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July 15, 2009
SEX TRAFFICKING--THE MOVIE
If you get a chance, check out the film, Sex Trafficking, starring Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland. It is a two-part series that was originally broadcast on the Lifetime Network. It is a very realistic and compelling story that does not have that "Hollywood" glamour and fake drama. This movie is the real deal.
View the trailer:
After the release of this movie, actress Mira Sorvino was so moved by this unaddressed problem and wanted to do something about it. She became politically involved and is now the UN Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking.
See the interview below:
July 14, 2009
SEX TRAFFICKING--NOT JUST AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM
When you ask the average American what they think of sex trafficking and where it originates, you will most likely hear, “Thailand, Philippines, Eastern Europe.” The majority of Americans don’t believe that most sex trafficking occurs within our own borders. Many victims are regular kids and young women who aren’t runaways or have been abandoned. They are lured and coerced by clever predators.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus, who started the Lost Innocence Project, which specializes in child and teen sex trafficking stated, “What you can see time and time again, is that the predators will adapt their means to whatever the young people are doing—whether it’s malls, whether it’s ski slopes, whether it’s beaches…predators are going to do everything in their power to try to convince young girls, young boys, to come with them and enter this particular lifestyle.” [i]
The United States is recognized among the top three countries for sex traffickers, along with Japan and Australia. Traffickers pick locales and business “fronts” in cities all over the country, but many choose to “set up shop” in areas such as San Francisco, New York, Arizona, Las Vegas and other cities and counties that would make your jaw drop.
Statistics and Economics of Human Trafficking in the U.S.
There is a huge economical difference between human trafficking and drug/weapon trafficking. You can sell a kilo of cocaine or a semi-automatic weapon only once. With a person, they can be sold over and over and over, making them nearly priceless to the trafficker.
Research and studies done on human trafficking within our borders is pathetic. The Department of Justice reported that in 2008 there were more than 1,200 “reported” incidents of human trafficking. [ii] Due to each state’s little to no research on human trafficking, that reported statistic cannot be a true, definitive number.
“Because sex trafficking is so far underground, the number of victims is not known and the statistics vary. According to Ambassador John Miller, director of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, “The number will always be an estimate, because trafficking victims don’t stand in line and raise their hands to be counted, but it’s the best estimate we have…The CIA won’t divulge its research methods, based on its figures on 1,500 resources, including law enforcement data, government data, academic research, international reports and newspaper stories.” [iii]
However, in a February, 2006 ABC News article it states, “The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked in America today.” [iv]
Could the FBI’s estimate be more accurate than the Department of Justice’s 1,200 “reported” cases?
The level of apathy towards education, prosecution and punishment of these crimes is dismal. I have to wonder if our own police officers, local officials, or politicians are not making an issue of this crime because “money talks”? Think about it. Sex traffickers yield profits of over 32 billion dollars a year. That makes drug and weapons traffickers look like kids with a lemonade stand. [v]
Difficulties in Prosecution
The trafficking industry thrives because it is hard to prosecute. The women who are victims need to serve as witnesses and testify in court in order for the prosecution to prove their case against the perpetrator(s). These women don’t come forward not only because of the “re-victimization” in court, but also the threats made to them by their traffickers. They have been burned with acid, “disappeared”, or have had their families threatened or murdered.
“We have to explain the woman’s mind-set—that she’s often unsophisticated, comes from a country with a corrupt government and would believe her captors’ lies that if she flees should could get arrested by the police…Juries have a hard time. They wonder: If the door was open, why didn’t she just run?” [vi]
Destination America--From Sea to Shining Sea…
New York
Neighbors wondered why a 65-year old man had a succession of young foreign women living in his home. He told neighbors they were au pairs, yet Joseph Yannai had no children.
“You’d think a warning bell would go off in a neighbor’s mind,” said author Ron Soodalter, “The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today”.
