Upholding International Law Critical To Protecting Children Affected By Armed Conflict

Annual Report of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to the General Assembly

The Annual Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to the General Assembly showcased once again the scale and severity of the grave violations committed against children from the period of August 2022 to July 2023.

Armed conflict causes human casualties and physical destruction but also massive displacement of civilian populations, including children. The need to better understand the risks to and vulnerabilities of children displaced owing to conflict is critical and highlighted in her Annual Report.

“Displacement foments commission of violations and abuses including the recruitment and use by armed groups and abduction, sexual violence, and trafficking in children. Often, where children are displaced, health and education is disrupted and humanitarian assistance is denied. Climate shocks in conflict-affected areas further exacerbate displacement, while risks of killing and maiming to displaced or returning children in areas contaminated by mines and explosive ordnance present a real danger. Given this context, data collection is critical,” said Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

The recent erosion of international protection frameworks, including the lack of compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child by Member States continue to increase the vulnerability faced by conflict-affected children.

‘Looking forward, we must remember that all persons under 18 years of age are entitled to the protections enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child including rights to education and documentation. Erosion of the international protection frameworks poses a grave threat to children’s rights, particularly for those between 13 and 18 years old, often treated as adults or subjected to counter-terrorism measures at a risk of having their own rights as children curtailed,’ emphasized the Special Representative.

Addressing grave violations against children by parties to conflict

As requested by UN Security Council Resolution 1261 (1999), the Special Representative continues her engagement with parties to conflict, but her Annual Report also highlights areas where efforts must be improved to enhance the safety of children from grave violations in armed conflict.

‘In 2022, the United Nations’ successful engagement with parties to conflict resulted in about forty new commitments and agreed measures, as well as the release of over 12, 460 children. New legislation and accountability measures were adopted in several situations because of this engagement,’ she explained.

Strengthening regional partnerships

Engagement with regional organisations continued to be a priority for the Special Representative. Among many other initiatives, in 2022, the Office of the Special Representative participated in the annual meeting of the African Union coordination group on children in situations of conflict to discuss cooperation on implementing African Union policies on mainstreaming child protection in the African peace and security architecture and on child protection in African Union peace support operations, as well as joint initiatives on children and armed conflict. The Office of the Special Representative also briefed cabinet members of several European Commissioners and of the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on children and armed conflict issues. In 2023, the Office of the Special Representative and the League of Arab States jointly organized a regional conference in Doha on the prevention of grave violations against children in armed conflict. The League of Arab States adopted an outcome document following the event.

Global awareness and building partnerships

The Special Representative continues strengthening partnerships with Member States and other stakeholders, including UN entities, civil society, and academia, reinforcing global alliances and advocacy efforts aimed at ending and preventing grave violations against children.

‘Working with partners across the UN system, as well as with regional and subregional organizations, academia, and civil society, continues to be critical to the delivery of my mandate. Among the many partnership activities, I led this year were a Memorandum of Understanding between my office and UNESCO to exchange expertise on education in the reintegration of conflict-affected children, several consultations with civil society and academia, and the issuance of joint public statements with other United Nations offices to better protect children used and abused for, in and by armed conflict. Through my visits to Colombia, Ethiopia, Israel and the State of Palestine, Mozambique, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, I was able to follow up directly on the realities faced by children, but also to support governments and regional organizations in determining concrete ways to prevent and end violations,’ added Virginia Gamba.

In collaboration with the University of Malta, the Special representative created a virtual summer school to deepen child protection expertise of the UN, governments, regional organizations, and UN country task forces as well as NGOs and academics.

Click to read the full report

TBI, MNPD, DCS Partner on “Operation Music City Missing”

 

NASHVILLE – 12 missing children from Davidson County have been located following a two-day collaborative operation in Nashville.

The effort, dubbed Operation Music City Missing, was a partnership between the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.

During the planning phase weeks before the operation, authorities identified 111 missing juveniles who were reported or otherwise listed as runaways for potential follow-up. After gathering intelligence, authorities determined that 11 of the juveniles were believed to be out of the country and 35 had turned 18 or were located prior to the operation. At the time of the operation, there was insufficient intelligence to lead to the recovery of 23 of the juveniles, but investigative efforts on each continue.

