March 31, 2009,By THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - Gerald Gallant, a Quebec hit man-turned-police-informant, has pleaded guilty to a total of 28 counts of murder dating back to 1978, making him one of Canada's most prolific killers. Some others from Canada and elsewhere through the ages:
Marc Lepine: Gunned down 14 young women at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique with semi-automatic rifle on Dec. 6, 1989, apparently out of blind hatred for women. So-called "Montreal Massacre" led to tighter gun controls.
Clifford Robert Olson: Serving life in prison for the murders of 11 children and youths in the Vancouver area; confessed in 1981 and was paid $100,000 in the infamous cash-for-bodies deal that disclosed whereabouts of the remains.
Mark Chahal: Estranged husband of Rajwar Gakhal burst into the Gakhal family home in Vernon, B.C., on Good Friday 1996 as they were busy preparing for a wedding and shot his wife and eight family members before killing himself.
Yves (Apache) Trudeau: a founding member of the Hells Angels in Quebec, Trudeau was sentenced to life in prison in 1986 after pleading guilty to 43 counts of manslaughter, part of a deal struck in exchange for information about fellow gang members.
Anatoly Onoprienko: The Ukrainian man was convicted of 52 murders committed between 1989 and 1996. He admitted to all 52 murders, some of which included slaughtering whole families, including infants and the elderly.
Andrei Chikatilo: Commonly known as the Rostov Ripper, the former teacher raped and killed 52 children and women during a 12-year rampage, searching for victims in train and bus stations. He was executed near Moscow in 1994.
Michael Wayne McGray: Serving life for first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Joan Hicks of Moncton, N.B., in what he said was a cocaine rage; also confessed to killing Mark Gibbons of St. John, N.B., and two Montreal men. Claims to have killed 16 people in all.
Allan Legere: So-called "Monster of the Miramichi" caused a reign of terror after escaping custody in 1989 for the murder of shopkeeper John Glendenning and during seven months of freedom killed three women and a priest. His conviction featured the first Canadian use of DNA matching.
Jeffrey Dahmer: The former candy factory worker confessed to killing and dismembering 17 men since 1978, including 11 whose skulls were found in his Milwaukee apartment. He pleaded guilty to 15 murders and was serving life in prison before a fellow inmate killed him in 1994.
Ted Bundy: The law school dropout was convicted of three Florida slayings, including the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Authorities considered him a suspect in the killings of 36 women, mostly in the northwest United States.He would slip into the bedrooms of his victims and rape and torture them. He was executed in 1989.
John Wayne Gacy Jr.: Convicted in 1980 of killing 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978. He would lure them to his home for sex, then torture and strangle them. Police unearthed 27 bodies in shallow graves under his house in suburban Chicago. He was executed in 1994.
Russell Maurice Johnson: Dubbed the Bedroom Strangler, Johnson terrorized the communities of London and Guelph, Ont., in the 1970s, and was committed to a maximum-security mental institution after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity in the murders of three women. He later confessed to raping and killing four others but was never charged.
Wayne Clifford Boden: Found guilty in 1972 of the rape-murders of three women in Montreal and one in Calgary, convicted in part because bite marks left on the women's breasts matched a cast taken of his teeth; sparked an uproar when he escaped briefly in 1977 while on a day pass and was found with a valid American Express credit card. He died of cancer in 2006.
Patrick Kearney: He was convicted of 21 murders and sentenced to life in prison. In 1977, he confessed to killing 32 men, some of whose dismembered remains were dumped in trash bags along California highways.
Henry Lee Lucas: The one-eyed drifter was convicted of 13 murders in Texas and Florida. He once claimed to have committed between 100 and 600 murders in five countries including Canada and the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.
Albert De Salvo: He claimed to be the Boston Strangler who killed 13 women from 1962 to 1964. Police didn't have enough evidence to bring him to trial and he was instead tried for unrelated assaults, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was stabbed to death in his cell in 1973.
William Fyfe: The Toronto-born man is serving a life sentence for raping and stabbing to death five Montreal-area women over an 18-year period dating back to 1981. In 2001, Fyfe, who committed his first murder while out on a day pass from prison, confessed to killing four others.
David Berkowitz: Known as the Son of Sam, he killed six people and wounded seven others during a one-year string of random shootings. Most of his victims were young women with long, dark hair sitting in cars with their dates. The former postal clerk, who claimed he'd been ordered to kill by his neighbour's dog Sam, is serving a 365-year sentence.
Prolific killers through the ages, in Canada and beyond
Abuse of young women fuels the HIV epidemic in Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica (PANOS) - Tishanna* - diagnosed as HIV positive at age 21 - never knew her father. What she does know is that her great need for love and the abuse meted out by relatives while she was still a small child, has derailed her dreams and changed her life forever.
Now 25, Tishanna was sexually, physically and mentally abused by more than one family member in Kingston, from age six until age 12, when she was sent to live with an aunt and uncle in the United States.
The young woman states that her mother was a busy and hard-working woman who was not always around, and was thus compelled to leave her in the care of relatives. Tishanna was constantly beaten by one uncle and raped by another relative, whom she refuses to name. She never told her mother about the abuse.
The young woman notes that the abuse she endured between ages six and 12 is something she has not forgotten, and that it has shaped the adult she has become.
"It [the abuse] let me grow up to hate men. It made me reckless - I would do anything. I didn't care if I got hurt. It also pushed me to have sex from an early age. I just did not care who I was having sex with because nobody cared about me."
Women are vulnerable
In Jamaica, violence against women, especially rape is a matter of grave concern. Sex crimes alone account for 827 of the more than 5,000 major crimes reported between January and September 2008. Rape accounted for more than half (536) of the sex crimes reported between January and September 2008. There were 485 incidents of rape between January and September 2007.
But, in addition to rape, a significant number of women experience other forms of gender-based violence, such as physical violence and sexual coercion.
Like Tishanna, some survivors of violent sexual acts are directly at an increased risk of HIV infection, as traumatic abrasions and lack of lubrication increase the risk of transmission. Sexual violence can also lead to the increased likelihood of high-risk behaviours.
The 2008 UNAIDS country report on Jamaica indicates that violence and abuse remains a serious problem for young people in Jamaica. According to the report, physical and sexual abuse affects roughly one in 10 Jamaican youth.
The report also noted that approximately 11 per cent of respondents reported having been threatened or harassed into having sex by friends (44 per cent), neighbours (17 per cent), relatives (16 per cent), and family friends (13 per cent).
The country report also quotes the most recent Jamaica Reproductive Health Survey (2002), which states that about 20.4 per cent of young women between the ages of 15 and 19 years report having been forced to have sexual intercourse at some point during their life. Overall, one-fifth of Jamaican women have experienced forced sexual intercourse.
Control violence and abuse to fight HIV-AIDS
The issue of violence and abuse remains a critical one in the fight to reduce the spread of HIV, especially among women who may lose the ability and the inclination to negotiate for safer sex.
Kingston-based counselling psychologist with the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre, Faith St Catherine says, "Abuse destroys self-esteem - of anybody. It creates unhealthy dependencies and the feeling that they [the victims] cannot do anything on their own. They do not feel strong enough to negotiate for safe sex and do not feel that they deserve anything good and so they 'take what they get'. Women have been dis-empowered by years of abuse and feel that dependency is their lot in life."
St Catherine notes, "Some, when abused over and over again early in their life, learn that the way to get people to love you is to have sex with them. Some appear to be addicted. We find this syndrome in a lot of children who have been sexually abused. They can't help themselves."
The primary contributors to the HIV epidemic in Jamaica are said to be socio-cultural, behavioural and economic factors that result in risky behaviours such as multiple sex partners, older men having sex with younger women, and early sexual engagement.
An estimated 1.5 per cent of the adult population of Jamaica is HIV-positive. Men and women between 20 and 39 years old account for 54 per cent of reported AIDS cases in Jamaica. UNAIDS estimates that 25,000 people in Jamaica are living with HIV.
Strong link between abuse and sexual risk-taking
Dr Glenda Simms, Kingston-based consultant on gender issues, says there is a whole body of research connecting abuse and risk-taking behaviour.
"Research shows a significant percentage of prostitutes were violated and sexually abused as children and this has influenced their behaviour as adults. Child abuse distorts natural sexual development, which should have been allowed to proceed normally."
Concern about economic conditions and cultural traditions, which reduce the power of women and girls to negotiate safe sex, was expressed by Dr Leith Dunn, head, Institute of Gender and Development, University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona.
"Because you have unequal gender roles with women often in subordinate and dependent relationships, they [women] therefore have less power in negotiating safer sex. Safer sex is ensuring that you can use a condom every time."
