Latest news with #childprotection
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Widower jailed 2 years for soliciting sex from teen daughter
The self-employed man pleaded guilty after the charge was read before Muar sessions court judge Sayani Nor. (File pic) PETALING JAYA : A 47-year-old widower has been sentenced to two years in jail and two strokes of the rotan for inviting his teenage daughter to engage in sexual acts. The self-employed man pleaded guilty after the charge was read before Muar sessions court judge Sayani Nor, Harian Metro reported. He was charged with sexually communicating with his 14-year-old daughter, his only child, at a house in Batu Pahat, Johor, at around 4pm on June 16. The charge was framed under Section 11(1)(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable by a maximum three years in jail upon conviction. The charge was also read with Section 16 of the same Act, which provided for an additional sentence of up to five years and two strokes of the rotan due to the relationship of trust between him and the victim. Deputy public prosecutor Diyana Najihah Fauzi prosecuted while the man was unrepresented. According to the case facts, the victim contacted her aunt earlier this month to express fears that her father might act inappropriately towards her. On the day of the incident, the girl had rejected her father's advances and left his bedroom. The aunt then asked one of her children to pick the girl up from the house.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Abuse survivors left waiting too long for redress from Scouting Ireland
Many men whose lives have been devastated by the sexual abuse suffered as children at the hands of scout leaders have told their stories to The Irish Times. When the historical child sex abuse scandal that rocked Scouting Ireland broke in 2018, senior figures in the organisation privately stressed there was no desire to put survivors through bitter court battles for redress. Seven years later, many are still waiting and fighting. More than 350 people reported being sexually abused as children in the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scout Association of Ireland, which merged to form Scouting Ireland in 2004. The true number of people molested by scout leaders is likely to be higher, given the reluctance to report childhood abuse. A review by child protection expert Ian Elliott concluded the abuse had been covered up for decades to protect the reputation of the movement. READ MORE About 70 alleged victims are suing Scouting Ireland to seek compensation for what happened to them as children. The number is still increasing, with the most recent case lodged this April. Solicitors representing alleged victims say Scouting Ireland has been aggressively contesting any legal cases taken by survivors. [ Scouting Ireland opted against 'non-adversarial' abuse survivors scheme ] In the two known civil cases where the organisation paid out settlements, both were only resolved at the last minute after High Court trials began. Abuse survivors say these lengthy legal fights for redress are compounding their pain. 'The toll is absolutely devastating,' said one man who took a case five years ago. 'They promised me that I wasn't going to be dragged through the court process,' he said. Scouting Ireland did not respond to questions about its approach to cases taken by abuse survivors. Financial settlements in historical abuse cases commonly run into six-figure sums. The legal fees to defend so many civil cases will also be significant. At the outset of the scandal, Mr Elliott advised Scouting Ireland to set up a victim support scheme as an alternative to 'adversarial' court fights. The idea was to work with survivors to help them heal. His internal proposal, seen by The Irish Times, said this scheme could include making financial payments. Mr Elliott, who led safeguarding reforms of the Catholic Church, said those who had been abused in legacy scouting associations needed to be 'engaged on a human level'. 'This cannot happen if you rely on a lawyer to respond to a victim. If you do, you are immediately embarking on a confrontation and challenge approach, which is extremely costly and very damaging for the survivors,' he wrote. Should Scouting Ireland opt to take the same defensive path as other institutions hit by abuse scandals, it would not survive the crisis, Mr Elliott said. The voluntary organisation does not have financial wealth on the scale of the Church or the State, so setting up a redress scheme would be very complex. It seems Scouting Ireland instead opted to buy time by robustly contesting any legal cases that were filed. This would allow it to spread the cost of settlements paid to survivors out over many years. Their instinct is to protect the future of the youth organisation, which tens of thousands of children enjoy today as members of cub and scout groups. In 2020, the organisation made an unambiguous public apology to victims of abuse. It stated: 'We want you to know that you are believed. We want you to know that we will support you.' That has not been the experience of many survivors who have rightly sought some redress for the devastating abuse they suffered as children.
