Cosby released from prison, Geraldo Rivera Praises Bill Cosby’s Release, Bette Midler’s allegation of being groped by Geraldo

Cosby released from prison

Geraldo Rivera Praises Bill Cosby’s Release

Bette Midler’s allegation of being groped by Geraldo

Bill Cosby is a free man after Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturns sex assault conviction
By Ray Sanchez, Sonia Moghe and Kristina Sgueglia, CNN
June 30, 2021

Bill Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction, saying the disgraced actor’s due process rights were violated.
The stunning decision in the case of the man once known as “America’s Dad” reverses the first high-profile celebrity criminal trial of the #MeToo era.

The panel of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court judges said in their opinion that a former Montgomery County district attorney’s decision to not prosecute Cosby in 2005 in return for his deposition in a civil case was ultimately used against him at trial.

“In light of these circumstances, the subsequent decision by successor D.A.s to prosecute Cosby violated Cosby’s due process rights,” the judges wrote.Cosby was sentenced in 2018 to 3 to 10 years in a state prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in 2004….

For victims who sought closure in the case’s resolution, the ruling represented “a slap in the face” in the words of Lisa Bloom, the attorney for three accusers.

Bloom said she thinks it could be “a very hard day” for all the women who accused him of sexual assault….
“My hope is that this decision will not dampen the reporting of sexual assaults by victims. Prosecutors in my office will continue to follow the evidence wherever and to whomever it leads. We still believe that no one is above the law — including those who are rich, famous and powerful.”

Constand and her attorneys said the decision to vacate Cosby’s conviction is disappointing.

“Today’s majority decision regarding Bill Cosby is not only disappointing but of concern in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action,” Constand and her attorneys said in a statement.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/30/us/bill-cosby-to-be-released/index.html

Geraldo Rivera Praises Bill Cosby’s Release, Says Harvey Weinstein ‘Unjustly Convicted’
Lindsey Ellefson Thu, July 1, 2021

Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera said Wednesday that he supported Bill Cosby’s release from prison, decrying what he called the “mob justice” of the comedian’s 2018 conviction on sexual assault charges.

While many expressed outrage at Cosby’s release and the overturning of his conviction, Rivera said that the comic’s prosecution “never should have happened” and asked: “How is he going to get back the two years that he has lost now?” He also suggested that Harvey Weinstein was “unjustly convicted” and that the disgraced mogul might find similar recourse in appealing his own 2020 conviction on rape charges in New York.

John Roberts, who was anchoring “America Reports” at the time of Rivera’s comments, responded, “You say, ‘How is he going to get back the two years that he has lost while being in prison?’ How will the 58 women who say he did to them what they say he did ever get back any sense of justice here, and any sense of ever being whole again?”….
Cosby’s case is one of the most high profile of the #MeToo era. He was convicted in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, at his home in 2004. Though the case involves just one woman, at least 60 women have come forward to accuse the former entertainer of sexual assault….https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/geraldo-rivera-praises-bill-cosby-130136897.html

Geraldo Rivera Apologizes to Bette Midler for “Embarrassing Her All Those Years Ago”
“Geraldo may have apologized for his tweets supporting Matt Lauer, but he has yet to apologize for this.” By Hilary Weaver November 30, 2017

Geraldo Rivera tweeted an apology to Bette Midler Friday for an alleged incident of inappropriate sexual behavior that she described in a resurfaced 1991 interview with Barbara Walters….

On Wednesday, Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera posted a series of tweets in which he defended Matt Lauer, who had been fired from the Today show following reports that Lauer had displayed “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” Rivera later apologized for his defense of Lauer, but his apology was too little, too late for Bette Midler who, in her own tweet, reminded her followers of an incident she says she experienced with Rivera years ago….

“O.K., get in a little trouble,” Midler said. “Well, Geraldo and his producer came to do an interview with me . . . This is when he was very sort of hot. He and his producer left the crew in the other room. They pushed me into my bathroom, they broke two poppers and pushed them under my nose, and proceeded to grope me . . . I did not offer myself up on the altar of Geraldo Rivera. He was unseemly. His behavior was unseemly.”…
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/11/bette-midler-speaks-out-against-geraldo-rivera

Amy Coney Barrett faith group tell of trauma and sexual abuse, Ghislaine Maxwell’s Deposition (Jeffrey Epstein), Murdered 1.7 million Jews, QAnon Misinformation To Spread Hate, North Korea detainees ritual torture and sexual assault

Amy Coney Barrett faith group tell of trauma and sexual abuse, Ghislaine Maxwell’s Deposition (Jeffrey Epstein), Murdered 1.7 million Jews, QAnon Misinformation To Spread Hate, North Korea detainees ritual torture and sexual assault    

  – Ex-members of Amy Coney Barrett faith group tell of trauma and sexual abuse

People of Praise hire lawyers to investigate historical sexual abuse allegations as former members speak of ‘emotional torment’, “deep concern regarding the culture of secrecy, abuse of power and male-dominant hierarchy” at People of Praise, Members who admit to having gay sex are expelled from the group, which staunchly opposes same-sex marriage.

– Read Ghislaine Maxwell’s Just-Unsealed Deposition
Accused sex traffic

king accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was put under oath for a lawsuit by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims four years ago.

– QAnon Is Using Misinformation To Spread Hate – The Way Cults Do “if you are speaking out against QAnon I’m glad, but PLEASE don’t discredit satanic cult survivors while doing so. We are still fighting to be believed and heard, even after everything we’ve survived.”

– In the fall of 1941, Nazi Germany implemented a plan to systematically murder the Jews in the General Governent. This plan was codenamed “Operation Reinhard.” Camp personnel murdered approximately 1.7 million Jews as part of Operation Reinhard. The victims of the Operation Reinhard camps also included an unknown number of Poles, Roma (Gypsies), and Soviet prisoners of war

– Catholic Church Richmond Diocese to Pay $6.3 Million to Sexual Abuse Victims

– North Korea detainees subjected to ritual torture and sexual assault – rights group      

Revealed: ex-members of Amy Coney Barrett faith group tell of trauma and sexual abuse
People of Praise hire lawyers to investigate historical sexual abuse allegations as former members speak of ‘emotional torment’ Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
Wed 21 Oct 2020

Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the supreme court has prompted former members of her secretive faith group, the People of Praise, to come forward and share stories about emotional trauma and – in at least one case – sexual abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of members of the Christian group.