She added: "If you are dependent on a man for your economic well-being, you are less likely to demand that he use a condom. Men are also at risk because of the idealised images of masculinity, which dictate that the man should have a lot of women, and can take risk without fear of the consequences. The woman says no, but the man says 'I am a man and I am entitled'."
Married women are poor negotiators
Dr Simms is also concerned that married women in Jamaica are one of the larger risk groups for HIV because of cultural constraints.
"Marriage has a certain meaning in this society. The woman is seen as belonging to the man. The man is seen as the master of the woman. Because of that, marriage is seen as this precious institution designed for people to have children - they [women] are not capable of negotiating safe sex even when they suspect the man is playing around. The tragedy is that husbands cheat with women and with men as well."
Dr Simms claims that married women of all classes in Jamaica are affected.
She is not satisfied that enough is being done for this group.
"We were focusing on the treatment of HIV-AIDS and we not doing enough for prevention. It is not just about condom use. We need to interface with and empower women at all levels about the right to say no. Men also need to be educated that women are not their property, even though this is difficult in our culture."
In 2007, the Ministry of Health and Environment secured 40 per cent of the funding needed to implement a $200 million, five-year strategy to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Policy helps
The Government of Jamaica recently began implementing its third National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS/STIs, for the years from 2007 to 2011. The plan focuses on achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support.
Marion Scott, Behaviour Change Communications Officer with the Ministry of Health, notes that there are several programmes that are intended to strengthen the ability of women to negotiate safer sex throughout the island. These include interventions for sex workers, and targeted community intervention and intervention at clinics.
"The issue of negotiating for safe sex remains a challenge because there are a lot of economic factors that sustain the vulnerability of women. But our programmes are continuing," Scott says.
St Catherine notes that women who believe that abuse and dependence is their lot in life come into her office everyday. Despite this, she says, the culture that facilitates violence and abuse, and strips women of negotiating power, is changing.
"It is changing because people are more aware. The laws now say that those who are aware of abuse and do not report it are liable, so people are more likely to intervene on behalf of affected women and children. I have noticed a greater willingness to report and to intervene. We still have a long way to go but the increase in awareness has helped."
In the meantime, the evidence of what abuse can do manifests in the lives of women like Tishanna, who says that at age 21, when she discovered that she was HIV+, she wanted to kill herself.
"I wanted to die," she says. "But, I found Jamaica AIDS Support, which gave me reason to what to live again."
But, Tishanna believes her dreams of becoming a chef will never materialise. She blames her disappointments and misfortunes on her abusive relatives.
To those who are doing the same she says, "You see how nice children are? You need to protect them. What happens to them early can scar them for life."
RED ALERT: PEDOPHILES ALL OVER
The number of defilement cases in Ghana appears to be increasing, with a reported incident of forced sexual intercourse with a minor appearing almost daily in the media. Expert s say the rampant cases of defilement across the country could pass as pedophilia, when assessed which is being disguised as defilement.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/public_agenda/
"Give your child the clear message that his or her body is their own."
March 29, 2009, Coalition fights sex crimes written By Megan Loiselle from Wausau Daily Herald
An average of seven sexual assaults a month are reported in Marathon County, but The Women's Community of Wausau will spend April fighting the crime through awareness.
Several local organizations, along with The Women's Community, will sponsor events intended to give victims a chance to express themselves and to provide education about sexual violence for others.
"We hope to accomplish that people truly understand what's going on out there," said Amy Ostrem, sexual assault victim services advocate at The Women's Community, a support and shelter program for abuse victims. "The violence has to end."
In 2008, 84 cases of sexual assault were reported to the Marathon County District Attorney's Office. The Women's Community provided support services to 420 women, 55 men and 141 children who were affected by sexual violence in 2007.
Ostrem said she has seen more people reporting domestic violence as a result of increased awareness, especially among children.
"We need to recognize that the first and best step we can take to help prevent and end sexual violence is to not remain silent," said Jessica Lind, program coordinator of The Women's Community's sexual assault victim services program.
"Give your child the clear message that his or her body is their own."
Starting this week, an annual art exhibit at the Center for Visual Arts in downtown Wausau will showcase art created by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault in surrounding counties who sought support from The Women's Community.
Representatives from the Milwaukee Police Department, the Task Force on Family Violence and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault will present the legal issues and social services involved with human trafficking April 28 at the Best Western Midway Hotel in Rib Mountain.
Victims can share their stories in a safe and supportive environment at The Women's Community on April 22.
Ostrem said the increased public awareness should not stop in April.
"We fight all year round," she said.
Additional Facts
Sexual Assault Awareness events
What: Healing through Art and award ceremony for Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Sexual Assault Victims.
When: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, reception and ceremony; exhibit runs through April 27.
Where: Center for Visual Arts Loft, 427 Fourth St., Wausau.
What: National Day to End Sexual Violence Benefit Night.
When: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 8.
Where: Noodles and Company, 1800 Stewart Ave., Wausau.
What: Healing Vigil.
When: 6 p.m. April 22.
Where: The Women's Community, 2801 N. Seventh St., Wausau.
What: Conference on Human Trafficking.
When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 28.
Where: Best Western Midway Hotel, 2901 Hummingbird Road, Rib Mountain.
Cost: $40.
Contact: The Women's Community at 842-5663.
What: Taking Steps Against Violence Run/Walk sponsored by Wausau Area Jaycees.
When: 9 a.m. May 2.
Where: City Square, Wausau.
Bill O'Reilly Is Stalking Me - The Daily Beast
I'm not the first victim of O'Reilly's harassment machine-and I won't be the last. Why? I am an "insect" that needs to be squashed?
Posted using ShareThis
Facebook images of rape suspect could block trial , warn police!
Police alarm over CCTV images of rape suspect on Facebook page prompt warning on legal risks by Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 March 2009
Detectives have warned that a Facebook page showing CCTV images of a rape suspect, which was set up by the victim's partner after an eight-month police inquiry, could wreck a prosecution if the case reaches court.
The identification issue has alarmed Greater Manchester police, and a senior officer has contacted the man behind the page ‑ one of the first of its kind on the social networking site in the UK ‑ to advise him on the legal risks.
But the force also admitted today that its own system, which has outlets on Facebook and other web networks including Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and Bebo, is too overloaded to carry CCTV images of cases other than suspected murders for more than a few weeks.
A statement from Greater Manchester police acknowledged that officers were "hopeful'' that the use of four grainy images on the Facebook page "will generate information leading to an arrest".'
The hunt for a middle-aged white man, around 6ft and speaking with a local accent, has faced a series of problems since the attack early last August. The 21-year-old victim was found sobbing and traumatised by the side of a road in Sale at around 3am after leaving a night out at a local pub to walk home to her parents. Her partner, a former restaurant manager in his 20s, says on the Facebook page, which by this afternoon had more than 5,500 "members'': "This man needs to be caught ASAP. He is a danger to the public. After a frantic search I found her in the state this beast left her in. I ask everyone to help bring this sick pervert to justice."
The page also includes four CCTV shots of a suspect, released by Greater Manchester police after a trawl of cameras at local pubs. Two of the pictures are from the King's Ransom where, according to the freelance Facebook page, the man claimed to drink regularly. He also appeared to know the surroundings streets well.
The page refers to the police "only just'' releasing the images after eight months and the victim's partner said that more publicity after the attack might have helped. He said: "I have managed to get the picture out to more people who are likely to have been out that evening.
"I've been told the site could jeopardise a court case, but if he's not caught, there won't be a court case at all. I'd ask anyone who recognises the man to contact police."
The Facebook page also emphasises that people should contact the police, although it offers the option for private messaging to the group's organiser. The introduction warns that threats against anyone thought to be the man on the film could lead to the site being closed down.
"This is a subject that can create heated emotions so better to have the right guy named than the wrong one," it says. The victim has talked to the police several times but remains severely affected and has not been able to return to work.
Greater Manchester police said that they had no power to shut down the page, so long as the content stayed within the law.
The force said today: "We take all reports of rape extremely seriously, and will continue to pursue all possible avenues of inquiry to find the person responsible. The CCTV images have recently been released after a lengthy process trawling local pubs for images that could assist the investigation."
The case comes up on a search of the Greater Manchester police's own website but clicking on the information link leads to a closed page with the message: "There seems to be a problem."' The force said that the details had gone beyond the time-limit for posting online.
Messages on the Find the Sale Rapist page mostly consist of good wishes and promises to forward details to friends and large groups, including students at Manchester University. A small discussion group has also started to exchange views on how to punish rapists.
Rape victim welcomes sentencing change By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Staff Reporter
Her attacker got 10 years, was out of jail in four
By IAN FAIRCLOUGH Staff Reporter
Sat. Mar 28
Proposed legislation to do away with double credit for time served by criminals who stay in jail before their trial and sentence is long overdue, says one crime victim.