The State Department estimates 17,500 people are trafficked INTO the U.S…but Nassau County Detective John Birbiglia, who runs the Long Island Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces says “that’s a guess because less than 1 percent of cases get prosecuted…it’s the invisible crime.” He thinks the number of enslaved people is much higher. He continues, “We used to arrest these women, now we know they’re victims.” [vii]
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas has an infamous slogan, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” They didn’t get the name “Sin City” for nothing. The Associated Press reported in 2008 that Las Vegas is a “hub” for child sex trafficking and that more than 400 children were found working as prostitutes during a SINGLE MONTH in 2007.
Shared Hope International, a non-profit based in Vancouver, Washington released a 165 page report in March 2008 that stated, “Las Vegas was one of 10 U.S. locations for which the agency completed reports. Others included Salt Lake City, Dallas, Bexar County and Fort Worth, Texas, the New Orleans area, Clearwater, Florida, Erie County, New York, Independence, Missouri, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.” [viii]
“Federal officials have recognized Las Vegas as an area where human trafficking is a concern, and a cooperative effort was launched in 2006 called the Anti-Trafficking League Against Slavery.” Even with the well-intended effort of the groups involved, there are no local safe houses to protect the victims.
Vegas Under-Reports Problem—Dare I Say “Tourism”?
“There is a huge and growing sex-oriented trafficking problem in Las Vegas. Yet they quickly add that no statistics have ever been gathered and law enforcers never before have made it a top priority—so the scope of the problem still needs to be determined.” [ix]
…Police in the past haven’t paid sufficient attention to the signs that the prostitutes or others they’re investigating may also be trafficking victims—meaning the problem has gone underreported for years.” –Terri Miller, Civilian Director of “Anti Trafficking League Against Slavery”, and Las Vegas Metro Captain, Terry Lesney. [x]
Could this problem be underreported because of the implications that would affect Las Vegas’s TOURISM? There are too many people invested in that moneymaking machine of a town, so it is plausible to assume that many are paid to look the other way. Starting from the top such as politicians and law enforcement all the way down to cab drivers and hotel managers and/or employees.
An anonymous source, who is an employee with Clark County’s law enforcement sector stated, “We’ve had some very sad cases of sex trafficking. Naturally, they don’t report that kind of stuff because it would ruin tourism.”
Everyone can be bought in Vegas.
San Francisco, California
“San Francisco’s liberal attitude towards sex, the city’s history of arresting prostitutes instead of pimps, and its large immigration population have made it one of the top American cities for international sex traffickers to do business undetected, according to Donna Hughes, a national expert on sex trafficking at the University of Rhode Island.” [xi]
Once in California, the women learn too late that the job offer was a ploy. They are beaten into submission, drugged and raped, then transported and hidden inside homes, massage parlors, apartments and basements.
The women are most often locked inside by security doors, watched by video surveillance and guards who analyze their every move and gesture. They are forced to have sex with as many as a dozen men a day. The organization pays crooked taxi drivers and hotel operators who are willing to shuffle the women to their “appointments” and accommodate the pimps.
They are constantly beaten, drugged, raped and starved.
Arizona
Debbie, a 15-year old from Phoenix, got a phone call one evening from a girlfriend who said she was stopping by. Debbie, wearing only her Spongebob pajamas, went outside to her driveway to greet her friend at the car who was with two older men. Debbie’s friend lured her to the car door and the three pulled Debbie into the car. One of the captors ordered Debbie’s friend to tie her up and put tape over her mouth and eyes.
After being drugged and gang raped, Debbie was trapped in one of Phoenix’s toughest areas. She was driven around Phoenix and ordered to prostitute herself, and when she refused, she was raped and kept in a dog kennel for 40 days.
Her traffickers put an ad on Craig’s List for Debbie’s “services”, and shortly thereafter men came all hours of the day and night demanding sex. Debbie was forced to have sex with over 50 men during her 40-day nightmare, not including the pimps who gang raped her on a regular basis.
The pimps told her that they would kill her family, “they even threatened to throw battery acid on her 19-month old niece.” Debbie stated, “After they told me that, I didn’t care what happened to me as long as my family stayed alive.” [xii]
Eventually tips came into the police and the apartment Debbie was kept in was searched, but they couldn’t find Debbie. Luckily, a police officer found her tied up and crushed into a drawer under a bed.