‘It instilled such problems’: ex-member of Amy Coney Barrett’s faith group speaks out
In the wake of the allegations, the Guardian has learned that the charismatic Christian organization, which is based in Indiana, has hired the law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to conduct an “independent investigation” into sexual abuse claims on behalf of People of Praise….

Barrett’s father has served as a leader in the community. Barrett was also listed as a “handmaid” in a 2010 directory, or female leader, served as a trustee at a school associated with the group, and has been featured in People of Praise magazines that were removed from the group’s website following her appointment as an appeals court judge in 2017. The Guardian has confirmed that Barrett lived in a household led by one of the founders of the People of Praise, Kevin Ranaghan, while she was a law student at Notre Dame, and lived with another People of Praise family – Barbette and William Brophy – in Virginia after she graduated. Proponents of the faith community have said in other press reports that they are misunderstood, and that it is a close-knit community that seeks to support other members “financially and materially and spiritually”.   For Sarah (Mitchell) Kuehl, a 48-year-old former member who grew up in the community, discussions about Barrett’s possible nomination prompted her – after years of trying to figure out how to address it – to send an email on 23 September to Craig Lent, the current head of People of Praise who also works as a professor at Notre Dame. In it, Kuehl claimed she had been sexually abused decades earlier by a “household member”, a male member of “the community” who had lived with the Mitchell family as part of the group’s communal living practices. Single people were expected to be celibate and live in family households which were expected to provide an example of married life, former members say.     After her alleged abuser – who along with her family was technically a member of a precursor group called Servants of the Light/Lord that merged in 1984 with People of Praise – admitted to her father that he had been molesting Kuehl, he was moved to another household and eventually had a marriage “arranged” for him, she said. She was four years old when the abuse began and it lasted for two years. At the time, her family also lived with other single men and women…. Kuehl told the Guardian she was eager not to be seen as seeking revenge on People of Praise, or questioning Barrett’s character, intelligence, or her legal mind. As a devout Catholic who regularly attends mass and is a mother of five, she is also not anti-religious, but rather feels a “deep concern regarding the culture of secrecy, abuse of power and male-dominant hierarchy” at People of Praise.   But former members paint a different picture.

Allegations and concerns center on claims of the intense subjugation of women by the community leaders; control of members’ lives and decisions, including marriage, living arrangements, and child rearing; and in one case, the mishandling of allegations of sexual abuse. Members who admit to having gay sex are expelled from the group, which staunchly opposes same-sex marriage.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/21/amy-coney-barrett-people-of-praise-trauma-abuse

Read Ghislaine Maxwell’s Just-Unsealed Deposition
IN HER OWN WORDS
Tracy Connor Executive Editor Oct. 22, 2020

Accused sex trafficking accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was put under oath for a lawsuit by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims four years ago. Her testimony was placed under seal, but on Thursday, it was made public by court order….
https://www.thedailybeast.com/read-jeffrey-epstein-confidant-ghislaine-maxwells-just-unsealed-deposition

QAnon Is Using Misinformation To Spread Hate – The Way Cults Do
By Cheryl Rainfield, October 2020

A personal plea: if you are speaking out against QAnon I’m glad, but PLEASE don’t discredit satanic cult survivors while doing so. We are still fighting to be believed and heard, even after everything we’ve survived.

Misinformation is a powerful tool used to discredit people speaking out about oppression and misuse of power, and because it usually draws on people’s insecurities and feelings of powerlessness, it often spreads quickly.

QAnon creates and spreads conspiracy theories, including that Trump is supposedly fighting a secret band of pedophiles, satanic child-sex trafficking rings, and murderers who are high-ranking US Democrat politicians, Hollywood actors, and philanthropists. This is particularly absurd when the people QAnon are targeting are fighting against oppression, and Trump is the one who is openly spreading hatred, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and violence, while encouraging white supremacy. And the people QAnon are attacking are the ones that they think will bring down Trump.

QAnon is anti-Semitic, drawing heavily on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion—an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory used by Hitler—and saying that the Rothschild family control all the banks. They are also racist, saying that the Black Lives Movement is responsible for all sorts of ills including wildfires, that Black Lives Matter members are pedophiles, and that Jewish people or Chinese people intentionally created the coronavirus….  

I am a cult torture survivor; my parents and extended family were part of intergenerational, interconnected cults. A satanic cult was only one of the cults that my abusers were members of. They were also involved in KKK, Nazi, Masonic, and other cults. It took me years of remembering the abuse, which I dissociated to survive, running away from my abusers, being found and re-abused, running away again and remembering more, to finally get safe. I spent years fighting against lies they told me, such as that they would kill me if I remembered and talked about the abuse. And there are many more survivors still struggling to get safe, or who are suffering in silence, afraid of people’s reactions when they do speak out. We know well how people don’t want to believe that such extreme, horrible acts of abuse and torture can still occur or be perpetrated by abusers who look like regular people. We know how hard it is to find the courage and strength to talk about the abuse, only to be not believed.  

I have been dismayed by the number of normally oppression-aware people who—in their attempts to prevent disinformation and conspiracy theories spread by QAnon—completely dismiss cult torture survivors by saying it is all “satanic panic,” and that cult abuse doesn’t really happen. This discredits cult torture survivors like me, and it’s exactly what cults want to have happen.
http://www.cherylrainfield.com/qanon-is-using-misinformation-the-way-cults-do/

Operation Reinhard (Einsatz Reinhard)In the fall of 1941, Nazi Germany implemented a plan to systematically murder the Jews in the General Governent. This plan was codenamed “Operation Reinhard.” Three killing centers were established as part of this action: Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka. Operation Reinhard marked the deadliest phase of Nazi Germany’s intention to commit genocide against the Jewish people.

Key Facts 1 Operation Reinhard was the code name for the German plan to murder the approximately two million Jews living in German-occupied Poland.

2 Under Operation Reinhard, three killing centers, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, operated between 1942 and 1943. Nazi officials employed carbon monoxide gas generated by motor engines to kill their victims.