Globe and Mail
14 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Missing Nova Scotia children were assessed by child welfare agency months before disappearance
Nova Scotia's child protection agency investigated the living conditions of Jack and Lilly Sullivan months before their mysterious disappearance in early May – a case file that has been reviewed by the minister responsible for child welfare. Scott Armstrong, Nova Scotia's Minister of Opportunities and Social Development, confirmed in an interview that the agency had a file on the children prior to their disappearance, but said it would be inappropriate for him to discuss the agency's findings. With Jack and Lilly still missing and a police investigation underway, it's not the right time to dissect the agency's prior involvement, Mr. Armstrong said. 'We have no idea where those kids are and we should be focused on helping them and finding them and supporting this family,' he said. Asked whether a review has been ordered into his agency's prior interaction with the children, he said: 'As minister, I've seen a report. I'll talk to that. I've personally seen the report. I asked for it,' he said. 'I'm aware of how our department was involved in this.' He added: 'I think we should be focused more on those kids than we are on looking to blame somebody.' Mr. Armstrong said there may come a point when the agency's involvement with the children is deserving of more scrutiny, but now – seven weeks into their disappearance – is not it. Daniel Martell, who was in a common-law relationship with the children's mother and was living with them when they went missing, told The Globe in an interview in May that a social worker with child protective services visited the home several months ago. The visit was prompted by concerns that had been relayed by someone at the children's school and related to their developmental delays, Mr. Martell said. The children's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, said she had 'no comment' in relation to child protective services' involvement with Lilly and Jack. Mr. Martell has said he had nothing to do with the children's disappearance and has nothing to hide. 'I'm keeping the story alive and keeping everyone's hopes up, not just my own,' Mr. Martell told The Globe in May. He also said Ms. Brooks-Murray had no involvement in the disappearance either: 'I know Malehya has nothing to do with anything.' Child welfare authorities investigate when a report of suspected abuse or neglect is received by the agency. In Nova Scotia, every person has a legal obligation to report concerns of suspected abuse or neglect of a child. The law stipulates that teachers and other childcare workers have an added duty to report. The disappearance of Jack and Lilly has prompted one of the largest ground searches in the province's history. Ms. Brooks-Murray told police that Lilly, 6, and Jack, 4, wandered away from their home in Lansdowne on May 2 while she and Mr. Martell, her then common-law partner, were sleeping. Earlier that same morning, around 6:15 a.m., she reported both children would be absent from school, according to Mr. Martell. He told The Globe Lilly had a cough and Jack was kept home as a precaution. The RCMP's major crime division, involved since day two of the search, has since seized electronic devices from the children's home, conducted polygraph tests, analyzed hours of video footage from the road outside their residence, and searched septic systems and abandoned mineshafts in the area. So far, the children appear to have disappeared without a trace. The division, whose primary role is to investigate foul play and homicides, has repeatedly said there is no evidence the children were abducted. The day after the children were reported missing, Ms. Brooks-Murray left her home in Lansdowne. She cut off contact with Mr. Martell and later changed her Facebook status to single. Nova Scotia and Ontario are the only two provinces without a Child and Youth Advocate. Both provinces rely on provincial ombudsmen to impartially investigate complaints related to child welfare; however, those watchdogs are also responsible for reviewing many other agencies and departments. The role of a Child and Youth Advocate is dedicated to advocating for and protect the rights of children. The office may also review and investigate deaths or injuries of children receiving government services. More than a year ago, Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government introduced legislation to create a dedicated office that would be an independent voice for the rights of children, but the initiative has not moved forward. Mr. Armstrong said he is 'personally committed' to creating such an office, and hopes to be able to share more details in the fall. The minister also said his department is taking steps to reduce the workload of child welfare staff, including improving recruitment efforts for new social workers and adding administrative roles to reduce paperwork done by front-line employees. On Thursday, the province announced a reward of up to $150,000 for anyone who comes forward with information about the missing children.