"I support the (proposed) change whole-heartedly and think that it has been a long time coming," said the Annapolis Valley woman, who was the victim of a vicious attack in which she was raped and slashed with a knife. "I hope it’s not something that gets lost along the way in the process."
Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson introduced legislation in Parliament Friday to eliminate the double-time credit, which judges almost always consider when sentencing someone who has spent time in custody before their trial and conviction.
"It’s time that people serve the sentences that are imposed for the actions and crimes that are committed," the woman said.
In her case, Gregory Lewis Plamondon, now 36, of New Minas was handed a 10-year jail sentence in Dec. 2003 for aggravated assault, sexual assault with a weapon, assault with a weapon, unlawful confinement and uttering threats. But because he had been in custody since being arrested two years earlier, the court gave him credit for four. He was out on parole in 2007 after serving two-thirds of his time.
His trial in Kentville was supposed to start in Oct. 2002, but he fired his legal aid lawyer the week before and said he wanted time to prepare to represent himself.
When he came back in January 2003 he cross-examined his victim for more than six hours, then told the judge he couldn’t represent himself and was given a two-month adjournment to get a lawyer.
But that lawyer wanted more time to prepare and the case was adjourned until June, when it was put off for another four months after the woman brought in a lawyer to quash Mr. Plamondon’s subpoena to have the victim’s 10-year-old son testify for the defence.
The case resumed in August and Mr. Plamondon was found guilty, but delays in the completion of a psychiatric report meant he wasn’t sentenced until December.
The woman says Mr. Plamondon received credit for delays that were of his own doing. Under the proposed legislation he would have received a nine-year sentence and still be in custody.
"They’re almost being rewarded for doing it," she said.
She said she’s convinced Mr. Plamondon was orchestrating the delays to build up his two-for-one credit. She said she had to attend court 33 times from the point Mr. Plamondon was charged, but the trial only had four days of testimony.
"There are too many rights given to the criminals," the woman said. "If you do the crime, you should do the time. It’s just a way to cause the victim more suffering."
Supporters of the double-time credit say it is necessary because those awaiting trial and sentencing don’t have access to programs or counselling available while they are serving time. But Mr. Plamondon’s victim says that if they get extra time taken off their sentence, they may not be in jail long enough to get into the programs anyway.
Provincial Justice Minister Cecil Clarke said his government strongly endorses the proposed changes.
"It’s going to help because in some cases there’s incentive to keep people in remand, to delay the process by some of the defence counsel so that people are in remand, and in (some) cases, it’s not just two for one, it can be two and a half and sometimes three or more," he said after cabinet Thursday.
"That’s not appropriate and that’s why we agree with the Government of Canada.
Untested Rape Kits Sit in Cold Storage By Amy Goodwin, Ms. Magazine.
This story about Untested Rape Kits....by Amy Goodwin is happening far more than you may know! It is horrible knowing this backlog of evidence exists!!!
March 27, 2009.
With huge backlogs of evidence untested, rapists who could have been caught remain free.
Three new rape victims arrive each day at the Rape Crisis Treatment Center in Santa Monica, Calif., where, besides being given comfort and medical care, victims are offered a forensic examination that could help identify and prosecute their attackers. Seeing the pain of the victims is hard enough, but for the center's director, Gail Abarbanel, one of the worst parts of her job is wondering whether rapes could have been prevented had the evidence so painstakingly collected ever been tested.
All over the country, rape kits are sitting untested in refrigerated storage facilities. A report currently being compiled by Human Rights Watch (HRW) puts the number at over 400,000, and the backlog is particularly pressing in large urban centers like Los Angeles. For Abarbanel, it represents a profound betrayal. "When such an incredible tool as a forensic database is available to us, it is unforgivable not to make use of it," she says. "For every kit that is not tested, the possibility of identifying, apprehending, trying and prosecuting a violent offender is lost."
Sarah Tofte, the lead rape-kit researcher at HRW, argues that the backlog is symptomatic of a system in which rape victims are wholly disempowered. "Although it takes great courage for a woman to report her rape and assist in the creation of a rape kit" -- during a careful exam, samples of hair, semen, skin cells and fabric fibers are collected -- "the police are failing to respect this and to fulfill their side of the contract by testing the kit and keeping her informed about the case." When DNA evidence is extracted from the kits, it can be checked against forensic databases of violent criminals, and a match can mean that an offender can be identified and prosecuted.
http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/133482/untested_rape_kits_sit_in_cold_storage/
The full text of this article appears in the Winter issue of Ms., available on newsstands or by joining the Ms. community.
Michael White loses appeal of his conviction...
Edmonton man loses appeal of his conviction for murdering his wife
March 27, 2009, EDT.By THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON - An Edmonton man has lost an appeal of his conviction for murdering his pregnant wife and offering an indignity to her dead body.
Michael White, a heavy-duty mechanic and former soldier, was found guilty by a jury in 2006 of killing Liana White and dumping her naked body in a ditch.
She was four months pregnant with the couple's second child.
White was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years.
His lawyer argued before the Alberta Court of Appeal last fall that the trial judge erred when she asked jurors to consider White's conduct after his wife's death in July 2005.
The defence lawyer also questioned whether the judge should have referred to White's previous convictions - one for careless storage of a firearm and several for theft - and whether she properly explained the difference between murder and manslaughter.
The Appeal Court ruled that the judge did not err in any of her instructions to the jury.
"The jury charge should be read as a whole and placed in the context of the entire trial, particularly the evidence and issues raised at trial," the three-member panel wrote in a decision released Friday.
White's lawyer said his client was disappointed with the decision.
"We're going to have to read it carefully and see if we'll appeal it further," said Hersh Wolch.
Liana White was reported missing on July 12, 2005, when she failed to show up for work. White, who spent some of her youth in Kelowna, B.C., was a clerk in the neonatal unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.
Her husband went on television and tearfully begged for help to find his wife - only to be charged after her body was discovered a few days later.
Testimony at the trial indicated that White tossed bloody evidence into a garbage bag, which he left in a field until he could return later to pick it up. He was already under police surveillance.
Court also heard White left his wife's SUV in a parking lot and staged the site to make it look like a robbery had taken place. But he was caught on a neighbourhood pub's security video running in the opposite direction.
White, originally from Mar, Ont., testified he didn't kill his wife. He said blood in the home came from her having had a nosebleed in their bedroom a few days before she disappeared.
After the trial, it was revealed that the couple's pre-school daughter, Ashley, probably witnessed some of the attack at the family's northeast Edmonton home.
Domestic violence and poverty interact
By STEPHEN UHLER
The combination of grinding poverty and violence against women form a "malevolent brew of horror" which needs to be dealt with decisively at all levels if there is to be any progress to eliminate both.
This according to Stephen Lewis, Canada's former UN ambassador and international envoy. He made a rare appearance at Festival Hall Thursday evening, speaking to a packed house of more than 600 people on the realities of violence against women and how that issue intersects with poverty.
This is not the poverty of simply a lack of income, but of poor living conditions, where choices for women are non-existent.
The two are linked," he said. "Violence breeds from poverty, and poverty breeds violence."
In the world today, Mr. Lewis said, 1.6-billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, and three billion on less than $2 a day. The existence of such conditions virtually guarantees male dominance and the oppression of women in a society.
The poverty itself can be so extreme, women are faced with the grim choice of either staying with an abuser or starving or possibly worse. Added to that are societies which have encouraged - either by tolerance or design -the brutalization of women in ways too horrible to describe, and it sets up a situation where to be a woman makes one a helpless target for unleashed and irrational male aggression.
You have to ask yourself, is it a kind of madness here?"Mr. Lewis said, after describing the worst excesses of sexual assault committed in war-torn areas of Africa, where women as young as 10 have been gang raped and mutilated.
But the rest of the world shouldn't be smug. He said data gathered by the United Nations state the country with the lowest rate of physical and sexual violence against women was Japan, where it occurred to 15 per cent of their female population. The highest percentage was 71 per cent in Ethiopia, while the average within North America ranged from 30 to 35 per cent.
It is astounding to me in the face of these statistics that the world has not come to grips with it," he said.
The solution to this must be done in an integrated way, with no one part taken in isolation, Mr. Lewis said, as it is all interconnected. Child poverty, for instance, cannot be effectively handled if one looks at the children alone.
It would require everything to installing a living wage to affordable housing, more shelters, education, universal child care, social policy overhauls and support at almost every level of society all working in concert.
It will also need a commitment to recognizing woman's rights as human rights, and the recognition of women as equals.
The single most important struggle in the world is the struggle for gender equality," he said. "You can't ignore the needs of 52 per cent of the world's population and expect any degree of social justice."
No woman, regardless of circumstances, should have their rights so destroyed as to destroy her emotional and physical existence."