3 In all, camp personnel murdered approximately 1.7 million Jews as part of Operation Reinhard. The victims of the Operation Reinhard camps also included an unknown number of Poles, Roma (Gypsies), and Soviet prisoners of war.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/operation-reinhard-einsatz-reinhard

Catholic Church
Richmond Diocese to Pay $6.3 Million to Sexual Abuse Victims
By The Associated Press • Published October 16, 2020

The Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced Thursday that it is paying $6.3 million to 51 people who experienced sexual abuse as minors by clergy.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/richmond-diocese-to-pay-6-3-million-to-sexual-abuse-victims/2445623/

North Korea detainees subjected to ritual torture and sexual assault – rights group Prisoners considered ‘less than an animal’ by regime, according to interviews with 15 former detainees by Human Rights Watch

Justin McCurry in Tokyo Sun 18 Oct 2020
uspects in North Korea are subjected to ritual torture, humiliation and sexual assault by a criminal justice system that considers them “less than an animal”, according to the first-ever report detailing the brutality of the country’s pretrial detention conditions.
The US-based Human Rights Watch [HRW] said people who are arrested and sent to pretrial detention are placed in cramped, unhygienic cells, forced to confess and denied proper food and clothing.

“Prisoners literally waste away from lack of food unless they can bribe guards to have their families send food,” Phil Robertson, HRW’s Asia deputy director, told reporters on Monday.
The report is based on interviews with 15 women and men who were detained in the country, as well as former officials with knowledge of the criminal justice system…..

Former detainees said they were forced to sit still on the floor of their cell, kneeling or with their legs crossed, for up to 16 hours a day, with the slightest movement leading to punishments ranging from hitting – using hands, sticks, or leather belts – to forcing them to run in circles around a yard up to 1,000 times.

“If I or others moved, the guards would order me or all the cellmates to extend our hands through the cell bars and would step on them repeatedly with their boots,” said Park Ji-cheol, a former detainee….
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/19/north-korea-detainees-subjected-to-ritual-torture-and-sexual-assault-rights-group

All the Women Who Have Spoken Out Against Joe Biden, Former Staffer Says He Sexually Assaulted Her

It Shattered My Life”: Former Joe Biden Staffer Tara Reade Says He Sexually Assaulted Her in 1993 March 31, 2020

https://www.democracynow.org/2020/3/31/tara_reade_joe_biden_sexual_assault
Tara Reade, the former staffer in Joe Biden’s Senate office who has come forward with allegations that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993….Reade told journalist Katie Halper in an interview published Tuesday that Biden repeatedly touched her without her consent and sexually assaulted her. Reade approached the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in January looking for assistance, but was reportedly told the fund could not help her because Biden is a candidate for federal office, and pursuing a case could jeopardize the fund’s nonprofit status. Reade says she learned from The Intercept report that the public relations firm representing Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund is SKDKnickerbocker, whose managing director, Anita Dunn, is top adviser to Biden’s presidential campaign.

The Inconvenient Truth of Rape
Published on Tuesday, April 07, 2020 by Common Dreams
Yes, we are in the middle of a contentious primary season and a presidential election with much on the line. And, yes, allegations of sexual assault or rape against the current leader in the Democratic primaries are inconvenient. But rape is even more inconvenient.
by Anthony Zenkus

….The recent allegations of rape against Joe Biden have created a firestorm online. The accuser, Tara Reade, spoke with Katie Halper on her podcast last month and described in grim detail how Joe Biden violated her when she was a staffer in his office in 1993….When Tara Reade joined other women in April of 2019 speaking about Biden’s on-going issue with inappropriate personal boundaries, she spoke about how he put his hands on her and caressed her neck. She did not speak about the most egregious abuse. Response from Biden supporters was swift and condemnatory. All of the women were publicly criticized, their stories dismissed, and their characters attacked.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/07/inconvenient-truth-rape

All the Women Who Have Spoken Out Against Joe Biden By Amanda Arnold Apr. 5, 2019

https://www.thecut.com/2019/04/joe-biden-accuser-accusations-allegations.html
Ahead of former vice-president Joe Biden’s expected 2020 presidential bid, women are speaking out about their personal interactions with him — alleging he physically touched them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable.

Weinstein gets 23 years in sentence hailed by accusers, Stop Misinformation Against Survivors of Trauma

Weinstein gets 23 years in sentence hailed by accusers
By MICHAEL R. SISAK, TOM HAYS and JENNIFER PELTZ March 11, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison after breaking his courtroom silence with a rambling plea for mercy in which he professed to be “totally confused” by the #MeToo movement that spelled the Hollywood producer’s downfall.

His accusers — those who testified against him and many others who have spoken out elsewhere against the former Hollywood mogul — hailed the near-maximum punishment for his rape and criminal sex act convictions as long overdue.

The 67-year-old Weinstein, who arrived at the courthouse Wednesday in a wheelchair and was taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pains hours after the court hearing, could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

He was convicted last month of raping a once-aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on former TV and film production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006. He faced a minimum of five years and a maximum of 29 years in prison.

The conviction marked the first criminal fallout from a raft of allegations that the Oscar-winning movie producer used his clout to lure women, sexually assault or harass them and then silence them.
“Although this is a first conviction, this is not a first offense,” Judge James Burke said in imposing the sentence….

Both of the women Weinstein was convicted of assaulting told the court about the damage he did to them, and the empowerment they felt when testifying against him.

“Rape is not just one moment of penetration. It is forever,” said the 2013 rape accuser, who recalled a moment during the trial when she left the witness stand in tears and then could be heard screaming from an adjacent room.
It was, she said, “the day my voice came back to its full power,” she said.
Asked later about her reaction after the sentence, she wiped her eyes, raised her arm and nodded her head.
Haleyi broke down in tears as she told the court the 2006 attack scarred her deeply and “stripped me of my dignity as a woman.” The encounter made her rethink her career in the entertainment business and left her feeling afraid of retaliation, she said….

Years of whispers about Weinstein’s alleged behavior burst into public view in The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017. In the aftermath, more than 90 women, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and other actresses, publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault and sexual harassment. The takedown energized the #MeToo movement for speaking up about sexual assault….

Weinstein was convicted on two counts: criminal sex act and rape in the third degree. He was acquitted of the more serious charges against him of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault.

Now that Weinstein has been sentenced, his lawyers can move forward with a promised appeal. He also faces rape and sexual assault charges in California, where Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey tweeted Wednesday that her office was working on extraditing him. No arraignment date has yet been set.
https://apnews.com/310554f06f644d41e1c0513600099ce1

Petition: Stop Misinformation Against Survivors of Trauma and Their Helpers by The Satanic Temple’s Grey Faction
https://www.change.org/p/trauma-survivors-and-their-helpers-stop-attacks-on-survivors-of-trauma-by-the-satanic-temple-s-grey-faction/
http://chng.it/6H6sfxqR

Harvey Weinstein found guilty on 2 counts, not guilty on more serious charges

Harvey Weinstein found guilty on 2 counts, not guilty on more serious charges
Harvey Weinstein was on trial for rape in Manhattan.
By Chris Francescani and Alexandra Svokos February 24, 2020

The jury reached a verdict in the New York rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former Hollywood mega-producer.