CTV News
16 hours ago
- CTV News
Quebec police say three-year-old missing girl found in Ontario needs rest, privacy
Capt. Benoit Richard of the Quebec provincial police speaks to media after a three-year-old missing for four days was found alive, in St. Albert, Ont., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov MONTREAL — Police are asking the public to stop sharing the name and photo of the three-year-old Montreal girl found in Ontario after going missing for four days. Quebec provincial police say citizens were instrumental in the search for the missing child, who was allegedly abandoned by her mother near Casselman, Ont., on Sunday afternoon. She was spotted on Wednesday by an Ontario Provincial Police drone along Highway 417, about 120 kilometres southwest of her Montreal home. Police say the girl has been through a difficult ordeal and needs to rest — and regain her anonymity. Quebec provincial police say their social media posts and video updates about the search for the girl were widely shared and viewed millions of times. The girl's 34-year-old mother, Rachel-Ella Todd, has been charged with unlawful abandonment of a child and returns to court on Friday.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Call to end postcode lottery in children's social care after Sara Sharif tragedy
The Government has been urged to end the postcode lottery in children's social care after the tragic death of Sara Sharif. Sara was just 10 years old when she was murdered in her own home by her father and stepmother in 2023, despite being known to social services her whole life. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Mohammed of Tinsley has tabled amendments to the Children's Wellbeing And Schools Bill that aim to give a 'basic level of protection' to every child. The former youth worker told the House of Lords on Thursday: 'Every child, no matter where they live or what challenges they face, should be guaranteed a basic level of protection.' One of his amendments, dubbed Sara's Law, would introduce national standards for accessing and receiving support through 'children in need plans' to help reduce regional variations in the type, frequency and duration of support provided. A second amendment would establish the Child Protection Authority, a body that would work to improve child protection practices, advise Government and the sector, and conduct inspections. Lord Mohammed told peers: 'Neither of these proposals are theoretical. Both are urgent responses to real-world system failures, failures that we have seen repeated with devastating consequences across our country… 'We cannot ignore the repeated failures of the current framework. 'The names of Sara Sharif, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson will remain etched in our nation's conscience for years to come. 'Each of these children were known to professionals. Each was failed by a system that saw the risk, but lacked the clarity, coordination and accountability to prevent harm.' Section 17 of the Children's Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 'in need', those whose health or development would suffer without additional support. However, thresholds are set at a local level, which results in a 'stark regional disparity', Lord Mohammed added. He told peers: 'In the absence of a national threshold or quality standards, this power is deployed in a deeply inconsistent way… 'It creates a system in which access to help is determined, not by a child's vulnerability, but by their postcode.' He added that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found that existing child protection mechanisms are 'fragmented, inconsistent and insufficiently accountable'. The former MEP concluded: 'This isn't about removing local flexibility levels, it's about setting a national baseline for protection so that a child's right to support is not dependent on what they have.' Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has declared her support for the national thresholds proposed by Lord Mohammed, a move that aligns with her own recommendations. Dame Rachel said ahead of the debate: 'Sara Sharif died when she became invisible to local services. 'All the warning signs were missed – a history of domestic abuse, bruises on her body, being removed from school – because her circumstances did not warrant help or support from professionals in Surrey, despite having been known to the local authority since birth. 'As the Children's Wellbeing And Schools Bill returns to Parliament, I urge peers to support the proposed amendment to set national thresholds for triggering an assessment by social care, ending the postcode lottery in children's social care that is putting young lives at risk. 'I also urge them to take this opportunity to give children equal protection from assault, which Sara was cruelly denied. 'My own research shows alarming variation in how and when different areas step in to protect and support a vulnerable child – no child's safety should be determined by inconsistent local decisions. 'The time to act is now, and this amendment is a huge step forward in making sure no child slips through the net.' Responding, education minister Baroness Smith of Malvern said: 'Prescriptive national criteria with automatic referrals would risk narrowing the cohort of children, actually limiting local flexibility in providing support.' She said the existing legislation on providing services to children in need gave local authorities discretion. Lady Smith added: 'A danger of being specific in the way suggested here is that groups are left out, narrowing the cohort who receive support, exactly in fact, what the amendment is seeking to avoid.' The minister also insisted that there was national guidance to local areas on safeguarding children. She added: 'This Government is absolutely committed to protecting children from significant harm, providing the right support at the right time, and ultimately improving outcomes so that all children can thrive.'