The answer to action lies within the communities, and a desire to do so coming from the grass roots, he said, empowering people to make changes.
Those caught in the cycle of abuse "are the people who understand," and it is they who need to be put in a position to influence public policy, not the politicians.
It is also the communities who must pay attention to injustices, to vulnerability and the atrocities of abuse and act on it, he said.
Mr. Lewis said he has been around a long time, travelling the world, and still does not understand why society still tolerates abuse.
Why is it in a province like Ontario, in a country like Canada, why are we tolerating it?"
We have to understand it has to be brought to an end."
Mr. Lewis, 71, has a long and distinguished career in the field of social justice and international politics.
After leading Ontario's New Democratic Party from 1970 to 1978, he was appointed Canada's ambassador to the United Nations in 1984 by then-prime minister Brian Mulroney, a position he served in for four years. From 1995 to 1999, he was the deputy director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and in 2001 was appointed the special UN envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
It was his work in Africa which led to start of the the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign in March 2006, which raises awareness, builds solidarity and mobilizes funds for Africa's grandmothers and the orphans in their care.
In Renfrew County, Deep River was the first municipality to form a Grandmothers' Group, followed by Petawawa in 2007 and Pembroke in June 2008. Funds raised by Grandmothers to Grandmothers have supported the immediate needs of food, transportation, home visits, medical care, adequate housing and bedding, school fees and uniforms for orphans.
Currently, he is the co-director of AIDS-Free World, a new international AIDS advocacy organization, based in the United States. He is chairman of the board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and a professor in Global Health in the Faculty of Social Sciences at McMaster University.
Mr. Lewis' appearance at Festival Hall helps kick off the two-day Walking In Her Shoes conference, hosted by the Renfrew County Committee for Abused Women at the Marguerite Centre.
The conference, involving front-line workers who deal with the abuse and sexual assault of women, will include other notable speakers including accomplished lawyer Pamela Cross, who has worked to improve women's access to justice, journalist Brian Vallee, who wrote the best-selling "Life with Billy", and Nora Currie, a community organizer, teacher and writer.
It wraps up Friday.
Stephen Uhler is a Daily Observer reporter
Article ID# 1498150
RCMP used Tasers less last year: report
March 26, 2009, EDT.By Jim Bronskill And Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - Mounties were far less likely to fire their Tasers last year as a public uproar about stun gun safety erupted over the painful weapons.
RCMP Taser use dropped 30 per cent in 2008 from a peak of 1,583 incidents the year before, figures released Thursday show.
The numbers also reveal that in about half of 1,106 cases where Mounties threatened to use the 50,000-volt devices last year, they never actually fired them. That's up from about 28 per cent in 2007.
The statistics, made public by RCMP complaints commissioner Paul Kennedy, suggest police officers were more cautious about using the stun guns once the devices came under public fire.
A B.C. inquiry is probing the case of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died in October 2007 after he was stunned five times with an RCMP Taser at the Vancouver airport.
His final agonized moments, captured on amateur video and shown around the world, touched off a public furor and intense debate about Taser use and safety.
Kennedy rushed out the latest statistics a day after a report the RCMP had loosened a restriction on multiple Taser shocks amid growing evidence that repeated stun gun jolts increase risk of death.
An analysis by Montreal biomedical engineer Pierre Savard, made available to the public broadcaster, suggests the chances of someone dying after being hit with a police Taser increase the more times they're stunned.
Tasers can be fired from a distance and cycled repeatedly once steel probes puncture a suspect's skin or clothing. The guns can also be used in up-close stun mode, a zap that has been compared to touching a hot stove.
The new figures show percentage decreases in the use of both probe and stun modes from recent years. They also show a drop in cases involving multiple stuns.
Kennedy, whose full report will be released in coming days, said he was encouraged by the decreases.
He has long called on the RCMP to restrict stun gun use to situations where a person is combative or risks serious harm to themselves or others.
Kennedy said he suspects the smaller number of shocks is a reflection of changes in behaviour by both police and the people they encounter.
He believes Mounties are showing more "self-restraint" with the Taser and that members of the public are more wary of the stun guns.
"People now recognize that the Taser is painful and that Taser - maybe they're thinking - may kill me, and they're co-operating too," Kennedy said during a conference call with reporters.
The RCMP says it has limited Taser use to situations involving a threat to officer or public safety.
The new Mountie policy warns officers that Taser use carries a risk of death, particularly for agitated people. And it advises them that multiple or continuous shocks "may be hazardous to a subject."
Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland is demanding RCMP Commissioner William Elliott reappear before the all-party Commons committee that has studied Taser safety.
"The commissioner misled Canadians when he told them that the RCMP had changed their policy to make Taser use more restrictive," Holland charged Thursday. "In fact, the RCMP's policy has been weakened."
The national police force also releases statistical reports on Taser use, but the latest covers only the period ending March 31, 2008.
National child porn probe nabs 57 but, police ask for more public help
March 26, 2009, EDT.By Bruce Cheadle, THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - Grim-faced officials are asking for public help in combating child pornography even as they mop up the biggest co-ordinated police investigation of Internet-based sex abuse in Canadian history.
Police announced 57 arrests Thursday, with more anticipated, in a cross-country operation that the RCMP is calling "an unqualified success."
But given the nature of the allegations and the magnitude of the problem, there was zero sense of celebration among law enforcement officials.
"Unfortunately, the numbers you hear about today and in the days that follow will not please anyone," said Supt. John Bilinski, the Mountie in charge of the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
A number of children were removed from danger, police said, although they would provide no specifics.
The seized images range from infants with their umbilical cords still showing to 17-year-olds. The vast majority of child pornography, about 80 per cent, depicts children under age eight, said Lianna McDonald, director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Up to 40 per cent of those images involve sexual assaults.
"We're dealing with a very dark side of human behaviour," said McDonald.
More than 130 computers, "dozens and dozens" of hard drives and "thousands and thousands" of disks and other computer storage hardware have been seized.
"Additional searches, arrests and charges are anticipated in the coming weeks," said RCMP Sgt. Dave Fox, who urged public co-operation to help police root out child pornographers.
"It's a very, very difficult issue to deal with, very demanding," said Fox, who heads the National Child Exploitation Co-ordination Centre.
"But in the same sense very rewarding because every child that you can remove from a potentially abusive situation, it's a victory, it's a moral victory.
"Unfortunately there's just too many of them."
Authorities say 23 high-tech investigators were at the core of the operation, dubbed Project Salvo, during which 71 search warrants were issued and more than 100 criminal charges were laid. More than 35 police agencies were involved.
The charges laid include sexual assault, sexual interference and possessing, making and distributing child pornography.
At co-ordinated news conferences in Ottawa and Vancouver, police repeatedly drove home two points: The children in these images are real; and the community at large has not only a role but an obligation to assist police in stopping the consumption, distribution and making of child pornography.
"No matter how difficult it might be to look at these images, we've got to think that these children are actually living this," Const. Rosiane Racine, from B.C.'s Integrated Child Exploitation Team, said in Vancouver.
"This is happening to them. And we have to do everything that we can possibly do to find these children, rescue them and get the people that are hurting them. When we do, then it's a tremendous feeling."
The RCMP said 23 of the 57 detained suspects were from Ontario, 10 from B.C., nine from Atlantic Canada, four each from Alberta and Saskatchewan, two each from Manitoba and Quebec and one from the combined territories.
Several more investigations are pending and other arrest warrants have been issued and are outstanding.
"Everything you do on the Internet leaves some kind of history, some kind of footprint," noted Detective Constable Darren Parisien of the Saskatoon Police Service.
Online at www.cybertip.ca
Kirk Reid evaded capture for more than six years
A serial sex attacker who targeted lone women in south London over a six-year period has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault. Kirk Reid, 44, of Colliers Wood, was convicted of two rapes and 24 sexual assaults but police believe he was behind at least 71 attacks on women.
25% increase in sex assault in combat zones: 'Wait until she's sober,' says Pentagon watchdog
BY Richard Sisk DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU Wednesday, March 25th 2009 Bowner/AP
The Pentagon is launching a sex assault prevention camapign which advises soldies to "ask her when she's sober."
WASHINGTON - It didn't get the attention of President Obama's recent Special Olympics gaffe, but a "wait until she's sober" crack by the military's top sex crimes watchdog was more offensive, one New York lawmaker says.
"This woman is not in the right line of work," Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-Rochester) said of the statement last week by Dr. Kaye Whitley, director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.
Whitley's bizarre quote came as she released the military's annual report on sex assault, which showed a 25% increase in combat zones, including 22 cases in Afghanistan and 143 in Iraq.