Weinstein, 67, was found guilty of criminal sexual assault and of rape in the third degree. He was found not guilty of the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and of rape in the first degree….

The criminal sexual assault charge came from Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi, who was a production assistant and said that he assaulted her in 2006. That charge came with sentencing guidelines of five to 25 years.

The charge of rape in the third degree came from another, unnamed accuser, and came with sentencing guidelines of probation up to four years….

Weinstein was charged with raping one woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman, who has since identified herself as Haleyi, in 2006. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and claims any sexual encounters were cosensual.

In addition to the two women behind those charges, four others testified in support of prosecutors’ efforts to demonstrate a pattern of sexual predation….

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jury-reaches-verdict-harvey-weinstein-case/story?id=69175544

Survivors of Epstein’s Abuse – she spent summer at Mar-a-Lago Trump’s resort, Rep Jim Jordan denies ignored report – told “directly about sexual misconduct by Strauss,” Child Abuse WhatsApp group, Why child abuse survivors keep and break silence – 24 years to reveal secret

– ‘This Is Not Our Shame’: Five Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s Abuse on Trauma, Justice, and Sisterhood “She was introduced to the financier Jeffrey Epstein through Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the British media titan Robert Maxwell. (Epstein, charged with sex trafficking girls, some just 14 or 15, reportedly committed suicide in jail over the summer.) Giuffre was 16 at the time, spending her summer as an attendant at the spa at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s resort. According to the deposition, Maxwell told Giuffre she wanted to hire her as a masseuse.”

– Members of child abuse WhatsApp group arrested in 11 countries

– Rape and sexual assault

‘You grow up hating yourself’: why child abuse survivors keep – and break – their silence

The average victim takes 24 years to reveal their secret and disclosure is often the key to recovery

 – Rep. Jim Jordan denies he ignored report that Ohio State doctor performed sex act in shower “misconduct by Strauss, who was found by independent investigators to have sexually abused 177 male students over two decades… second person to say he told Jordan directly about sexual misconduct by Strauss “

Members of child abuse WhatsApp group arrested in 11 countries
10 December 2019

Spanish police say 33 people have been arrested globally in connection with a WhatsApp group for images of child sex abuse and other violent content.

The many “extreme” images shared in the group had been “normalised by most of its members”, the force said.

Arrests were made in 11 different countries across three continents, but the majority – 17 – were in Spain.

Many of those arrested or being investigated in Spain are themselves under 18, including a 15-year-old boy.

In Uruguay, police arrested two people – one of whom was a mother who abused her daughter and sent images of this to the group.

In another case, a 29-year-old man was arrested for not only downloading the images, but also encouraging other group members to make contact with young girls – particularly migrants who would be unlikely to go to the police.

What did the group share?

In a statement, the police said the group shared “paedophilic content, sometimes of extreme severity, together with other content that was legal but was not suitable for minors because of their extreme nature”.

Some group members had even created “stickers” – small digital images that are easily shared, similar to emojis – of children being abused….

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50737387

‘This Is Not Our Shame’: Five Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s Abuse on Trauma, Justice, and Sisterhood

Stories about Epstein’s accusers tend to have their own lexicon, filled with phrases designed to shame and titillate—sex slave, victim, troubled. With the world watching, Virginia Giuffre, Teresa Helm, Rachel Benavidez, Marijke Chartouni, and Sarah Ransome want to reframe the narrative—and reclaim their power.

By Mattie Kahn
December 10, 2019

Giuffre first came forward in 2015 and her account is best known; in a sworn deposition taken in 2016, she said she was introduced to the financier Jeffrey Epstein through Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the British media titan Robert Maxwell. (Epstein, charged with sex trafficking girls, some just 14 or 15, reportedly committed suicide in jail over the summer.) Giuffre was 16 at the time, spending her summer as an attendant at the spa at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s resort. According to the deposition, Maxwell told Giuffre she wanted to hire her as a masseuse. She promised Giuffre travel and an education. Giuffre accepted the offer. The abuse, she recalls, started soon after, with Epstein demanding sexual services for himself and some of his friends.

In the deposition Giuffre said, “My whole life revolved around just pleasing these men and keeping Ghislaine [Maxwell] and Jeffrey [Epstein] happy. Their whole entire lives revolved around sex.” (Maxwell has denied the allegations.)….
https://www.glamour.com/story/jeffrey-epstein-survivors-roundtable

Rep. Jim Jordan denies he ignored report that Ohio State doctor performed sex act in shower
Jordan continues to insist he knew nothing about what Dr. Richard Strauss did to the male athletes and others.

Nov. 12, 2019, By Corky Siemaszko

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has dismissed as “ridiculous” a claim by a professional referee that he told the congressman directly that Dr. Richard Strauss had masturbated in front of him in a shower at Ohio State University.

Jordan addressed the allegation in an interview with his hometown newspaper Monday, just days after NBC News reported that the referee claimed in a lawsuit that the congressman, who was then an assistant wrestling coach, barely blinked when he described his encounter with the sexual predator.

“Yeah, that’s Strauss,” Jordan and the head wrestling coach replied dismissively, according to the lawsuit, which does not name Jordan as a defendant….

NBC News has reached out for the comment to the referee, who is a respected member of Ohio’s wrestling community and who has known Jordan for decades.

Identified in the court papers as John Doe 42, his allegation about Jordan’s alleged indifference was part of the lawsuit filed last week by 43 survivors against Ohio State. It charged the university’s “ingrained culture of institutional indifference” enabled Strauss to sexually abuse well over 100 students and athletes from a half-dozen sports over two decades.

The referee is the second person to say he told Jordan directly about sexual misconduct by Strauss, who was found by independent investigators to have sexually abused 177 male students over two decades.

Other former Ohio State wrestlers have said Jordan had to have  known about Strauss because he shared a locker room with them and took part in discussions about the doctor, who died in 2005.

Jordan has repeatedly denied knowing anything about what Strauss did to the wrestlers and has called allegations that he turned a blind eye to the abuse politically motivated.

Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said last week that the university “has led the effort to investigate and expose the misdeeds of Richard Strauss and the systemic failures to respond, and the university is committed to a fair resolution….

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rep-jim-jordan-denies-he-ignored-report-ohio-state-doctor-n1080736

Rape and sexual assault
‘You grow up hating yourself’: why child abuse survivors keep – and break – their silence

The average victim takes 24 years to reveal their secret and disclosure is often the key to recovery

Earlier this year Erin Delaney revealed on Facebook a secret she’d kept from almost everyone.

