysia, Mohammad Noor, told Reuters by telephone that he had obtained a court order to prevent the deportation, but had not been allowed to see his client.

"If the government of Malaysia deports him to Saudi Arabia, disrespecting the court order, this is clearly contempt of court, unlawful and unacceptable," he said.

The Star newspaper quoted Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein as saying that Kashgari had been repatriated and that the charges against him would be decided by Saudi authorities.

"Malaysia has a longstanding arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other," he was quoted as saying.

Blasphemy is a crime punishable by execution under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law. It is not a capital crime in Malaysia.

Reuters could not verify Kashgari's comments because he later deleted them, but media reported that one of them reflected his contradictory views of the Prophet - that he both loved and hated him.

Kashgari later said in an interview that he was being made a "scapegoat for a larger conflict" over his commen.

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Illegal Sex, Brother and sister in lift sex.

A TWISTED brother and sister are facing jail after they were spotted having sex in a train station lift.

Richard Finlayson, 21, and sibling Kirsty, 18, romped in the elevator as they were filmed by CCTV cameras.

The shocking 15-minute clip showed them exiting the lift — only to return a short time later to have sex AGAIN.

And as they left for a second time Richard gave Kirsty a £20 note.

The depraved pair were later arrested by police after a railway worker at Motherwell Station raised the alarm.

Last night a family friend said the revelations had left the pair's family "destroyed".

It came after Richard, of Carluke, Lanarkshire, and Kirsty of Lesmahagow, admitted having unlawful sexual intercourse in June last year.

Hamilton Sheriff Court heard how they left an 11-year-old boy who was with them on the platform during their illicit tryst.

Depute fiscal Amanda Gallagher said: "They both went into the lift and were seen having sexual intercourse on the CCTV.

"Both accused then exited the lift for a short period before returning and continuing having sexual intercourse.

Sordid ... lift at railway station

"Both accused then stood up and left the lift. At which point Mr Finlayson was seen giving his sister some money."

The court was told Kirsty Finlayson had admitted the sordid act to police.

But she denied she'd had sex for cash — while Richard said he gave her the £20 "as a brother, not for payment".

Last night the family friend said: "We're devastated. I was sickened when I heard about it.

"Most of the family knew nothing about it until letters for the case came in.

"We can't believe it. It is a nightmare."

Sheriff Ray Small ordered Richard to be placed on the sex offenders' register. The brother and sister will be sentenced next month.

 

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk

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Riot inciter jailed – despite no evidence his message led to disorder.

Sam Lowe jailed for 39 months for sending BlackBerry message telling 160 contacts to 'kick off' in Nottingham

Riots in Birmingham in August. Sam Lowe has been jailed for sending messages inciting riots in Nottingham. Photograph: David Jones/PA

A man has been jailed for 39 months for sending messages from his BlackBerry telling people to join in last August's riots in Nottingham.

Sam Lowe, 21, from Nottingham, had admitted a charge of encouraging violent disorder after he sent a BlackBerry Messenger instant message, or BBM, telling his 160 contacts to "kick off" during disorder in the city in 2011.

Nottinghamshire police said the message, which Lowe later deleted, read: "Girls, grannies, mums, dads, lads, grandads – everyone meet on Sneinton Dale tonight at 9 o'clock as we are all going to kick off…"

The message also urged his friends to show the police "what it's all about".

More than 141 people were arrested and 87 were charged after cars, pubs and shops were damaged in August 2011 in Nottingham. However, the court heard there was no evidence that Lowe's message had led to public disorder in the area.

He was arrested in the early hours of 9 August after he had hidden from police in bushes for two hours. Further examination of Lowe's phone messages found he had claimed to have "a bin full of bricks".

The judge acknowledged Lowe had previously done a lot of good in his community and had been given a "volunteer of the year" award.

However, he told Lowe: "What you did, potentially, you took a large amount away from your community."

But the sentence has caused consternation among rights organisations. Jodie Blackstock, director of criminal and EU justice policy at Justice, said: "We don't think that this is the right approach – a harsher sentence isn't going to achieve what they [the courts] are looking for. In a case like this, a high level community sentence would be appropriate. Considering nothing occurred, and arguably it was carried out in the heat of the moment without any intention – 39 months is a huge leap."

David Cameron has previously defended the sentences handed out to those involved in the riots, and said: "They've decided to send a tough message and it's very good that the courts feel able to do that."