During the two-day effort, on September 26th and 27th, five teams – comprised of TBI special agents, DCS Absconder Unit members, DCS Human Trafficking Unit members, and MNPD detectives – located the missing juveniles. Efforts to locate the remaining remain active and ongoing.

Facebook Continues To Block, Restrict And Suppress Trinity Mount Ministries - Part II

 Image: ECPAT-ICMEC | 103 Certificate | ICMEC

This Certificate of Completion is awarded to: Brett Fletcher to mark your successful completion of the course: ECPAT-ICMEC | 103: Agents of Change Tools for Frontline Workers to End Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Being on #Facebook is becoming anti-productive with all of the negative attacks on the content that Trinity Mount Ministries shares, which focuses on helping missing and exploited children. I'm in the process of dedicating more time on X (Twitter), that doesn't discriminate against Trinity Mount Ministries. As my activity decreases on Facebook, it will increase on X (Twitter). Please follow. 👍❤️🙏

Brett Fletcher - Founder of Trinity Mount Ministries 

Trinity Mount Ministries on X (Twitter)

https://www.twitter.com/TrinityMount @TrinityMount

Trinity Mount Ministries 

https://www.TrinityMountMinistries.com

https://www.TrinityMount.Info

Facebook Continues To Block, Restrict And Suppress Trinity Mount Ministries

By Brett Fletcher - Founder of Trinity Mount Ministries

Image: ECPAT-ICMEC | 103 Certificate | ICMEC - This Certificate of Completion is awarded to: Brett Fletcher to mark your successful completion of the course: ECPAT-ICMEC | 103: Agents of Change Tools for Frontline Workers to End Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Facebook Admin continues to block, restrict and suppress Trinity Mount Ministries from:

1. Sharing AMBER Alerts and updates.

2. Sharing child safety information.

3. Sharing missing children posters and updates.

4. Sharing police and public safety alerts and updates. 

4. Sharing Community events and services.

5. Sharing posts of faith and inspiration. 

6. Sharing news articles and reports.

Facebook treats their users as if they were little children, attempting to punish their disobedience with restrictions and time outs. I've been to Facebook HQ several times for paid research sessions, being surprised by how young the Facebook staff and employees were, which might explain their rules, policies and procedures and how they are implemented. Their disciplinary actions cause laughter, anger and disbelief. 

In order to maintain their control over free speech and/or anything that goes against their agenda - blocking, restricting and suppression[a] are their modus operandi.[b] Facebook is not in the business of respecting people's rights and can block, restrict, suppress or remove anything that they want to without any repercussions. That is just they way their culture is and I accept that. Nevertheless, my hope is that Facebook Admin might read this without bias, recognizing what type of content they are blocking, restricting and/or suppressing (such as posts to help and protect missing and exploited children), and reconsider some of their policies that cause more harm than help.

Brett Fletcher - Founder of Trinity Mount Ministries 

[a] the action of suppressing something such as an activity or publication.

[b] a particular way or method of doing something, especially one that is characteristic or well-established.

Trinity Mount Ministries

https://www.TrinityMountMinistries.com

https://www.TrinityMount.Info

Apple’s Decision to Kill Its CSAM Photo-Scanning Tool Sparks Fresh Controversy

LILY HAY NEWMAN SECURITY

Child safety group Heat Initiative plans to launch a campaign pressing Apple on child sexual abuse material scanning and user reporting. The company issued a rare, detailed response on Thursday.

PHOTOGRAPH: LEONARDO MUNOZ/GETTY IMAGES

IN DECEMBER, APPLE said that it was killing an effort to design a privacy-preserving iCloud photo-scanning tool for detecting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the platform. Originally announced in August 2021, the project had been controversial since its inception. Apple had first paused it that September in response to concerns from digital rights groups and researchers that such a tool would inevitably be abused and exploited to compromise the privacy and security of all iCloud users. This week, a new child safety group known as Heat Initiative told Apple that it is organizing a campaign to demand that the company “detect, report, and remove” child sexual abuse material from iCloud and offer more tools for users to report CSAM to the company. 