As a child she suffered physical and emotional abuse and severe neglect. The neglect had significant consequences, including a fractured skull from falling – which was only picked up when, after she vomited at school the next day, a member of her extended family intervened and took her to hospital.

The emotional abuse included both parents telling her at different times that the other was dead, or that they weren’t her real parents; the physical abuse – the hitting, the kicking – depended on their drug use and moods.

“It was,” the 36-year-old Sydneysider says now, “a challenging journey through life. I never felt safe and I never felt grounded. You grow up hating yourself and thinking you caused it and you deserve it….

Delaney, who suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder, says society treats different medical conditions unequally. “One of my old school friends had cancer a few years ago and everyone offered to help, while my emotional injuries are a source of shame and isolation.”….

Dr Cathy Kezelman, president of the Blue Knot foundation, a national organisation helping adults recover from childhood trauma, says Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse had found it takes an average of 24 years for people to speak about their abuse. “Some never do,” she says. The Blue Knot helpline has received calls from people disclosing for the first time in their 70s, 80s and 90s.

“We have a society that hasn’t wanted to hear about it,” she explains. “As we saw in the royal commission, a lot of people giving testimony spoke about trying to speak out as a child. Many were punished, they weren’t believed and their concerns were dismissed or minimised….
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/01/you-grow-up-hating-yourself-why-child-abuse-survivors-keep-and-break-their-silence

Grey Faction, Satanic Temple and Lucien Greaves Fact Sheet
https://ritualabuse.us/ritualabuse/grey-faction-satanic-temple-and-lucien-greaves-fact-sheet/

Prince Andrew email surfaces as American woman alleges “disgusting” sexual assault, Epstein accused by nine more women, Trump and Prince Andrew, Epstein’s and Norwegian Royal Family

– Prince Andrew email surfaces as American woman alleges “disgusting” sexual assault

– Jeffrey Epstein Accused of Sexual Abuse By Nine More Women in New Lawsuit

– ‘I Don’t Know Prince Andrew,’ Trump Says. Photos Say Otherwise.

– Royal scandal: Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s link with Norwegian Royal Family

Prince Andrew email surfaces as American woman alleges “disgusting” sexual assault
CBS News December 3, 2019

London — Britain’s royal family was reeling from yet another damning interview on Tuesday morning. This time it was an American woman who accuses the queen’s son, Prince Andrew, of having sex with her when she was just 17 years old. Virginia Roberts Giuffre spoke out in the interview with the BBC about what she says the prince did to her, and what he may know about Jeffrey Epstein.

“I had just been abused by a, a member of a royal family,” Roberts Giuffre said, fighting back tears.

As CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reports, the American woman described being forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, three times while she was still a teenager.

“It didn’t last very long, the whole entire procedure. It was disgusting. Um, he wasn’t mean or anything, but he got up and he said, ‘thanks,’ and walked out. And I sat there in bed just horrified and ashamed,” she told the BBC….

In a now notorious interview last month Prince Andrew denied ever meeting Roberts Giuffre — despite being photographed with her — and claimed that due to a “peculiar medical condition” he was physically unable to sweat “at the time.”

He did admit to spending time at Epstein’s homes, where he said he never witnessed any suspicious behavior or saw anything unusual about the young women in the properties.

“I thought they were all staff,” the prince claimed.

Now, five more American women have said Prince Andrew witnessed abuse at Epstein’s home, and their lawyer has called for Andrew to testify.

Meanwhile, an email has emerged this week, buried in thousands of U.S. legal documents, that was sent by the prince in January 2015 to his long-time friend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was a close associate of Epstein’s. In it, the duke said: “Let me know when we can talk. Got some specific questions to ask you about Virginia Roberts.”….
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-andrew-interview-epstein-sexual-allegations-virginia-roberts-giuffre-today-palace-denial-2019-12-03/

Jeffrey Epstein Accused of Sexual Abuse By Nine More Women in New Lawsuit December 3, 2019 By Althea Legaspi
Suit claims the late financier targeted victims as young as 13 years old

The late financier Jeffrey Epstein has been accused of sexually abusing nine more women in a new lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Reuters reports. The incidents began as early as 1985 and targeted victims as young as 13 years old, according to the suit filed against Epstein’s estate.

The women, identified as Jane Does in the filing, allege the abuse spanned more than two decades. Six of the women claim they were raped. One alleges she was sexually assaulted, abused and battered beginning in 1985; another said she was age 14 when the abuse began around 1990 and a third alleges she was age 13 when she was abused around 2003….

The nine women in the new lawsuit are among more than 20 women to date who are legally seeking compensation from Epstein’s $577 million estate, according to Reuters….
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/jeffrey-epstein-sexual-abuse-nine-more-women-new-lawsuit-921789/

‘I Don’t Know Prince Andrew,’ Trump Says. Photos Say Otherwise.
Speaking to reporters in London, President Trump denied knowing Prince Andrew, despite having been photographed with him on several occasions. By Iliana Magra Dec. 3, 2019

LONDON — President Trump denied on Tuesday that he knew Prince Andrew, the son of Queen Elizabeth II who has become entangled in sexual abuse accusations against the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein…..
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/world/europe/donald-trump-prince-andrew.html

Royal scandal: Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s link with Norwegian Royal Family
JEFFREY EPSTEIN’s royal connections went beyond that of with Prince Andrew, it has been revealed. Here are the disgraced sex offender’s ties with the Norwegian Royal Family.
By Amalie Henden Tue, Dec 3, 2019

On Monday, leading business daily Dagens Næringsliv (DN) revealed Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit had met Epstein on multiple occasions.

Mette-Marit, who is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the Norwegian throne, told the publication she was “sorry” for having had several meeting with the late financier.

In a statement she said: “I never would have associated with Mr Epstein if I had been aware of the seriousness of the crimes he committed.

“I should have investigated his past more thoroughly, and I am sorry that I didn’t.”…..

Mette-Marit has said she now regrets her association with Epstein.

In the statement, she expressed her “deep sympathy and solidarity” with Epstein’s victims.

She said: “Through my longtime work with international health issues, I have seen the great damage that sexual assault does to children and women.