Police arrested two individuals and were only charged with kidnapping and sexual assault. They have pleaded not guilty and the current disposition of their cases is unknown. [xiii]
Georgia
Chelsey lived a seemingly “normal” middle class life with her family in Georgia, but at age 10 her life forever changed when she was sold as a prostitute by her own father. Chelsey’s story is one of redemption. After her escape, she managed to graduate from high school and received a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia. Chelsey is now working on her master’s degree. The following is an excerpt of a journal passage Chelsey wrote during her unfathomable ordeal:
“As I hang from the beam of a dim, musky, cold basement, I think of as many descriptive words as possible for the body parts I loathe the most. I have endured 14 hands, 70 fingers, all the while my hands are tied. They are numb from being laced above my head and are exhausted from supporting the rest of my body. I am naked, beaten, bleeding, and alone. Sunshine creeps in through the holes in the shades and amplifies my new wounds. I am coming down from a large dose of cocaine and I hope that at least one pair of hands returns to feed me some more. I close my eyes because the drips of sun, of life hurt, and I begin thinking of names of presidents and countries. Dusk approaches with footsteps. I count 14 feet, 70 toes, returning for another round. I inhale, I exhale, I brace myself. I close my eyes, ask silently for death, and hope they have enough blow to get me through the night. I am twelve years old.” [xiv]
Rate Your State
U.S. Current and Pending State Laws on Human Trafficking
The U.S. Policy Alert on Human Trafficking charts current and pending state laws in regards to human trafficking. Polaris Project gathered information in regards to whether or not each state had (a) prosecution for human trafficking, (b) a state task force, (c) research commission, (d) law enforcement training, and (e) victim protection.
“U.S. states with no existing law or pending legislation specifically addressing human trafficking: Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.” [xv]
Hawaii is the only listed state that does not have any laws prosecuting human traffickers, in addition to no law enforcement training and no victim protection.
States With No Human Trafficking Task Force[xvi]
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
States with no Human Trafficking Law Enforcement Training [xvii]
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Washington State
States with no Human Trafficking Victim Protection [xviii]
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Virginia
“Loverboys”—a/k/a “Pimps in disguise”
Many women lured and trapped in sex trafficking are brought by “loverboys”. These are men who befriend women and even engage in false relationships in order to win a woman’s trust, who then in turn releases them to the actual pimp. These are the men who control the women on a daily basis, through orders of the “head trafficker”, the man in charge. This is the man who decides which girls go where, and most often are the “head of operations” via their “legitimate” business fronts such as beauty parlors, hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies that are scattered throughout the entire United States.
Women Used as Traffickers
Believe it or not, a large amount of traffickers are women themselves. They are used to coerce naïve girls and young women into going with them for various jobs. Many claim modeling opportunities for the girls, where they are then tricked into going overseas or to a mansion used as a “front” in the method of their coercion. Once the bait is taken, the girls are beaten, drugged, kidnapped and sold. The woman trafficker gets her “cut” and she walks away looking for more vulnerable women and children.
Why Use Women as “Ploys”?
Using a woman as a trafficker is a fool proof way of obtaining a child or young woman’s false sense of security; simply because she is a woman. The woman predator is easily believed because the victims don’t perceive her as a threat. Children and women trust women more than they would a man who would offer the same things: opportunities of jobs, modeling, traveling around the world, making money to help their families or build their lives.
America’s Culpability
Let’s take into consideration the “supply and demand” aspect of why sex trafficking and forced prostitution is such a lucrative business. It is the high demand of these “services” that men command, and unfortunately, many of the solicitors are male American citizens.
There would be no sex trafficking and exploitation if there weren’t a need for it.
Who are these men? Why do they think this is ok? Maybe the latter question is something we will never know or understand.
Let’s Get to the “Root of the Problem”—the Solicitors
Dr. Jerry Albom
Meet Dr. Jerry Albom, a middle-aged radiologist from Oklahoma. Dr. Albom decided to take a trip before starting his new job at medical facility on the island of Guam. His destination? A secret. His family, friends and colleagues think he’s going to Bangkok. But he’s really going to Cambodia…his favorite and most frequented travel locales where he can have cheap sex with young teen girls.