Today, in a rare move, Apple responded to Heat Initiative, outlining its reasons for abandoning the development of its iCloud CSAM scanning feature and instead focusing on a set of on-device tools and resources for users known collectively as Communication Safety features. The company's response to Heat Initiative, which Apple shared with WIRED this morning, offers a rare look not just at its rationale for pivoting to Communication Safety, but at its broader views on creating mechanisms to circumvent user privacy protections, such as encryption, to monitor data. This stance is relevant to the encryption debate more broadly, especially as countries like the United Kingdom weigh passing laws that would require tech companies to be able to access user data to comply with law enforcement requests.

“Child sexual abuse material is abhorrent and we are committed to breaking the chain of coercion and influence that makes children susceptible to it,” Erik Neuenschwander, Apple's director of user privacy and child safety, wrote in the company's response to Heat Initiative. He added, though, that after collaborating with an array of privacy and security researchers, digital rights groups, and child safety advocates, the company concluded that it could not proceed with development of a CSAM-scanning mechanism, even one built specifically to preserve privacy.

“Scanning every user’s privately stored iCloud data would create new threat vectors for data thieves to find and exploit," Neuenschwander wrote. "It would also inject the potential for a slippery slope of unintended consequences. Scanning for one type of content, for instance, opens the door for bulk surveillance and could create a desire to search other encrypted messaging systems across content types.”

Heat Initiative is led by Sarah Gardner, former vice president of external affairs for the nonprofit Thorn, which works to use new technologies to combat child exploitation online and sex trafficking. In 2021, Thorn lauded Apple's plan to develop an iCloud CSAM scanning feature. Gardner said in an email to CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday, August 30, which Apple also shared with WIRED, that Heat Initiative found Apple's decision to kill the feature “disappointing.”

“Apple is one of the most successful companies in the world with an army of world-class engineers,” Gardner wrote in a statement to WIRED. “It is their responsibility to design a safe, privacy-forward environment that allows for the detection of known child sexual abuse images and videos. For as long as people can still share and store a known image of a child being raped in iCloud we will demand that they do better.”

In the email to Cook, Gardner wrote that Apple's photo-scanning tool “not only positioned Apple as a global leader in user privacy but also promised to eradicate millions of child sexual abuse images and videos from iCloud. … Child sexual abuse is a difficult issue that no one wants to talk about, which is why it gets silenced and left behind. We are here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Apple maintains that, ultimately, even its own well-intentioned design could not be adequately safeguarded in practice, and that on-device nudity detections for features like Messages, FaceTime, AirDrop, and the Photo picker are safer alternatives. Apple has also begun offering an application programming interface (API) for its Communication Safety features so third-party developers can incorporate them into their apps. Apple says that the communication platform Discord is integrating the features and that appmakers broadly have been enthusiastic about adopting them.

“We decided to not proceed with the proposal for a hybrid client-server approach to CSAM detection for iCloud Photos from a few years ago,” Neuenschwander wrote to Heat Initiative. “We concluded it was not practically possible to implement without ultimately imperiling the security and privacy of our users.”

Fayette County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Child Sex Trafficking

 

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kristen Naylor-Legg, 30, of Gauley Bridge, was sentenced today to nine years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor under the age of 18. Naylor-Legg must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on two separate occasions in June 2020, Naylor-Legg provided her 17-year-old female relative to Larry Allen Clay Jr., so he could engage in sexual intercourse with the minor. At the time, Clay was an employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the Chief of Police for the Gauley Bridge Police Department. Naylor-Legg admitted that on the first occasion she was paid $100 by Clay. On the second occasion, Naylor-Legg indicated that Clay had agreed to pay her $50 in exchange for sexual intercourse with the minor but ultimately did not give her the money.