“We all share responsibility to fight sexual assault and support victims, and I want to express my deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the assaults Jeffrey Epstein has carried out.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1212463/royal-scandal-Jeffrey-Epstein-norway-royal-family-mette-marit-prince-andrew-news

Information on Neil Brick
In 1995,  Neil Brick founded the SMART newsletter.  In 1996, SMART was on the Internet and in 1998 SMART started having ritual abuse conferences. https://ritualabuse.us/smart/neil-brick/

Dr. Barto sentencing sexual assault two dozen children, Shambhala Buddhist org. allegations of sexual assault, Syracuse Diocese ritual abuse, Bill eliminates statute of limitations child sex abuse “ritual abuse of a minor”, Ritual Abuse Conferences 2019

– Dr. Johnnie Barto, a sexual predator pediatrician, gets up to 158 years in prison

– Shambhala discloses allegations of sexual assault, child abuse within Boulder-born Buddhist organization’s ranks

– Bill giving victims more time on child sex abuse lawsuits, criminal cases gets support

– Ahead Of Diocese Report, Reaction To Syracuse Abuse Compensation Program

– The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference

– The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference

Dr. Johnnie Barto, a sexual predator pediatrician, gets up to 158 years in prison
“He held himself out as a pillar in his community — a family pediatrician, an elected member of the school board, a regular attendee at church,” the state attorney general said.

Dr. Johnnie Barto heads into Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, on March 18, 2019, for his sentencing in the sexual assault of more than two dozen children.
March 18, 2019 By Corky Siemaszko

A Pennsylvania pediatrician who admitted to molesting several generations of children was sentenced Monday to spend the rest of his life in prison after 18 now-grown women took turns pleading with the court to throw the book at him, with many calling him a “monster.”

Dr. Johnnie “Jack” Barto, 71, was hit with a sentence of 79 to 158 years in prison, virtually guaranteeing that he will die behind bars, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said….

Barto’s sentencing came a day after several women — who said the doctor molested them when they were children — described in a lengthy interview with NBC News how the Johnstown community rallied behind him in 2000, the first time he was accused of abusing children.

Twenty years ago, this predator could have been stopped,” Jennifer Goetz, 42, said on the steps of the Cambria County Courthouse.

Goetz, who said she was about 8 when Barto violated her in 1984, said, “Today is a bittersweet day for me.”

Erika Brosig, who said she was 12 when Barto molested her in 1994, said the doctor had enablers who also need to be called to account.

“Parents were making complaints frequently about Dr. Barto,” she said. “We want to find out who did know and what was the level of their responsibility.”….

arto was hit with the staggering sentence two months after he first pleaded guilty to molesting the two relatives, and no-contest to three other allegations brought by children he was accused of sexually abusing at his practice.

Under questioning, Barto also admitted to sexually assaulting dozens more children during the four decades he practiced medicine in and around Johnstown, Shapiro said.

Barto targeted girls and boys, most between the ages of 8 and 12, the chief prosecutor said. The youngest victims were a toddler and a 2-week-old.

Most of the assaults happened after Barto got his medical license back in 2000. It had been suspended after he was accused the first time of sexually abusing three children in 1998. His license was restored in 2000 by the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine.

“When he was first accused in 1998, Barto thought he was immune from prosecution and played a long game to make sure the families thought well of him and allowed their children near him,” Shapiro said.

Despite the rumors that Barto was still molesting children, he managed to elude law enforcement until Dec. 21, 2017, when a 12-year-old girl told her mother that at the end of an examination, the doctor had her sit on his lap while he molested her, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Barto was arrested by the Richland Township police Jan. 18, 2018. That same day, The Tribune–Democrat newspaper reported, a “Support for Johnnie ‘Jack’ Barto” page went up on Facebook, complete with testimonials from local parents whose children were his patients.

The page quickly came down after Barto finally admitted his guilt.

Shapiro noted that in addition to the 31 incidents of assault charged, at least a half-dozen other cases could not be charged because of the criminal statute of limitations laws in Pennsylvania….

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sexual-predator-children-s-doctor-gets-158-years-prison-people-n984491

Shambhala discloses allegations of sexual assault, child abuse within Boulder-born Buddhist organization’s ranks
Report by An Olive Branch includes unsubstantiated allegations, details failure to address issues

By Jackson Barnett The Denver Post March 19, 2019

Shambhala, the Buddhist organization founded in Boulder in the 1970s, released a report Tuesday detailing — but not substantiating — new allegations of sexual assault and child abuse within the organization, along with an internal failure to adequately address that abuse….

Allegations of abuse within Shambhala — now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia — first were brought to light last year by Buddhist Project Sunshine, which published anonymous allegations of sexual abuse by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the organization’s leader, and other high-ranking teachers.

In July, Mipham acknowledged he had caused “harm” in relationships and would step aside from his leadership position. Shambhala then retained the Canadian law firm Wickwire Holm to conduct a third-party investigation. The firm, in a report released last month, found two credible claims of sexual abuse and a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Mipham, but its investigation was criticized for being too narrow in scope by former Shambhala members….

The report that contained self-reported accounts of abuse found several “themes” of abuse, including sexual misconduct by Shambhala teachers and staff, child abuse and abuse of power. People who self-reported also claimed backlash, concerns about speaking up and efforts by Shambhala to protect teachers and the organization from accusations.

Unverified firsthand stories included acts ranging from unwelcomed kisses from older teachers to child molestation. The report did not include the names of those accused nor the locations where the alleged abuse occurred. An Olive Branch said it reported crimes that had been brought to its attention to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. The report also found that many people did not trust Shambhala to execute proper procedures to address abuse….

An Olive Branch also noted that Mipham in 2015 was excluded from signing Shambhala’s pledge to understand and abide by the policy and not have sexual relationships with students….

Beyond the Buddhist organization’s own internal reviews, an investigation by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office into “possible criminal activity” at the Shambhala Mountain Center near Red Feather Lakes remains ongoing. And Boulder police earlier this year arrested a former Shambhala teacher, William Karelis, 70, on charges of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust….

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/03/19/shambhala-an-olive-branch-abuse-report-sakyong-mipham/

Ahead Of Diocese Report, Reaction To Syracuse Abuse Compensation Program
By Gabe Altieri (WSKG) March 19, 2019….

This month, the Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese hopes to release a report on how its settlement program for people who have been abused by clergy has gone.

It’s called an independent reconciliation and compensation program, or IRCP. The Syracuse Diocese covers part of Central New York and the Southern Tier including Binghamton and Cortland.

WSKG looked into how this program went for the diocese and those who participated. A listener note: this story contains graphic details of sexual abuse.

Remembering Abuse

….What happened to Lightbody is detailed in her testimony to the independent mediator who ran the victims compensation program for the Syracuse Diocese.