Dr. Albom is a “child sex tourist”.
He is one of thousands of adults who travel overseas every year to sexually exploit children, some as young as five years old.
The majority of sex tourists are adult males from more industrialized countries who travel to lesser developed countries where laws are weakly enforced and sex is cheap and readily available. According to recent reports, Americans comprise an estimated 25% of all sex tourists. In countries such as Cambodia and Costa Rica, the percentage of American sex tourists jumps to 38% and 80%, respectively. [xix]
“Many impoverished countries rely on sex trafficking as a source of real income, and in effect, often have a vested interest in maintaining the status-quo…countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, the ‘sex sector’ accounts for anywhere between 2 and 14 percent of national income.” [xx]
“In many countries…the lack of political will and the abundance of corruption among government and law enforcement officials…undermine efforts to enact stronger laws and harsher punishments for perpetrators of child sex crimes.”
As a result, in countries where corruption is rampant, public officials are often part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
A new report released by the humanitarian organization World Vision—Cambodia indicates that ‘many high ranking officers [in the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism] are involved in child sex tourism and the sexual exploitation of children and even support the activities of child sex traffickers.” [xxi]
PART ONE:
“Usually I buy out three girls for 50 bucks. Take ‘em for the whole night.”
Albom warns the undercover sex tourist not to tell his educated friends “who read” because they will know about the area’s reputation. He states, “Don’t tell them where you’re going…tell them you’re going to Bangkok. And then come here very discreetly.”
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
PART TWO:
Albom Confronted With Hidden Video
“I don’t want to participate and make judgments of something I may have said when I was drunk, or…or, may have been slipped a pill, who knows?”
“Drunk or slipped a pill…that’s your defense?”
“Yes.”
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Bottom Line
You don’t have to be a politician, law enforcement, or part of some special group to make a difference. As a citizen…just be aware. Take notice. If you see something strange, odd, or just not right, do something! Say something! If nothing is done, call the local media! Spread the word within the community until something is done.
We, as American citizens need to take part in the responsibility of protecting these innocent children and women. Let’s officially put our U.S. politicians ON NOTICE, educate your family and friends on human trafficking, and make some noise!
[i] ABC News, “Teen Girls Stories of Sex Trafficking in the U.S.”, June 2006
[ii] Department of Justice—“More Than 1,200 Alleged Incidents of Human Trafficking Reported in the U.S.”, January 15, 2009
[iii] May, “San Francisco is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave”, October 2006
[iv] ABC News, “Teen Girls Stories of Sex Trafficking in the U.S.”, June 2006
[v] Polaris Project, “U.S. Police Alert on Human Trafficking—Summary of U.S. Policy Activity”, July 2007
[vi] May, “San Francisco is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave”, October 2006
[vii] Adapted from N.Y.’s Hidden Trafficking, Metro, 21 June 2009.http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/865
[viii] Associated Press, “Report: Las Vegas a Hub for Child Sex Trafficking”, March 2008
[ix] Adapted from: Sam Skolnik, “Do we have a human trafficking problem? Justice Department names Las Vegas among 17 most likely destinations.” Las Vegas Sun, January 29, 2007
[x] Id.
[xi] May, “San Francisco is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave”, October 2006
[xii] ABC News, “Teen Girls’ Stories of Sex Trafficking in U.S., February 2006
[xiii] Id.
[xiv] Wagner, Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Untold Horrors”, June 2009
[xv] Polaris Project, “U.S. Police Alert on Human Trafficking—Summary of U.S. Policy Activity”, July 2007
[xvi] Id.
[xvii] Id.
[xviii] Id.
[xix] Susan Song, “Children as Tourist Attractions”, Global Child Sex Tourism,http://www.yapi.org/rpchildsextourism.pdf
[xx] Klain, “Prostitution of Children and Child Sex Tourism”
July 08, 2009
CRUISE INDUSTRY CAVES TO GOVERNMENT PRESSURE ON CRUISE SHIP SECURITY & SAFETY ACT
Cruise ship industry reverses stance, backs federal safety bill
Oh wow...the cruise ship industry is finally backing John Kerry's legislation, The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.