After four days of trial, a federal jury convicted Clay, 57, of Fayetteville, of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice. Evidence at trial proved that Clay twice arranged with Naylor-Legg to have sexual intercourse with the minor, sought to persuade Naylor-Legg to lie to law enforcement about the incidents, and also asked a law enforcement officer if his criminal conduct could be covered up.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

United States District Judge Joseph Robert Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Monica D. Coleman prosecuted the case.

Members of the public are urged to report suspected instances of child sex trafficking through a toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or online at www.ice.gov/tip.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACE by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-62.

Mott Poll Report - Overuse of devices and social media top parent concerns

Overuse of devices and social media top parent concerns

Poll Report

The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked a national sample of parents to rate their level of concern about a variety of health topics. Parents rated each topic as a big problem, somewhat of a problem, or not a problem for children and teens in the United States. The leading concerns rated by parents as a big problem for children and teens are presented below.

2023 Top 10 Child Health Concerns for Parents:

Overuse of devices/screen time (67%)Social media (66%)Internet safety (62%)Depression/suicide (57%)Bullying (53%)Stress/anxiety (52%)Unhealthy diet (52%)Costs of healthcare/health insurance (50%)School violence (49%)Smoking/vaping (48%)

Falling just outside the Top 10 are obesity (48%), guns/gun injuries (47%), lack of mental health services (47%), poverty (45%), drinking/using drugs (44%), child abuse/neglect (42%), followed by unequal access to health care (35%), parental stress (35%), inaccurate/misleading health information (31%), teen pregnancy/sexual activity (31%), discrimination (31%), unsafe neighborhoods (30%), gay/gender issues (LGBTQ) (29%), and health risks from polluted water and air (23%). At the bottom of the list are safety of vaccines (16%), over-involved parents/parents doing too much (13%) and COVID (12%).

Several issues are viewed as a big problem by a higher proportion of parents in low-income (<$50,000) households; these include depression/suicide, bullying, school violence, unsafe neighborhoods, drinking/drugs, smoking/vaping, teen pregnancy/sexual activity, child abuse/neglect, parental stress, discrimination, COVID, and health risks from pollution. In contrast, overuse of devices and social media are viewed as big problems by a higher proportion of parents in middle- ($50,000-$99,999) and high-income (≥$100,000) households. Parents across income groups have similar ratings for unhealthy diet, obesity, costs of healthcare, and lack of mental health services.

HighlightsTop parental concerns center on children’s and teens’ use of devices and social media.Over half of parents rate mental health issues as a big problem.Parents in low-income households rate more issues as a big problem for children and teens.

Implications

Since 2007, the Mott Poll has released periodic reports on parents’ level of concern about a variety of health-related issues for US children and teens. The top issues centered around the role of social media and the internet in children’s lives, with two-thirds of parents expressing concerns about children’s increased use of social media, as well as overall screen time. These topics became more prominent during the pandemic, and this report shows that parent concerns have not faded. As shown in prior Mott Poll Reports, children are using social media at younger ages, and parents struggle with how to appropriately monitor this area and help their children avoid the negative aspects of its use.

Poll results also demonstrate parents’ continued concern about children’s mental health. Over half of parents cited mental health topics as big problems of US children, such as depression/suicide, and stress/anxiety, and related topics like bullying. Notably, nearly half of parents cited lack of mental health services as a big problem. The mismatch between the growing number of youth with mental health concerns and the limited access to mental health services has short and long-term implications for children’s well-being.

Parents also expressed a high level of concern about violence in school, which may reflect direct experience with school shootings or fights as well as media coverage about such events. In addition, changes to the school environment (e.g., metal detectors, armed guards, locked doors) and active shooter drills may remind children and parents about the potential for school violence. Parents may struggle with how to manage their own stress and anxiety while they try to reassure their child. They may want to talk with their child periodically about how they perceive their safety in school and their emotions regarding unsafe school incidents. Parents can talk with their child’s teacher or principal to make sure adequate protocols are in place if an unsafe situation arises.