Rich Henson, a detective with Nottinghamshire Police said: "BBM is not your standard mobile communication. It is much more secure. The fact that BBMs have advanced security and encryption means they are almost impossible to access by third parties.

"That is why Lowe's conviction is a particularly great result for the force, demonstrating some first-class work by our digital investigation unit."

He added: "Let this be a clear warning to those criminals out there who think they are safe using BlackBerrys."

Detective chief inspector Rob Griffin, who is leading the investigation into the August disorder in the city, said: "The judge today has handed down a sentence to reflect the seriousness of Lowe's actions. It is impossible to quantify the impact and effects of the messages he sent that night.

"It is clear, however, that this was an irresponsible and criminal act at a time when people were rising up against the police on a national scale."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

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Q&A: Islamic group spreading terror in Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- An Islamic militant group responsible for a wave of suicide attacks, car bombs, assassinations and assaults across northeastern Nigeria threatens the stability of the country.

This past weekend, the group known as "Boko Haram" was behind an audacious three-hour assault that killed more than 100 people in the town of Damaturu as well as a suicide car bomb attack outside the Nigerian military headquarters in Maiduguri.

Who are Boko Haram, and what are they fighting for?

Boko Haram means "Western education is a sin." Depending on the faction, the group's ambitions range from the stricter enforcement of Sharia law -- which is derived from the Koran as the "world of God" -- across the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria, to the total destruction of the Nigerian state and its government.

Who do they target?

Boko Haram's grievances remain local, but it has proven itself capable and willing to attack international institutions --- such as the United Nations - on Nigerian soil to achieve their aims.

The August 26 attack -- during which a Boko Haram suicide bomber drove a jeep laden with explosives into the U.N. headquarters in Abuja -- was one of the deadliest in U.N. history. Twenty-four people were killed, including 12 U.N. staff.

When did Boko Haram arise?

Armed groups are all too common in Nigeria, often paid by politicians to support their bids for power, and Boko Haram at first was no different. However, the group exploded onto the national scene in 2009 when 700 people were killed in widespread clashes across the north between the group and the military. The uprising was put down, but violence has resurged since national elections in April, with hundreds of people killed in almost weekly bomb attacks, assassinations and killings in the main northeast city of Maiduguri.

The elections are widely regarded by many in the north to have been rigged against the popular northern candidate.

Links to terrorism

The Nigerian "Underwear Bomber" Umar AbdulMutallab had no connection with Boko Haram -- but his attempt to detonate an explosive aboard a U.S. flight in 2009 highlights the vulnerability of the West to insecurity in Nigeria.

There is concern that Boko Haram has made contact with other extremist Islamic groups such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in northern Africa. Increasing sophistication in the execution of Boko Haram's attacks, security experts say, indicate such external instruction.

As the group moves further away from its political roots toward an increasing religious dimension, any attempt at dialogue with the group becomes more difficult for the authorities.

What has been the government response?

President Goodluck Jonathan has deployed the military across the region in a bid to contain the crisis, stating after each attack that the government has the situation under control. But with little obvious success in improving the security situation, events seem to be increasingly out of the government's control.

Does the group enjoy support among the people?

Although the northern populace mostly abhors the violence, there is considerable local sympathy and support for stricter Sharia law, seen by many as the only way to put an end to what is widely regarded as a corrupt and inept government.

Northern Nigeria has some of the worst human development indicators in the world despite the country's being the fifth largest oil exporter to the United States. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been stolen by a succession of corrupt governments.

As the attacks continue and the violence spreads from its base in the northeast, Boko Haram is winning perhaps its most important battle: making Nigerians question what most agree is the cause of the problem, their government.

SOURCE: CNN NEWS

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Lebanon's women prisoners find freedom behind bars

Women inmates of Baabda Prison, Beirut, Lebanon, talk about their life experiences in a drama therapy session.

(CNN) -- In an otherwise smart suburb of Beirut is a small prison housing some of the women Lebanese society would rather forget.

Some of the 70 inmates of Baabda Prison are accused or convicted of murdering their husbands, others of drug trafficking.

Lebanese actress, comedienne and drama therapist Zeina Daccache working with inmates in Baabda Prison, Beirut.

Many of the women have themselves been victims of circumstance all their lives and are now for the first time discovering they have a voice, according to Zeina Daccache, an actress and drama therapist working with the inmates.

Several times a week for the past six months, Daccache has spent an afternoon with the women encouraging them to talk about their experiences committing.