I'd say the only reason why the cruise industry are supporting this bill is because their backs are against the wall...this is an obvious PR move to save their reputation and further profits.
There has been too much negative publicity in the last few years regarding cruise ship horrors such as murders, missing persons (who always seem to "fall off the ship"), rapes, assaults, and other crimes that occur on their vessels.
It would be business suicide not to back this law, and I believe that is the only reason why they are succumbing to the pressure. If the cruise ship industry had their way, they would continue their path of money over passenger safety.
I applaud John Kerry for his continued efforts. Finally someone has stood up to the plate to fight this industry and stop their shady practices.
--Michelle Says So
The nation's cruise ship industry, in a turnaround from its long-standing position that no additional government oversight is needed, endorsed proposed federal safety legislation Monday, paving the way for increased security measures on cruise ships.
The Senate recently held a hearing on cruise ship safety, prompted by the disappearance of Merrian Carver of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her dad Kendall ("Ken"), president of the International Cruise Victims Association, was there to tell her story.
Cruise Lines International Assn., the industry's chief lobbying and advocacy organization representing 24 member cruise lines, sent a letter of support to Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), one of the bill's sponsors. Association President Terry Dale said in the letter that he would work to ensure the passage of the comprehensive security bill.
If it passes, the bill would make shipboard crime reporting mandatory and require installation of security latches and peepholes on cabin doors. Ship physicians would also have to be trained in sexual assault examinations.
Ken Carver
Ken Carver called the shift "a historic moment...I think they've really taken a lot of heat, and I'm glad to see them joining forces," Carver said, adding that he believes with the cruise industry's backing the bill will pass.
The $38-billion-a-year industry had maintained that cruises were one of the safest forms of vacationing and that its own self-regulation was adequate. But in recent years, after several high-profile reports of missing persons and sexual assaults, cruise lines had increasingly come under scrutiny.
If the bill passes, it would be a significant victory for safety advocates who have long alleged that the industry skirts regulation by registering its vessels in foreign countries to avoid U.S. labor laws and income tax.
The industry requested one major concession: deletion of an amendment to the Death on the High Seas Act that would have allowed surviving relatives to recover damages for emotional suffering and bereavement, as well as any pain and suffering the victim may have experienced before death.
Under the existing law, survivors of people who die at sea can recover only lost wages or burial expenses. If a retired person died, for example, family members would get little if any money, Miami maritime attorney James Walker said.
The legislation would also clarify the long-debated issue of crime reporting. The bill would establish a reporting structure based on the current voluntary reporting guidelines.
Each ship would be required to maintain a logbook to record all deaths, missing persons, alleged crimes, and complaints of theft, sexual harassment and assault. That data would also be posted on a website maintained by the Coast Guard.
The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008
July 05, 2009
TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX ON CRAIG'S LIST
TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX?
OR IS IT THE PREDATORS?
I understand the "supply and demand" culture of the sex industry. What I don't understand is HOW easily this can happen to anyone. Should Craig's List or Facebook be blamed for these atrocities? They are just portals...pimps can find victims anywhere. The internet just makes it easier for them.
(CANADA)--Girls under the age of 18 are selling sex on Craigslist, according to police in North Vancouver, and are likely forced into it after falling under the influence of a sex-trafficking ring.
North Vancouver RCMP are reporting a spike in underage sex trade workers on the North Shore, some as young as 13, who claim to be 18 or older in their online ads.
Benjamin Perrin, a University of British Columbia professor who is an expert on human trafficking for the sex trade, said police have identified a dozen victims so far in North Vancouver alone." Police believe there are many more victims, many of them are under the control of what we're being told is a sex- and drug-trafficking ring," Perrin said Tuesday on CTV's Canada AM.
According to North Vancouver RCMP Const. Shannon Kitchen, some girls, but not all, are working alone and not under the control of a pimp." In some cases we've been told about initially a relationship that's been considered maybe a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. And then that relationship's turned into, 'now you're working for me, you owe me money,'" Kitchen told CTV Vancouver.