New to the Top 10 is concern about the costs of healthcare for children, including costs of getting health insurance. In recent years, federal policies required states to maintain Medicaid enrollment through the duration of the pandemic. As these requirements are ending, families that no longer qualify will face the challenge of finding affordable coverage for their children.

Unhealthy eating and obesity continue to rate as important issues, but have been overtaken by concerns about mental health and social media/screen time. For both ongoing and emerging concerns, parents may find their child’s health care provider can serve as an effective partner to help address these problems.

This Mott Poll also highlights the greater level of concern about a host of issues among parents from lower-income households. This may reflect their day-to-day experiences dealing with environmental challenges such as unsafe neighborhoods, as well as bullying or discrimination that may be more frequently experienced by children from low-income families. In addition, low-income parents reported higher levels of concern about mental health and substance use; while these problems affect children and teens across the income spectrum, it’s possible that low-income parents feel more vulnerable about these problems. Overall, parents from low-income households rated a higher number of topics as big problems; concern about a greater number of child health issues may contribute to their higher reports of parental stress as a big problem.

HSI Phoenix helps identify and locate sex-trafficked minors

Call 1-866-DHS-2-ICEReport Crime

PHOENIX, Ariz. — HSI Phoenix and other law enforcement agencies identified and located five minor sex trafficking victims as part of Operation Cross Country, a nationwide enforcement campaign. During the operation, authorities arrested one alleged trafficker and 31 additional subjects for allegedly attempting to have sexual contact with minors.

“These dedicated professionals who worked on this operation demonstrate honor, service and integrity,” said HSI Arizona Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown. “Many have dedicated their careers to keeping our communities safe, holding accountable those who exploit our most vulnerable, and seeking justice for victims of unthinkable crimes. HSI is proud to partner with federal, state, local and international law enforcement in furthering investigations into people who are knowingly and willingly exploiting children for their perverse desires.”

The nationwide initiative, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, focused on identifying and locating sex trafficking victims. It also focuses on investigating criminal enterprises and people involved in child sex and human trafficking. Law enforcement agencies conducted targeted operations to identify and apprehend offenders, dismantle criminal networks and prevent further harm to victims. Identified suspects will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges.

The FBI’s Greater Phoenix Area Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which conducted the operation, comprises officers from the Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe police departments. The task force received help from HSI special agents and Scottsdale and Surprise police.

Though Operation Cross Country is an annual national initiative, the Greater Phoenix Area Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force works with the Phoenix Police Department’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit throughout the year. With its leadership, the Phoenix Police HEAT Unit and the task force routinely collaborate on human trafficking operations with other law enforcement agencies across the greater Phoenix area.

HSI, a leader in the global fight against human trafficking and child exploitation, encourages the public to help identify and recover victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

HSI special agents utilize their broad range of authority and international footprint to identify, investigate and disrupt domestic and transnational criminal organizations engaged in human trafficking. Further, HSI special agents work closely with the HSI’s Victim Assistance Program to ensure that human trafficking and child exploitation victims are afforded their rights and have access to the services to which they are entitled by law.

You may report crimes, suspicious activity and suspected human trafficking to the HSI Tipline at 866-347-2423. You may also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-THE-LOST to report suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children, or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 to connect human trafficking victims and survivors with critical support and services.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

THORN - Parenting in the digital age — made easier.

 

Parenting in the digital age is hard.

Whether your child already has their own device, has begun asking for one, or frequently uses shared devices at school or at home, it’s not easy to navigate the online world we and our children now live in.

We know you want to set a good foundation for your child’s online safety. We also know that sounds way easier said than done.

Don’t worry; our Digital Parenting: Device Access Guide has you covered.

The free downloadable guide is for every parent who feels like they could use a little help with:

Understanding privacy settings and how to manage them.

Navigating monitoring apps and determining whether they’re right for your family.

How to talk to your child about online safety early and often, in a way that builds trust and feels natural instead of awkward and uncomfortable.

The Guide will help you feel confident and in-the-know about how kids view and approach online spaces.

Join thousands of parents and get the Digital Parenting: Device Access Guide today.