In pitching "bystander intervention" to curb attacks and harassment, Whitley gave this example: "If you see one of your buddies serve drinks to somebody to get them drunk, maybe what you do is step in and say 'Why don't you wait until she's sober?'"
Slaughter was aghast. "I was really shocked anyone would say a thing like that," she said.
In effect, Whitley was telling the troops to "go after her when she's sober - that says she's fair game," added Slaughter, who sponsored the legislation that required the military to report annually on sex assaults and its efforts to curb them.
In a written response to The News, Whitley said Slaughter did not "hear the statement in the context of the overall prevention strategy of the Department."
The statement came from a poster in a military marketing campaign called "Our Strength is for Defending" that is aimed at prevention, Whitley said.
The poster reads: "My Strength is for Defending, so when I saw that she was drunk, I told him, 'Ask her when she's sober.' Preventing sexual assault is part of my duty."
Whitley's annual report showed that the number of sex assaults in the 1.4 million-member active-duty military increased 8% to 2,908 in the year ending in September 2008.
Whitley noted that only about 20% of the attacks are reported because of "the fear and stigma associated with the crime."
Just 38% of the cases that were reported eventually were referred to a court martial, she said.
"This is one of the problems," said Rachel Natelson, a lawyer at the Veterans and Service members Project of the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan. "It's a lack of consequences. People think they can act with impunity."
Take Back the Night in Edmonton, Alberta Avenue Community Centre
Annual march shines light on violence against women by Scott Harris
There are times—in cases so shocking, so vile—that the endemic problem of violence against women moves from the private homes and dark alleyways where it typically hides to emerge onto prime-time television screens and the front pages of newspapers across the country.
But the attention paid to high-profile, made-for-media cases like Thomas Svelka and Robert Pickton is in sharp contrast to the much more widespread reality of violence against women which occurs in communities across Canada on a daily basis.
Shining a light on these more common but lesser-known cases of spousal abuse, sexual assault and stalking is the goal of the international Take Back the Night march, which is taking place in Edmonton on March 27.
“It’s an event to demand an end to violence against women, as well as to celebrate women who have survived violence and to honour those women who did not survive,” explains Monica Penner, a child and adolescent therapist with the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, which is organizing this year’s march and related events.
Penner explains that while the roots of Take Back the Night marches—which date back to the mid-’70s—were focused on women exercising their right to walk the streets without male accompaniment and free from the fear of sexual violence, this year the organizers of the Edmonton event decided to widen the focus to more accurately reflect the reality of violence faced by women.
“The origins were specifically about sexual violence, but we have expanded it to include all violence against women,” Penner explains “That includes sexual assault by strangers or people that women know, that includes relationship violence, that includes the assault on women who are sex workers, as well as hate crimes against Trans women and lesbian and bisexual women.”
While arriving at accurate measures of the depth of the problem is notoriously difficult due to the private nature of the crimes—victimization surveys suggest that fewer than 10 per cent of women who are sexually assaulted go on to report it to police—the official statistics still paint a troubling picture.
A wide-ranging Canadian study from the 1990s found that 58 per cent of women in Alberta have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical abuse since the age of 16. And while men are also the victims of sexual assault, women in Canada are the victims of 86 per cent of all cases. While it’s clearly a problem for all women, Aboriginal women are especially at risk, experiencing rates of violence three times higher than non-Aboriginal women.
Penner stresses that despite the common idea that walking home alone is when women are most at risk, the reality of the problem is actually much closer to home.
“There’s this idea that sexual violence is strangers, but it’s not—it’s relational. When you look at sexual violence, for example, 85 per cent of individuals who have been sexually assaulted have been assaulted by someone they know and love.”
According to a 2006 Statistics Canada report, more than 650 000 Canadian women—seven per cent of all women—had been the victim of spousal abuse in the past five years.
Penner says this reality has changed the work of groups like the Sexual Assault Centre in recent years, and was the impetus in broadening this year’s focus.
“It’s really important because 10, 15 years ago a lot of the focus was on stranger danger, so all of our sexual assault prevention kits, you know, ‘walk with a friend,’ are based on this idea that women are assaulted by strangers, but we know that’s not the case. Women are more likely to be assaulted by the person that’s walking with them than they are by a stranger,” she explains. “As well, those prevention tips about violence against women are really about controlling women’s behaviour, it’s not really about preventing violence or stopping violence.”
While the numbers are still unacceptable, Penner says the good news is there has been an overall decline in all types of violent crime in the country since the mid-’90s and that there is a higher level of awareness about violence against women.
Also new this year is the shift from City Hall to Alberta Avenue, a choice that Penner says was made in part to dispel the idea that some forms of violence, such as that experienced by sex trade workers, are somehow more acceptable.
While all genders are encouraged to participate in the evening’s events, which includes a rally and the art display called the Clothesline Project, the march on Friday will be a women-only event, a change from recent years in Edmonton.
“We’ve had extensive, extensive discussion and we decided to have a women- and girls-only march, and of course that includes Trans women. Men at that point, if they choose, can participate in a men’s discussion group,” Penner explains. “We decided to do that after hearing feedback from women who had marched in the past and said they really wanted a safe space for women. We also want to acknowledge that the origin of Take Back the Night is about women being safe to walk as women by themselves, and not needing so-called male escorts.”
But Penner stresses their exclusion from the march doesn’t mean men aren’t welcome and needed in combatting violence against women.
“Certainly men need to be part of the solution, but we also really want to honour women who have survived violence or didn’t survive violence, and we want the focus to be on women that one night a year.” V
Fri, Mar 27 (7 pm)
Take Back the Night
Alberta Avenue Community Centre
(9210 - 118 Ave), free
The March is A Women and WOMEN-IDENTIFIED only event, All genders are welcome at other events
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was remarkably frank about Canada's sclerotic immigration system.
A step toward resolving our refugee mess
By MINDELLE JACOBS
In response to a UN refugee agency report this week, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was remarkably frank about Canada's sclerotic immigration system.
Everyone knows Canada has been a doormat for decades, as massive numbers of asylum seekers landed on our shores, applied for refugee status and stayed whether they were allowed to or not.
Remember last year's report by the auditor general that disclosed that officials can't find more than 40,000 foreigners who were ordered deported?
Well, why leave? Once you're in the country, you can stay for years, if not decades, due to lengthy appeals and the fact that we don't have the resources to hunt down tens of thousands of illegals.
Welcome to Canada. Use us and abuse us. We're so polite we'll say 'thank you.' Heck, we can't even deport suspected foreign-born terrorists because that would violate their rights.
What got Kenney riled up was a UN report that noted there was a 30% jump in the number of people applying for refugee status in Canada last year over 2007.
That's a staggering rise, since the number of asylum seekers in 51 industrialized countries went up only 12% overall on average.
"This is clearly an abuse of Canada's generosity," Kenney told a reporter, adding that our refugee system is "broken."
Politicians and immigration experts have known that for a long time but it's not often that a cabinet minister will acknowledge the truth so boldly.
It's encouraging to see that Kenney would like to see the system reformed so that illegitimate refugee claimants are booted out of Canada as fast as possible.
Only the U.S., with a population of 300 million, gets more requests for asylum than Canada. Last year, about 49,000 people applied for refugee status in the U.S. In Canada, almost 37,000 asked for asylum.
France and Britain each have about twice the population of Canada and they received fewer refugee claimants last year than we did.
It's hard not to come to the conclusion that Canada's a pushover. It's shockingly easy for bogus refugees to settle in for years. The icing on the cake? Free social services like health care. Essentially, it's just too tempting not to take advantage of us.
But our refugee system isn't the only thing that's broken. Our point system for immigrants is also a failure.
We bring in people who can't function well in English or French, often don't recognize their credentials and then we shrug when they discover there aren't jobs in their fields.
We're ruining people's lives and the word's getting out. One day soon, we may wake up to find out that the best skilled immigrants are heading to other countries and we're left with the dregs.
And make no mistake. Recession or not, we still need immigrants. The construction industry estimates it will need more than 250,000 new workers by 2016 to replace those who are retiring.
"We've allowed a lot of people in with letters behind their names," says Michael Atkinson, president of the Canadian Construction Association. "Then we don't recognize their qualifications and they end up driving cabs."
He'd like to see the point system updated to emphasize labour market needs as has been successfully done in Australia.
"If we don't wake up," says Atkinson, "we could be between a rock and a hard place when it comes to competing in the global market."
Bill O'Reilly Attacks Amanda Terkel, calls her a "villain"
Amanda Terkel is Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Deputy Editor for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.
Criminals love the BlackBerry's wiretap-proof ways: police
MP wants wireless devices to be intercept-ready
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 CBC News
Wireless messages sent on a BlackBerry are so hard to intercept that the smartphones have become the device of choice for both criminals and law enforcement, police say.
'The starting point to striking the balance is law enforcement making the case that there is a problem today.'