….This was the early 1970s. She was about ten years old.

“It was not typical, what you consider typical sexual abuse,” Lightbody said. “What he did to me was ritual abuse which involves physical abuse, sexual abuse, mind control and brainwashing.”

….Here’s what we know about her alleged abuser: his name is Paul Slavetskas. He served at Blessed Sacrament in Johnson City from March 1973 until September 1974.

Slavetskas died in 2015.

The Syracuse Diocese put his name on a list of priests with credible accusations against him. That was released in December. Lightbody’s testimony is the only known abuse claim against him.

https://www.wrvo.org/post/ahead-diocese-report-reaction-syracuse-abuse-compensation-program

Bill giving victims more time on child sex abuse lawsuits, criminal cases gets support
PHOEBE TOLLEFSON Mar 14, 2019

….The bill, HB 640, would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal cases and extend from age 21 to age 27 the time frame during which a victim can sue over alleged abuses.

It makes no change to current law that allows victims to sue after the statute of limitations has expired, but within three years of recognizing their abuse. Experts say victims can repress memories of abuse and struggle to come to terms with its lifelong impacts.

The bill beefs up penalties against mandatory reporters who fail to act by making it a felony in cases involving sexual abuse allegations.

….The bill pertains to victims younger than 18 of the following crimes: sexual assault, sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, indecent exposure, sexual abuse, ritual abuse of a minor, incest and sexual exploitation.

https://www.fairfieldsuntimes.com/news/state/bill-giving-victims-more-time-on-child-sex-abuse-lawsuits/article_c29b4d2a-887f-5738-8bf2-df5771d405cf.html

The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference August 17 – 18, 2019 DoubleTree near Bradley International Airport Windsor Locks, CT Internet conference information: http://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/

The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference
When:

Regular Conference – Saturday and Sunday May 4 – 5, 2019

Clinician’s Conference (CEUs are available) Friday May 3, 2019

Where: Courtyard Marriot Long Beach Airport Long Beach, CA

https://survivorship.org/ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2019-conference/

Survivorship Conference Speakers
Clinician’s Conference – Friday May 3, 2019
Deception by Organized Abuser Groups: Helping Yourself and Your Clients Think Through the Issues by Alison Miller

The Use of Music and other Auditory Stimuli in Psychological Therapy with Extreme Abuse Survivors by Randy Noblitt

Regular Conference – Saturday and Sunday May 4 – 5, 2019
Deception by Organized Abuser Groups: Helping Your Front People and Your Insiders Recognize the Lies and Tricks Which Keep You Enslaved by Dr. Alison Miller

Talking About Triggers Without Being Triggering by Dr. Randall Noblitt

Barriers encountered by RA Survivors when accessing Support in Offline Spaces (Services) By Joseph Lumbasi

A Survivor’s View of Recovery from Ritual Abuse by Neil Brick

Kevin Spacey Faces Felony Charge – accusation of sexual assault, Harvey Weinstein judge declines to dismiss charges in rape case, Paedophile ring “conspire to abuse babies, toddlers and young children”

describes abuse

Kevin Spacey Faces Felony Charge in Misconduct Case

By Sopan Deb Dec. 24, 2018

Kevin Spacey will be charged with a felony following an accusation of sexual assault made public last year, the authorities in Nantucket said on Monday.

The charge, first reported by The Boston Globe, is in connection with an accusation of misconduct that was made by a former television anchor, Heather Unruh, who said that Mr. Spacey sexually assaulted her 18-year-old son in July 2016 at a bar in Nantucket.

Michael O’Keefe, the Cape and Islands district attorney in Massachusetts, said in a statement that Mr. Spacey would be arraigned on Jan. 7 for one charge of indecent assault and battery, the first criminal charge levied against him as a result of sexual misconduct allegations. The statement also said there was a public show cause hearing in Nantucket District Court last Thursday, after which Clerk Magistrate Brian Kearney issued the criminal complaint.

A representative for Mr. Spacey did not respond to a request for comment. But the actor has apologized for one incident and denied at least one other accusation of wrongdoing….
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/movies/kevin-spacey-criminal-charges.html

Kevin Spacey scandal: A complete list of the 15 accusers
Maria Puente, USA TODAY Nov. 7, 2017
The first accusation of sexual misconduct against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey landed on Oct. 29, and a little more than a week later more than a dozen men — including five who said they were teens at the time — have come forward to allege he sexually harassed, assaulted or attempted to rape them.

Here is a list of accusers, some of them named, some of them anonymous….
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/11/07/kevin-spacey-scandal-complete-list-13-accusers/835739001/

Harvey Weinstein judge declines to dismiss charges in rape case, sets pretrial hearing for March
By Eric Levenson and Elizabeth Joseph, CNN Thu December 20, 2018

New York (CNN)Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul whose downfall helped launch the #MeToo movement, is due back in New York court on March 7 after a judge Thursday morning ordered a pretrial hearing in the rape case.
The proceedings lasted just 10 minutes, a remarkably quick resolution to a highly anticipated and pivotal appearance that the defense had hoped would end with the charges against Weinstein getting dropped.

“We are obviously disappointed that the court did not dismiss the indictment, but Judge (James) Burke has ruled, and we intend to continue to vigorously defend this case to the best of our ability,” Weinstein’s attorney, Ben Brafman, said outside the Manhattan courthouse.

Weinstein, 66, has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges, including predatory sexual assault and rape, in connection with two women in separate incidents. Thursday’s hearing came in response to a motion filed by Brafman to dismiss the remaining counts or to hold evidentiary hearings on whether certain witnesses can testify.

The judge denied both requests, saying the defendant can explore witness credibility issues at trial, court documents show….

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/us/harvey-weinstein-court-charges/index.html

Eighth member of paedophile ring – including Hull man David Harsley – jailed for plotting to rape baby

David Harsley and six other members of the gang were jailed in 2015

By Sophie Corcoran 29 NOV 2018

The eighth member of a sickening paedophile ring who plotted to rape a seven-month old baby has been jailed today.

Matthew Law, 50, worked alongside seven others, including Hull man David Harsley, to conspire to abuse babies, toddlers and young children.

The gang used encrypted communication and the dark web to evade detection, and were branded ‘monsters in disguise’ after grooming mothers to gain their trust so they could have access to their children unsupervised.

Harsley, 55, a hospital worker, befriended a “vulnerable” pregnant and single woman at a social club. He was looking after the boy and committed a sex act in front of the child while fellow gang members John Denham and Matthew Lisk watched over Skype….