THORN.ORG

Back-To-school Safety

As the back-to-school season approaches, UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Team and Safety Store offer some tips to help keep children safe throughout the school year. 

Transportation Safety Tips

For walkers

• Choose safe routes: Teach your child to walk on the sidewalk whenever possible. If there’s no sidewalk, teach your child to walk facing traffic to be aware of oncoming vehicles.  

• Crossing streets: Before crossing the street, children should stop and look left, right, and left again to watch for cars. 

• Eye contact: Instruct your child to make eye contact with drivers before they cross the street to help ensure that drivers see them before crossing the street. 

• Stay alert: Distracted walking can be dangerous. Teach your child to stay alert by keeping phones and other distractions away while walking. 

For bike riders

• Wear a helmet: Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing. Helmets are sold at the Safety Store. 

• Lane safety: Your child should ride on the right side of the road, in the same direction as traffic. They should maintain a single-file formation with other cyclists. 

• Crossing the street: Instruct your child to stop before crossing the street, and to walk their bike across the street. 

For bus riders

• Bus stop etiquette: Go to the bus stop with your child to teach them how to get on and off the school bus safely. 

• Maintain distance: Teach your child to stand at least six feet away from the curb on the sidewalk for safety reasons. 

• Bus riding etiquette: Inform your child to stay seated facing forward, and to speak in soft voices to not distract the bus driver. 

• Safety crossing the street: If crossing the street in front of the bus is necessary, teach your child to walk on the side of the road until they are ten feet ahead of the bus. This ensures both the child and the bus driver can see each other. 

For parents driving their children

• Observe speed limits: Obey school zone speed limits and follow the designated drop-off procedures.  

• Be alert: Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street to ensure their safety. 

• School bus safety: Never attempt to pass a school bus that is loading or unloading children. Maintain a safe distance—at least ten feet—from the school bus to allow children to safely enter and exit the bus. 

For teen drivers

• Practice regularly: Inexperience is a common cause of teen accidents. Practice driving with your teen every week, before and after they get their license. 

• Set a good example: Drive the way you would like your teen to drive.  

School Safety Tips

Backpack safety

• Manage weight: A backpack should weigh no more than 5% to 10% of your child’s body weight to avoid strain. 

• Use both straps: Encourage your child to use both straps to distribute the weight evenly on their shoulders. 

• Watch for rolling backpacks: While convenient, rolling backpacks should be used cautiously since they can create trip hazards in crowded hallways. 

Playgrounds and sports

• Avoid hazards: Leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home to prevent strangulation hazards on playgrounds. 

• Avoid hot playground equipment: Teach your child to avoid playing on hot playground equipment, as burns can occur if the playground equipment is too hot from the sun. 

• Head injury awareness: While minor bumps are common in sports, head injuries should never be ignored. Prompt attention is crucial. 

Safety Store

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital Safety Store is the first of its kind in Iowa and serves families across the state, offering low-cost child safety products and an inventory that includes adaptable safety products designed specifically for children with special health care and educational needs. 

• Learn more about our Safety Store

Las Vegas Man Sentenced To Over 12 Years in Prison For Sex Trafficking Children While Visiting Metro-Detroit

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan

DETROIT – A Las Vegas man who sex trafficked children in metro-Detroit while visiting the area in December 2020 was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Devin J. Kowalski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Field Division.

Jquon Wroten, 31, pled guilty to two counts of sex trafficking of a minor in April 2023. Wroten was sentenced today by United States District Judge Bernard A. Friedman.

Law enforcement first began investigating Wroten while attempting to locate two minor females who had run away from the Lansing area in late 2020. A relative of one of the minors contacted law enforcement with information and expressed fears that the minors were being trafficked in the Detroit area. Law enforcement recovered the minors from a motel room in Southfield, Michigan in December 2020 and learned that Wroten had recruited the minors to work for him after meeting them in a local motel while he was in town. Wroten and an adult female associate took the minors to a local beauty supply store and bought items in an effort to make them look older. Wroten then set up a commercial sex date for the minors at a residence in metro-Detroit and drove the minors to the date, where they engaged in commercial sex with multiple men. Wroten took proceeds from the sex trafficking for his own use.