— Michael Geist, law professor
While some police admit that level of security makes the BlackBerry their preferred handheld device, they also say that also makes it hard for them to listen in on suspected criminals.
"It does limit our abilities to intercept, which in turn minimizes our abilities to prevent the crimes," said Supt. Pat Fogerty of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia, a division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The problem is that BlackBerry smartphones, designed by Waterloo, Ont.-based Research In Motion initially for corporate clients, run software called the BlackBerry Enterprise Server that creates a secure and private network and encrypts data.
Police say criminals are using additional layers of encryption with other types of software, bringing the encryption level up to military grade.
"They completely know that this technology is to their advantage," Fogerty said, "and they will stay on that technology until such time that there is new technology that will be even more secure."
Tappability an 'essential tool': MP
Liberal MP Marlene Jennings said police have been asking for years for legislation that would force internet and wireless providers to use technology that can be tapped.
"Law enforcement needs it, Canadians need it; it's an essential tool for the battle against crime," she told CBC News Tuesday.
This past winter, Jennings re-tabled a 2005 Liberal bill that would force wireless service providers to make their devices intercept-ready. The bill, the Modernization of Investigative Techniques Act (MITA), had died when the 2006 election was called, but Jennings had re-introduced it as a private member's bill once before, in 2007.
At the time, she said Canadian telecommunications companies had expressed concerns about the cost of the technology to make their devices tappable, but suggested the government could discuss the possibility of subsidizing that cost.
Police must make their case: researcher
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist said the cost of the technology is not the only problem with such a bill — it could possibly hurt an industry whose legitimate customers also rely on mobile devices.
"There's obviously many businesses that are willing to use these devices because they're comfortable with the security attached to them," said Geist, who holds a Canada Research Chair of internet and e-commerce law.
"Many individuals, as well, I think, would be reluctant to use mobile email devices if there was concern that third parties might be able to access it."
Geist said there needs to be a balance between people's right to privacy and security and law enforcement's investigative needs. Law enforcement has been demanding faster, quicker access to certain types of information, often without court involvement. But so far, he says, police have been unable to make a compelling case that any of their investigations have been impeded by a lack of quick access to certain information or communications.
"The starting point to striking the balance is law enforcement making the case that there is a problem today."
In February, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan told the House of Commons public safety and national security committee that Canada needs to update its wiretapping laws.
Such a law is expected to require law enforcement officials to obtain a warrant before they can force internet service providers to give up customer information. In 2007, former public safety minister Stockwell Day made a promise to include that requirement.
Dr. Carl Nqumayo convicted!
Doctor imprisoned for sexually assaulting patients at northern Alta. clinics
March 23, 2009, EDT.By THE CANADIAN PRESS
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. - A doctor has been sentenced to three years in jail for sexually assaulting four patients at two clinics in northern Alberta.
Dr. Carl Nqumayo, 50, was charged with assaulting six patients between 2003 and 2005 when he was a gynecologist/obstetrician in Fort McMurray. Nqumayo was found not guilty on two other counts at the conclusion of his second trial in February.
The physician was initially charged in 2005, convicted on all six counts and sentenced to five years in prison.
He appealed and a new trial was ordered.
At the conclusion of his second trial, Justice Sterling Sanderman of Court of Queen's Bench said Nqumayo's conduct went beyond the scope of a medical exam and constituted sexual assault in four of the six cases.
The Canadian Press, 2009
Robert Geary convicted!
Man to serve 8 years for attacks on prostitutes By DEAN PRITCHARD, Sun Media
A Belfast man convicted of sexually assaulting two Winnipeg prostitutes a decade ago has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Robert Geary, 45, will face almost certain deportation following the completion of his sentence.
Geary stood trial last December on charges of raping four prostitutes in 1999. Geary was acquitted of sexually assaulting two alleged victims due to weak identification evidence.
Justice Murray Sinclair credited Geary 40 months for pre-sentence custody, reducing his remaining sentence to 4 1/2 years.
Crown attorney Zane Tessler said Geary treated his victims "like pieces of meat."
"Mr. Geary's conduct was vile and despicable," Tessler said. "It is really nothing less than rape."
At Geary's trial, three former prostitutes told court remarkably similar stories of a man named "Bob" driving them to a remote location and then raping them when they wouldn't consent to his sexual demands.
Sinclair found Geary guilty of sexually assaulting just one of the three women who testified. The now 44-year-old woman told court Geary drove her to an industrial park and had forced anal sex with her.
"I felt dirty and scared," she said. "I thought he was going to kill me. He told me to keep still, it would be over sooner."
A second victim died before the case came to trial. Her evidence was submitted via a transcript of her testimony from a preliminary hearing held in 2000. She testified Geary drove her to an area near the airport where she agreed to perform oral sex. When she resisted his demand for intercourse, Geary "dummy slapped" her several times in the head and then raped her.
Geary, a landed immigrant, fled Canada with his family in August 2000, four months before he was originally set to stand trial.
Geary was extradited last March from Cambridge, England, where he was serving a four-year sentence. Geary was convicted in 2005 of asking prostitutes to get him a girl as young as six for sex.
Robert Geary's
Winnipeg police worked years to bring rapist to trial in Canada
By James Turner and Gabrielle Giroday, Canwest News Service
December 19, 2008 by Winnipeg Free Press
WINNIPEG - After almost a decade, the international quest to bring to Canadian justice a serial rapist who preyed on sex workers and then fled the country came to a close this week with two convictions - one involving a woman dead for three years.
Behind that conviction is years of work by local police officers and Crown prosecutors, as well as former sex workers willing to testify to see their attacker punished under the law.
Two Winnipeg Police Service Sex Crimes Unit officers told the Winnipeg Free Press in a rare interview they hope Robert Geary's conviction sends the message police take crimes against sex workers seriously.
Four street-involved women testified against Geary at the trial, one on behalf of a friend who died in April 2005 - which is why officers said they're pleased some charges stuck.
``Time is a killer,'' said Det.-Sgt. John Stevenson, who along with Det. Kelly Trudeau helped see the trial through by shuttling witnesses to their court dates in unmarked police cars, or to coffee breaks to get the women through trying hours of waiting to speak in a Winnipeg courtroom.
Geary, a Belfast airplane mechanic, was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting two sex workers in 1999, and acquitted of two other charges of sex assault.
The case reflects an unusual yet successful partnership between two unlikely groups: sex workers and police.
The trial had an added disadvantage of being delayed for years when Geary vanished with his family to Europe while on bail in 2000, which meant police had to re-approach women years after their alleged rapes to prepare them for trial.
``There's obviously a lot of trepidation on their part when we do meet with them. They're afraid of going to court, they're afraid of the accused,'' said Stevenson.
The bulk of the investigation into Geary's activities was done by Det. Sgt. Krista Dudek and Det. Gerri Forscutt in 1999. Trudeau and Stevenson came on board after police and Manitoba Justice set in motion a process to have him brought back to Canada. Geary was extradited to Canada in March 2008 after serving time in Cambridge, England for attempting to procure sex with a minor.
Trudeau said the women were determined to testify.
``These girls were part of a family, as well. Knowing their friends had been victimized, they didn't want to see that happening to somebody else. That was enough incentive for them to gear down and go through court.''
``Those are human beings too and they have their dignity, as well. A lot of people don't realize that,'' said Stevenson.
Canada ignores missing aboriginal women
Mar 19, 2009 By Braden Goyette
Violence against native women is linked to larger problems and racist provisions in the Canadian judicial system, speakers said at two talks on missing indigenous women this week.
According to a 2004 Amnesty International report, entitled “Stolen Sisters,” 510 native women have disappeared or been murdered in Canada since 1980.
In a panel discussion at the Atwater Library on Tuesday, relatives of missing and murdered women denounced the Canadian justice system for having failed First Nations communities. The speakers decried malpractice and negligence on the part of the police.
When Gladys Tolley was killed in a collision with a Quebec police officer in 2001, an independent investigation was not conducted until long after the incident, according to Tolley’s daughter, Bridget. Though the case fell under the jurisdiction of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg police force, the Sureté du Québec took control of the case. Bridget Tolley recounted incidences of misconduct, including a coroner’s report being filed though the coroner never saw the body, and the brothers of the perpetrator being the officers in charge of the scene.
Lack of support and neglect in bringing perpetrators to justice was a common theme in the speakers’ accounts.
After the murder of Susan Martin’s daughter Terry, there was a marked lack of police support. “The only suspect is walking the streets free,” Martin said. “It’s happening every day, unfortunately. We have to wake up our justice system; we have to wake up our government.”