Hollyson admitted filming himself raping a three-month-old baby in what the judge at the time called one of the most horrific abuse cases on record.

The seven men were jailed for a total of 78 years after Adam Tom’s confession sparked an investigation into the gang, who have now been revealed to have drugged babies and toddlers.

The gang would groom mothers – some while they were still pregnant – to gain unsupervised access to their children….

One baby was raped and sexually abused by three of the gang members over a period of months. The others watched on live internet feeds….
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/eighth-member-paedophile-ring-including-2275623

Psychiatric Impact of Organized and Ritual Child Sexual Abuse, Spain police bust ‘Black magic’ prostitution ring, North Korea: Sexual abuse of women ‘common

– Psychiatric Impact of Organized and Ritual Child Sexual Abuse: Cross-Sectional Findings from Individuals Who Report Being Victimized
– Spain police bust ‘black magic’ prostitution ring in Murcia
– North Korea: Sexual abuse of women ‘common’, report claims

Article

Psychiatric Impact of Organized and Ritual Child Sexual Abuse: Cross-Sectional Findings from Individuals Who Report Being Victimized

Johanna Schröder, Susanne Nick, Hertha Richter-Appelt and Peer Briken
Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(11), 2417; doi: 10.3390/ijerph15112417

Abstract: Organized and ritual child sexual abuse (ORA) is often rooted in the child’s own family. Empirical evidence on possible associations between ORA and trauma-related symptoms in those who report this kind of extreme and prolonged violence is rare. The aim of our study was to explore socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the individuals reporting ORA experiences, and to investigate protective as well as promotive factors in the link between ORA and trauma-related symptom severity. Within the framework of a project of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Germany, we recruited 165 adults who identified themselves as ORA victims via abuse- and trauma-specific networks and mailing lists, and they completed an anonymous online survey. We used variance analyses to examine correlations between several variables in the ORA context and PTSD symptoms (PCL-5) as well as somatoform dissociation (SDQ-5). Results revealed a high psychic strain combined with an adverse health care situation in individuals who report experiences with ORA. Ideological strategies used by perpetrators as well as Dissociative Identity Disorders experienced by those affected are associated with more severe symptoms (η2p = 0.11; η2p = 0.15), while an exit out of the ORA structures is associated with milder symptoms (η2p = 0.11). Efforts are needed to improve health care services for individuals who experience severe and complex psychiatric disorders due to ORA in their childhood.

1. Introduction
Child sexual abuse (CSA), once thought to be rare, is nowadays accepted as a frequent reality that occurs across a range of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds worldwide and encompasses many types of sexually abusive acts towards children, including sexual assault, incest, the production and use of child pornography, as well as commercial sexual exploitation [1]. Sexual child abuse involving a network of perpetrators acting repeatedly and jointly on multiple victims is defined as ‘organized abuse’ [2]. Organized abuse that follows a (pseudo-) ideological strategy (e.g., symbols or group activities with religious, magical, or supernatural connotations) in order to frighten and intimidate the children or to force the victims to participate whilst simultaneously accomplishing the perpetrators’ exculpation is referred to as ‘ritual abuse’ [3,4]. Salter further describes ritual abuse as ideological framing in organized CSA contexts, functioning as strategical practices through which abusive groups indoctrinate the victims into a violently misogynistic worldview in order to control them [4]. In other words, ritual abuse occurs when a religious, political, or spiritual authority uses its position of power and the sovereignty to interpret the respective belief system to manipulate and dominate its followers. Since the 1980s, evidence of organized and ritual abuse (ORA) has been consolidated due to studies documenting psychological harm amongst children and adults disclosing such experiences [5]….

5. Conclusions
ORA, defined as organized child sexual abuse where a (pseudo-)ideological (i.e., ritual) content serves as legitimization for violence, is a complex and polarizing issue in mental health care contexts as well as in research. At present, the uncovering and reprocessing of ORA is a problem that remains to be solved in Germany, as well as internationally. Given the paucity of research in this field, we believe that this study contributes to closing this evidence gap, as it presents empirical data on reported practices of ORA and its impact on trauma-related symptom severity in self-identified victims, in which reported ideological/ritual strategies by the perpetrators and an exit out of the ORA structures play a major role. A key policy priority should therefore be to intensify efforts on the understanding of ORA-related structures, as well as the complex clinical presentation of those affected. Services like information websites and exit programs should be developed by experts in the field in order to contribute to generating appropriate treatment services for this group of clients. Mental health professionals and centers specialized in the treatment of severely traumatized clients with CPTSD and dissociative disorders would contribute to a better support of clients who report such trauma histories. The therapeutic process of detachment from perpetrator networks is intense, and supporters of individuals who experience ORA face special difficulties, like, for example, dissociative personality states. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that constant professional supervision is provided to them by professionals who understand the spectrum of possibilities and pitfalls in the treatment….

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/11/2417/htm

Spain police bust ‘black magic’ prostitution ring in Murcia
Spanish police say they have rescued 15 transgender Brazilians from forced prostitution in the city of Murcia.

The victims were beaten, forced to use and sell drugs, and often kept locked inside a flat, officials say.

They are also said to have been threatened with the use of black magic if they did not comply.

Objects related to the ritual-filled Santería religion were found in the flat. Thirteen suspects were detained for allegedly running the ring.

The authorities say the ring was headed by Brazilian who worked with associates to recruit vulnerable young people in Brazil….

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46049213

North Korea: Sexual abuse of women ‘common’, report claims

North Korean officials commit sexual abuse against women with near total impunity, a report has claimed.

Human Rights Watch added that it is so common it has become part of ordinary life.

The report is based on interviews with 62 North Koreans who fled the country. They gave detailed accounts of rape and sexual abuse.

HRW said it revealed a culture of open, unaddressed abuse, particularly from men in positions of power.

Oh Jung-hee, a former trader in her 40s told Human Rights Watch (HRW): “They consider us [sex] toys. We are at the mercy of men.”

“Sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don’t know why.”

Gathering information from inside the secretive state is extremely difficult and reports like this are rare.

‘My life was in his hands’

According to HRW some women expressed that sexual abuse had become so normalised that they did not think it was “unusual” – with some saying it had become accepted as part of everyday life….

The perpetrators include high-ranking party officials, prison facility guards, police and soldiers.

Interviewees told HRW that when an official “picked” a woman, she would have little choice but to comply….

It added that forced abortion, rape and sexual violence had been carried out in prisons or in detention….

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46053342