“The sex trafficking of children is a hideous crime that preys on some of our district’s most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “The court’s sentence today is a just punishment and will prevent the defendant from further victimizing children here or anywhere else.”

“Protecting young people from dangerous predators is a top priority for the FBI in Michigan and across the country,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Mr. Wroten in an example of how manipulative these criminals can be. I commend the work of the special agents, deputies, police officers, and prosecutors who worked to make our children safer by ensuring he remains behind bars for a significant period of time.”

This case was investigated by the FBI Detroit Division, FBI Las Vegas Division, FBI San Francisco Division, SEMTEC (Southwest Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes), and State of Michigan Children’s Protective Services.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan Sweeney Bean and Eaton Brown.

Wagner Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Victims of Child Sexual Abuse

Help Find Missing Children. Let's Put An End To Child Abuse And Exploitation... Care.

The legislation enhances reporting of online child exploitation and requires online platforms to report child sex trafficking

Washington, D.C.  –  Today, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), along with Representatives Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Zach Nunn (R-IA), released the following statement after she introduced the Child Online Safety Modernization Act:

“In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 32 million reports of online child sexual abuse material, sometimes called ‘child pornography.’ That’s equal to approximately 87,600 reports per day of images and videos of children being sexually exploited. My legislation, the Child Online Safety Modernization Act, will advance common-sense, bipartisan, and bicameral solutions to help law enforcement investigate these cases, rescue vulnerable children, and apprehend online predators,” said Wagner.  “Additionally, this bill will make it clear that images and videos of children being raped is not ‘pornography,’ it is sexual abuse of a child. America cannot, and should not, accept a reality where innocent children are sexually exploited for financial gain. Congress must do everything in its power to end this scourge against humanity, and my legislation will help protect innocent victims from some of the most destructive criminals in our society.”

“In today’s modern society, it has become increasingly important to hold accountable those individuals that would sexually coerce and extort our children. As elected officials, there is no greater responsibility than ensuring we are keeping our children safe,’ said Garcia. “This is why I’m proud to co-lead the Online Safety Modernization Act of 2023 because it is a step toward preventing online sexual abuse from occurring in our society today.”

“As a father with six young children, there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do to protect them,” said Nunn. “The appalling number of reports of sexual abuse to the CyberTipline indicate that we have a crisis on our hands. We must take action to stop this horrific abuse and ensure victims get justice.” 

“It is troubling and heartbreaking to see the rise of child sexual exploitation on the internet and we must do everything we can to save these children by supporting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as fully as we can,” said Bacon. “By requiring reports from online platforms to provide more information to help law enforcement identify and locate the child victim and the individual who posted the image, we can save more children from a life of sexual trauma.”

Read the one-pager on this legislation here.

Supporting Organizations

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

“NCMEC thanks Representatives Ann Wagner and Sylvia Garcia for their leadership in online child safety and the introduction of the Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA).

“COSMA addresses the significant impact of child sex trafficking and enticement of children for sexual abuse by requiring online platforms to report these crimes to the CyberTipline. The bill also extends the preservation of CyberTipline data from 90 days to one year and ensures reports will be more actionable, which will help law enforcement safeguard victimized children. Lastly, COSMA provides a much-needed update to the criminal code by replacing the term "child pornography" with "child sexual abuse material" to more accurately reflect the rape and sexual abuse of children that is depicted in these images.

“NCMEC is proud to support this important legislation and applauds Representatives Wagner and Garcia for their continued dedication to the safety of our children.”  - Michelle DeLaune – President & CEO – NCMEC

National Children’s Alliance

“We cheer the introduction of COSMA by longtime Congressional champion for children, Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri, to modernize and fix many of the paths by which children exploited online might be saved from their abuse,” said Teresa Huizar, CEO of National Children’s Alliance, the national association of Children’s Advocacy Centers. “Child sexual abuse materials are exploding in volume as our systems for online reporting and holding offenders accountable are stretched past their limits. The important changes to the CyberTipline and enhanced reporting requirements, plus the changes to federal law forever eliminating the inaccurate and victim-blaming term ‘child pornography’ from our federal laws, make the passage of the act a critical step toward an internet that minimally protects our children. We thank Rep. Wagner for her ongoing bipartisan leadership on behalf of children around the country, online and off.”