Police are often slow to act on the cases of missing women, labelling them as runaways and telling families to wait for them to return, according to Ellen Gabriel of the Quebec Native Women’s Association. Laurie Odjick’s daughter has been missing for six months. “I believe no thorough investigation was held because of the early assessment that Maisy was a runaway,” Odjick said, adding that Maisy left all her belongings, including her purse, behind.
Odjick pointed to racial discrimination in the handling of her daughter’s case, both on the part of the police and the media. “No one showed up...asking for our story – why? Was it because my child is native?” She recounted how painful it was to see the strong response to disappearance cases involving white victims, which often included helicopter and ground searches.
The speakers pointed out that the Montreal area is built on Mohawk land, and that much of Canada’s natural resources are drawn from contemporary First Nations territory. “We are all concerned about the economic crisis, the energy crisis...and where do you think all that energy is coming from? It’s coming from indigenous territories,” Gabriel said.
In her Monday talk, Beverly Jacobs, an aboriginal rights lawyer and the Native Women’s Association of Canada president, linked the trend of violence against native women to Canada’s colonial policies, including the creation of the Residential Schools, and certain provisions of the Indian Act – first enacted in 1876, although amended at least 18 times since.
“In my opinion, [the Indian Act] is one of the most racist pieces of legislation in the world,” said Jacobs.
Until the act was amended in 1985, women lost Indian status by marrying a non-Indian. Paternal, not maternal band membership is indicated on compulsory identification cards.
According to Jacobs, imposing a patriarchal registry system has undermined the social fabric of native communities, in which status is traditionally passed down through the female line. “Women were forced to leave their own territory and move to the man’s, were forced to be registered to his territory,” Jacobs said. “In international law that’s called forced displacement....and that’s generations – this has been since 1876.”
The formation of male-dominated Band Councils also disrupted communities in which women were previously major decision-makers. Forming these bodies to decide where government money is allotted within communities also created internal tension in communities, Jacobs said.
She described the Residential Schools as a mechanism for systematically stripping a generation of their culture, in which children were beaten for speaking their language or had needles put through their tongues.
Gabriel called on the federal and provincial governments to institute policies that will alleviate systemic problems leading to violence, like poverty and lack of access to affordable housing, which can render communities vulnerable to violence – both from within and from outsiders.
The speakers said that there needed to be concrete missing persons policies put in place, and increased cross-cultural awareness training among police officers.
Family members and survivors of abuse should make their anger constructive by engaging in grassroots community activism and giving each other needed support, the speakers added.
Tuesday’s talk was followed by a candlelight vigil in Cabot Square to honour the missing and murdered women.
Gabriel stressed the responsibility of the Canadian government to take these cases seriously. “The government of Canada apologized, but they continue the status quo. Nothing has changed in that relationship, so that apology remains empty.”
Article can be found at this link...http://www.mcgilldaily.com/article/18659-canada-ignores-missing-aboriginal-women
Jane Doe Conference
The conference was very interesting. It was from the feminist perspective.
Given this many of the speakers/presenters were awesome!
I did leave with many questions to think about........
How can we find practical solutions to the violence against women?
Where is the common ground that we all could agree on, to move forward?
How do we assist Aborginal Women and other women who are vunerable to violence?
How do we come to the round tables...with service providers?
How do we get funding for the programs that would really make a difference?
Not many solutions came from this conference!
I would suggest we work on a conference called Practical Solutions to Sexual Violence!
I did notice and would liked to have seen more men at the conference.
The media never covered the conference that I seen in the papers. Sad because it would have been interesting to have seen the media's outlook on the conference.
How many women are not reporting rape?
Many different reasons as to why sexual violence is not being reported.
Vast differences/ perspectives that occur across Canada and United States.
£1.6m funds for rape victim support in England and Wales!
The Government has announced a £1.6 million boost for charities helping victims of rape and sexual violence.
Minister for Women and Equality Harriet Harman said the money would go to rape crisis centres and the Survivors Trust sexual violence charities across England and Wales.
They provide support and specialist services, such as counselling and advocacy, for men and women who have been raped or experienced sexual violence.
Ms Harman said: "Rape is one of the most devastating offences. This fund is important to safeguard the local organisations who support women who have been the victims of rape."
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith added: "Rape is an appalling crime and I am determined to ensure that every victim has immediate access to the services and support they need.
"I want more victims to feel confident to come forward and report these crimes so that we can bring the perpetrators to justice.
"This special fund will support the important work of organisations supporting victims of sexual violence, which provide essential support and advice to victims."
The Press Association
Timeline of key events in Austria incest case
This is a timeline of key events in Austria incest case written by The Associated Press Published: March 19, 2009
A chronology of key events in the case against Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who imprisoned his daughter in a basement cell for 24 years and fathered her seven children:
___
2008:
_ April 19: Fritzl brings a 19-year-old woman to a hospital in his hometown of Amstetten. He tells staff that the woman, Kerstin, is his granddaughter and that he found her in front of his door, left there by his daughter who disappeared decades ago to join a sect.
_ April 22: Police ask for DNA samples from Kerstin's blood and order DNA testing of Fritzl, his wife and their children as they try to establish identity of patient.
Today in Europe
Strikers protest French economic strategyProsecutor demands maximum sentence for FritzlAs bullfighter gains honor, peers perceive a grave loss_ April 25: Hospital officials appeal on TV for Kerstin's mother to come to clinic and provide a medical history.
_ April 26: Fritzl and Elisabeth appear at clinic, along with two children — Kerstin's siblings, who, like Kerstin, were born and raised in windowless cell.
Shortly after they appear, anonymous tipster calls police with suspicions that statements given by Fritzl and Elisabeth seem implausible. Police arrive, question both, and assure Elisabeth protection if she tells her story. Fritzl is arrested.
_ April 28: Police say Fritzl confesses he imprisoned daughter in 1984, repeatedly raped her, fathered seven children with her and tossed body of infant who died into incinerator.
_ April 29: DNA tests confirm Fritzl is biological father of Elisabeth's six surviving children.
_ Nov. 13: Fritzl charged with homicide ("murder by neglect" in German) for infant's death.
2009:
_ March 16: Fritzl goes on trial. Pleads guilty to incest and forced imprisonment; not guilty to homicide and enslavement; and partially guilty to rape and coercion.
_ March 18: In surprise twist, Fritzl pleads guilty to all charges amid disclosures that Elisabeth secretly visited trial.
_ March 19: Prosecutor urges maximum life sentence.
Feministe...Justice for the Women of Atenco! By Cara
Feministe »
Justice for the Women of Atenco
By Cara
According to the petition they’re asking people to sign, 26 women havecome forward with complains of police torture and sexual violence. Again,that’s just the number that has come forward — I can only imagine whatthe real figure ......
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2009/03/18/justice-for-the-women-of-atenco/
http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/priority-cases/the-women-of-atenco/page.do?id=1361019
Women Take First Steps For Rape Crisis Centers
Activists gather to launch a Women's Platform Against Sexual Violence. It will campaign for an end to sexual violence through promoting legislative changes as well as providing support.
Bia news center - Ä°stanbul
18-03-2009
Emine ÖZCAN
Declaring, "Sexual violence is not women's, but men's problem," establishment of a Women's Platform Against Sexual Violence is announced with a press conference today in Istanbul. The Platform aims to launch a campaign against sexual harassment and rape across Turkey.
Around 20 activists from organizations like Mor Çatı, Amargi and LambdaIstanbul gathered at the press conference. Actress Deniz Türkali read the declaration. Moreover, a candidate in upcoming local elections Belgin Çelik and writer Ayşegül Devecioğlu gave support to the declaration.
"The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness on the sexual violence that women face, to discuss precautions to prevent further grievance for those subjected to violence and contribute the struggle to end all kinds of sexual violence" said Türkali.
She noted that the women's movement achieved gains during the formation of the new Penal Code but the mentality behind the legislation didn't change and sexual violence waged.
"Despite heavy penalties foreseen in the legislation, depending on the excuse of improper provocation, perpetrators go unpunished. Courts' attitude to investigate the woman's actions instead of rapists legitimizes sexual violence."
Türkali reminded recent discussions in the Ministry of Justice to reintroduce the practice of marrying victims with their rapists and to lower the minimum age of consent to sexual relations to 14 as evidence to the reigning mentality.
Özlem Çolak noted that this platform follows the Initiative to End Rape and Sexual Harassment, which includes women victims. Another member of the platform, Ayşe Yüksel talked about the rape crisis centers in some countries, which provide assistance to victims, avoiding further infractions on women and taking a feminist approach.
"We're working on those models and trying to find a best way to adapt them to Turkey. Later it will become a campaign and a petition will be presented to the parliament."