In February or March, the project will culminate in a performance called "Scheherazade in Baabda," named after the fictional Persian Queen and narrator of One Thousand and One Nights, and based around the women's own stories.

Among the 20 prisoners involved is Fatme, now 26, and awaiting trial for a murder she denies.

In video footage of the project, Fatme said: "I never learned to say no. I was always obedient, saying yes to my very early marriage, saying yes to my parents who forbid me to get divorce. Now I'm learning that I have a voice and it can spell no."

Libya's accidental child victims

Daccache, who has a weekly political satire show on Lebanese television and also runs a drama therapy center Catharsis, said the project - funded by the Swiss-based Drosos Foundation - had empowered the women and for the first time gave them an opportunity to express themselves.

She said: "You would be amazed how many are there for murder and it's mostly for killing their husbands. They were married at 12 or 13 years old to someone they had never met before.



"They were pregnant at 13 and had husbands who beat them or had psychological issues. If they went to their family or to the police for protection, they would just be told it was a domestic issue.

"They ended up protecting themselves with their own hands. They are not saying their crimes were the best solution, but in some ways they had no other choice."

Daccache said several other inmates were in jail for drug trafficking and their young children were left on the streets.

"If the woman and her husband are both in prison, there is no protection for their children if they don't have families who take them," she said.

Other inmates who are serving shorter sentences for adultery have joined the project for a limited period but will be released before the final production.

Daccache said: "For many of them, the real crime was that they were born a woman. There's this underlying patriarchy to everything in this country."

Who are Middle East's most influential women?

The play will be performed in the prison in front of invited guests, including government ministers, prison authorities and the women's families.

Daccache said: "They are in prison, but many of have said they feel free for the first time because it's the first time they can talk about anything they want.

"The play is giving them the space to do things they have never done before and to convey a message.

"It's a message to protect women's rights and to protect women from domestic violence."

Another of the inmates is Maryam, 40, who was married by her family at the age of 15 to a cousin and had three children. She is accused of murdering her husband.

Maryam is taking part in a flamenco dance for the production. In film footage she said: "For the first time I learn how to move this body of mine, as if I was imprisoned in a body that didn't belong to me."

Four years ago, Daccache began a similar project withmale inmates in Lebanon's largest prison Roumeih. A documentary film she made about the work, called "12 Angry Lebanese," won several international awards.

This is the first time she has worked in a women's prison.

Daccache is filming the work in Baabda for a similar documentary about the women involved.

She said the women were initially reluctant to show their faces on camera, but eventually realized it was an opportunity to tell their stories.

"At first they wore disguises to cover their faces when we were filming, but eventually decided to take them off," said Daccache.

"People tell me they can't believe the women agreed to be filmed because of the stigma, but they had been hidden away all their lives and didn't want to be suppressed anymore."

One of the inmates, Nisrine, a 28-year-old woman serving a three-year jail term for fraud, said in film footage: "I was so worried about appearing in front of the camera, then after thought if I hide my face I'd be only contributing to hiding myself, my voice, the women and human being within me.

"I'm taking off my mask and showing (myself) as I wish to."

Respected American drama therapist Amand Volkas joined Daccache to run workshops with her in January.

He said: "In Lebanese society, she is a visionary. She is able to use her prominence as an actress to have a very powerful impact."

source: CNN NEWS

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CORPSE ABUSE A "WAR CRIME".

FOUR US marines filmed urinating on corpses in Afghanistan are likely to face a court martial after a commander said such actions were a ''grave breach'' of the laws of war.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has interviewed two of the soldiers in the video, which shows them laughing and making snide remarks as they urinate on the bloodied bodies of three Afghan men.

In an attempt to defuse a diplomatic storm, the commanders of US forces in Afghanistan ordered troops to treat the bodies of killed enemies and civilians with ''appropriate dignity and respect''.

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The soldiers were members of a sniper unit that completed a six-month tour in September. The two other marines in the video are believed to have left the military. The nature of the charges are unclear, although desecrating bodies is a crime under US military law and the Geneva conventions.

The deputy commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Lieutenant-General Curtis Scaparrotti, said in a message to troops that ''defiling, desecrating, mocking, photographing or filming for personal use insurgent dead constitutes a grave breach'' of laws governing armed conflict.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she believed the men may be guilty of a war crime.

Clay Shirky, who teaches social media at New York University, said that in a digital age when videos spread across the internet within hours, an incident that may have gone almost unnoticed in earlier wars can become an international flashpoint.

Source: http://www.smh.com. 

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