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN)

 "Technology companies must effectively collaborate with law enforcement to address online sexual exploitation of children", said Stefan Turkheimer, Interim Vice President of Public Policy for the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. "The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is a major step forward to ensure technology companies are doing their part to rescue victims and catch predators seen in child sexual abuse material that they host and show on their platforms.

International Justice Mission

“International Justice Mission (IJM) is pleased to support the Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA). We are grateful for the leadership of Rep. Ann Wagner (R-TX) and Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) in introducing this much-needed legislation. This bill will enhance reporting and preservation requirements for technology companies to the CyberTipline, which is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  In 2022, 89.3% of all CyberTipline reports were linked to potential offenders outside the U.S. and referred to law enforcement agencies in more than 140 countries. From IJM’s experience in training international law enforcement partners on CyberTipline investigations, it is clear that updates are desperately needed to the existing reporting framework. COSMA will help improve consistency, quality and timeliness in reports of suspected OSEC sent from electronic service providers to the CyberTipline. IJM’s 2020 study of livestreamed child sexual abuse in the Philippines found that victims were abused on average for two years prior to intervention, in part because of failures to detect, report or disrupt these crimes. These updated reporting requirements will help international law enforcement receive and respond to reports faster, helping to identify and remove more children from abuse sooner. IJM also supports COSMA’s increase in the period of time electronic service providers are required to keep content from reports submitted to the CyberTipline – from 90 days to 1 year. This critical change will give investigators much-needed time to conduct their important work.” – Nate King, Director of Congressional Affairs at International Justice Mission

Raven

"Today our children live and interact in an online environment. There are not enough reporting mechanisms, guidelines, and legislation to find victims and protect them. COSMA will do just that and more importantly ensure that the horrific victimization of children is described accurately as - child sexual abuse material.” – John Pizzuro, CEO of Raven

Ending Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition

"Online sexual exploitation and abuse of children has increased exponentially since the COVID-19 pandemic", said the Ending Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition. "In 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received over 16.8 million reports of suspected OSEAC. In just 3 years, that number has nearly doubled to over 32 million. The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is essential in ensuring that law enforcement has the necessary information to successfully investigate reports and identify child victims. We applaud Representatives Ann Wagner and Sylvia Garcia for their leadership on this important issue."

Missouri KidsFirst

“Online sexual exploitation is an issue of great concern to providers who serve victims of child abuse, including Missouri’s Child Advocacy Centers (CACs). While we know the presence of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) is becoming more frequent in child abuse investigations, reliable data has been a consistent challenge to the field. This can delay the system response by law enforcement and child protective services and limit access to victim services,” said Jessica Seitz, Executive Director of Missouri KidsFirst, the state’s network of CACs. “We thank Representative Wagner for introducing this legislation which will promote justice and healing to children who have been exploited.”

Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MOCADSV)

“The Child Online Safety Modernization Act seeks to replace the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” throughout U.S. federal statutes. Child victims depicted in such imagery have no consent and no control over their sexual exploitation, and U.S. federal law should accurately reflect this abuse. MOCADSV supports Representative Wagner’s efforts to increase online safety for children, and update federal statutes to accurately name this abuse.” – Matthew Huffman, Chief Public Affairs Officer.

Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT)

"Our nation's laws have failed to catch up with technology and the internet. By holding online platforms accountable, The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is a step forward to ensuring all children can access the internet free from exploitation and abuse." – Alexander Delgado, Director of Public Policy.

National Center on Sexual Exploitation

"It's time for the House of Representatives to act to protect children online. COSMA provisions mainly match bills already approved by Senate Judiciary Committee. Let's see a Child Protection Congress this year!” - Dawn Hawkins, CEO, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.