"I'm here not because I feel sorry for the women subjected to sexual violence, but because I know that the problem is related to the patriarchal system as a whole and as a feminist I support this action," author Devecioğlu said.(EZÖ/AGÜ)
Forensic Study Finds Frequent Instances of Flawed Evidence
Forensic experts gave flawed evidence in 60% of the murder and rape cases examined in a recent Virginia Law Review study.
According to an article from the United Press International, “The study examined 137 trials in which transcripts exist and forensic experts testified for the prosecution. The cases were among those in which DNA has proved innocent people who were wrongfully convicted”. The study was co-written by Brandon Garrett, a law professor at the University of Virginia and Peter Neufield, co-founder of The Innocence Project.
To read the full text, go to www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/16/Study_examines_flawed_forensic_testimony/UPI-91561237262329.
Sexual Assault U.S. Armed Forces
This from Holly/Admin,
Two interesting articles about Military Sexual Violence.....
CBS Evening News: Shocking Report On Frequent Attacks, Low Rate Of Investigation, Prosecution by Katie Couric
Click the link to read this story....
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/17/eveningnews/main4872713.shtml
This story from Military Today
http://www.wowowow.com/politics/reported-rapes-us-military-rise-big-spike-iraq-afghanistan-video-242843
Report: 1-in-3 Female Soldiers Face Sexual Assault or Rape (Video)
When RCMP make mistakes, the impact can be serious By Paul Walton, The Daily News
The police in this city do a very good job.
Believe me, I know. Covering court and crime for longer than I'd care to admit has given me some insight into how things work at 303 Prideaux St.
One of things I admire about the Nanaimo RCMP is that most officers understand how much power we give them, the responsibility that goes with it, and how they work hard to meet the standard that such a responsibility requires.
That's not to say they are perfect.
Last week was a prime example of how the police can and do make mistakes.
Unfortunately, like a surgeon, when they do make a mistake, the consequences can be serious.
Realizing that a pervert had been running around Vancouver Island University for about a month, they delayed issuing all the information necessary to the community; according to my calculations, for about nine days.
There was one incident in January and several in early February. In mid-February, police issued a brief news release about one incident. The short release only stated that a woman had been "groped" in a parking lot at VIU and warned women to use caution.
There was nothing in that release to indicate the risk was higher, as we subsequently learned. In fairness to police, they may not have quite pieced it together either.
But we know that by Feb. 25 they were aware that something was amiss because that's when the serious crimes section got involved.
Except for one thing, they did everything right.
They intensified patrols, alerted security at VIU and began looking up known sex offenders who might be responsible. What they didn't do was hold a news conference until March 11.
From what Const. Gary O'Brien told the Daily News, it would seem that police were confident they could catch this creep without alarming the populace. Police have always walked a fine line between informing the public and not wanting to cause alarm. Throw into the mix the possibility that investigators also may not have wanted to alert the suspect, and we have some real ethical dilemmas.
Police in Toronto learned what should have been a straightforward ethical lesson when they withheld information about the so-called "balcony rapist," not wanting to scare him off. In the meantime, he kept climbing up balconies to rape women. When a victim, known only as Jane Doe, sued the police, the message was clear: The public cannot be put at risk by police for investigational purposes.
In a discussion with a senior Nanaimo Mountie last week, I accused police of using VIU students as bait. I agree with him that rhetoric was excessive. Nevertheless, their error stands as a sin of omission, not one of commission.
The RCMP made a mistake, whether their logic was not to alarm the public or not to alert the suspect. There are times when the public needs to be alarmed.
The RCMP are not alone in failing the community in this matter. VIU also failed to live up to its obligations as a member of this community. VIU failed by not being proactive enough around this matter. They also needed to tell the public -- not just their students -- as soon as they knew there was a pattern.
There are some pretty smart people in the RCMP and VIU, so it's surprising that someone didn't conclude, in the light of the Jane Doe case, that they needed to get the message out to the public immediately. Though the mid-February RCMP release was timely, it did not give a full picture of the entire risk. The March 11 news conference was what was required, and it was at least a week too late.
The police are not perfect, but like the rest of us, let's hope they learn from their mistakes.
Paul Walton's column Canwest News Service
Office on Violence Against Women Makes Available $43 Million in Recovery Act Funds For Transitional Housing Assistance
WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced that it is now accepting applications for $43 million in OVW Recovery Act Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking or Sexual Assault Program. Grants will support projects that provide assistance to individuals who are homeless or in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance as a result of fleeing a situation of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient.
"These Recovery Act funds will support victims of violence while helping to create and safeguard jobs for victims and victim advocates," said OVW's Acting Director Catherine Pierce. "Pumping new life into our transitional housing program will both stimulate our economy and improve our communities."
Grants will be awarded for up to $500,000 for transitional housing programs that meet the goals of the Recovery Act through employing victim advocates and other personnel to assist victims, renovating housing for victims, offering additional housing units, and increasing job opportunities for victims through training, education, and other support services. The award period for these grants is 24-36 months and the solicitation is available at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/recovery.htm.
By statute, eligible entities for this program are states, units of local government, Indian tribes, other organizations, including domestic violence and sexual assault victim service providers, domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, faith-based and community organizations, and culturally specific organizations that have a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking.
The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in developing the nation's capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing 18 federal grant programs, OVW often undertakes initiatives in response to areas of special need, dedicating resources to develop enhancements in areas requiring particular attention or in communities facing particularly acute challenges.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.USDOJ.gov
Medical journal article says Taser stun to the head can cause seizures
March 16, 2009, By Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - Stun guns can cause seizures if their tiny electric barbs pierce the scalp and shock the brain, says a new article on the accidental jolting of a police officer.
The unnamed Ontario cop, in his 30s, was chasing a suspected robber when he was hit in the back of the head with a Taser fired by his partner.
Within seconds, the officer collapsed and went into a full-blown seizure - foaming at the mouth - for about a minute, says the article co-written by Toronto neurologist Dr. Richard Wennberg.
What is billed as the first report of its kind on such a phenomenon is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal released Monday.
The officer had no history of seizures, head injuries, neurological or psychiatric conditions, it says. His developmental history was normal and he was not on medication of any kind.
"Until now, most reports of Taser-related adverse events have understandably concentrated on cardiac complications associated with shots to the chest," the article concludes.
"Our report shows that a Taser shot to the head may result in brain-specific complications. It also suggests that seizure should be added to the list of Taser-related adverse events."
What appears to be a rare if not isolated case should serve as a cautionary tale, Wennberg said in an interview, especially as Taser use grows.
"In that it hadn't ever been reported before, we felt sort of obligated to report on it in the medical literature so that people would know that for sure this can happen.
"To discharge that amount of electrical current in a region overlying the brain, it didn't seem impossible to me that this could happen in a mechanism similar to giving electroconvulsive therapy or something like that."
Wennberg says stun guns pack about the same jolt used to induce seizures in electroshock therapy. It's a procedure that has had some success in treating severe depression by hitting a kind of reset button in the brain.
"No one has any real idea" why it works, Wennberg said. "It does seems to be kind of like rebooting the system."
The police officer came out of his seizure bewildered and with a severe headache. He was later diagnosed with a concussion, likely from the impact of the dart or from hitting his head after collapsing. He still suffers headaches and has difficulty concentrating 18 months later, Wennberg said.
He has not had any seizures since.
Wennberg said he and two other co-authors of the report searched "anything that's ever been published in medical literature" and did not find a similar case.
"The data are sparse on how this device may affect the central nervous system," says the article.
Taser International Inc., the Arizona-based maker of the device, specifically warns that stun guns should not target the head.
"We do, both in training and warnings, make mention that the head should not be targeted," spokesman Peter Holran said in a statement following inquiries by The Canadian Press.
"Taser International is aware of a few incidents during training in which an officer experienced a seizure following a hit by a Taser device."
Those incidents were not written up in medical reports. But the company's document 'Product Warnings: Law Enforcement' clearly warns against targeting sensitive areas such as the head and further states that the risk of a seizure "may be heightened if electrical stimuli or current passes through the head region."
The company said it did not receive an advance copy of the case report from the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"Taser International will review the case report of this single incident once available," it said.
Wennberg says the officer's ordeal was indeed a mishap.
"They certainly don't mean for these things to ever be aimed at the head - nor was it meant to be in this case even. But it wouldn't always have to be an accident. I'd be surprised if (a seizure) didn't happen most of the time to people if they actually did get Tasered in the head."
Taser International has steadfastly defended the relative safety of its devices although it stresses that no use-of-force tool is risk-free.
More than 20 Canadians have died after being Tasered. Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died Oct. 14, 2007 after RCMP officers repeatedly zapped and then pinned him to the floor, is the subject of an inquiry in B.C.
"Specifically in Canada, while previous incidents were widely reported in the media as 'Taser deaths,' the role of the Taser device has been cleared in every case to date," says Taser International.
The Canadian Press, 2009