Many of the ads are explicit, Perrin said, and put the girls in a vulnerable position as they promise unprotected sex." These young girls are being exposed to very serious health risks," Perrin said. He also points out that while some of the girls come from troubled homes and communities, which makes them particularly vulnerable to sex traffickers, others hail from stable families and well-off neighbourhoods.
"So parents really need to look out for warning signs too, like new friendships with people who are not just male but also possibly female, giving large gifts, (having) a new cellphone that's always being answered at any time of the day," Perrin said.
He also said that the problem is not relegated to young girls in North Vancouver. Teenagers across Canada are using online tools to sell sex, he said. Perrin said young women are often recruited through social networking websites such as Facebook, which offer ample opportunities for sex traffickers to prey on vulnerable girls."We know that sex traffickers have used Facebook as well as a tactic to identify vulnerable individuals and once they're part of a school network, Facebook does the work for them," he said.
Perrin said he has also met with officials from both the RCMP and Craigslist to express concern about how easy it is for underage girls to pose as adults.
Craigslist has shut down its erotic services section in the U.S. and now has an adult section that requires users to identify themselves. This is not available yet on the Canadian site. "We're really hoping Craigslist will step up," Perrin said.
June 30, 2009
MAN SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS FOR FILMING RAPES OF UNCONSCIOUS WOMEN
John Xydias drugged various women and graphically filmed his sexual attacks on them. He made himself the star of his own pornographic movies, directing crude remarks at his unconscious victims and occasionally bringing his face in close and leering at the lens.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Marilyn Warren, who viewed a compilation of 17 tapes said he had reduced the women to "sexual rag dolls" who he dressed in lingerie and moved into various positions. She said he carefully planned the attacks spanning 15 years, and by filming the women had "humiliated, degraded and defiled their humanity".
Justice Warren yesterday sentenced Xydias, 45, to serve 28 years' jail, with a non-parole period of 20 years.
Prosecutors have labelled him one of Victoria's worst sex offenders and the nature of his offending "unprecedented".
He pleaded guilty to 86 charges, comprising 25 of rape and 61 of sexual assault, in a series of sex attacks on 11 victims between 1991 and 2006.
Xydias has not been diagnosed with any mental illness, but a psychologist described him as emotionally "disconnected". His face was blank as he stared straight ahead during the 90-minute sentencing hearing.
Justice Warren stated that said Xydias had shown little or no empathy for his victims and, in fact, blamed them for pursuing criminal charges, telling a psychiatrist they were seeking revenge for him not marrying or continuing relationships with them. Others were "rotten eggs" who abused alcohol and drugs, Xydias claimed.
She continued, "You present as an inoffensive, humble and modest individual, yet on the films you are seen to change into a sinister and depraved man whose demeanour and conduct would shock and frighten the community."
He told police the sex had been consensual, despite the women clearly being unconscious on the tapes. Two of his victims were brave enough to turn up to court to see Xydias sentenced. They heard explicit accounts of his attacks, described by Justice Warren as "obscene".
ONCE UNAWARE, NOW TRAUMATIZED
One woman collapsed, crying, into the arms of a supporter, after seeing Xydias, standing in the dock as his penalty for each of the 86 charges was announced. Many of the women, aged between 19 and 39, met Xydias socially and were unaware they had been attacked until they were shown the videos by police. Four remain unidentified.
Victim impact statements by five women revealed their continuing suffering. One woman suffers nightmares and flashbacks after being shown footage of her assault. She has contemplated suicide and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Another woman said watching the footage was one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. "I had to walk out of the room. I was having a panic attack and couldn't breathe after realising that it was me in the video … I felt dirty, ashamed, disgusted and violated."
...Psychiatrist Danny Sullivan said "a very strong interest in pornography" was a potent factor in the offending. He recommended that Xydias be considered for treatment with anti-libidinal drugs (Michelle Says So: That's a nice word for what is known as a "chemical castration") before his release from custody.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/28-years-jail-for-filmed-rapes-of-drugged-women-20090630-d3sj.html
OTHER INFAMOUS "RAPIST VIDEO PHOTOGRAPHERS"
Andrew Luster, Max Factor Heir and Rapist
Andrew Luster, the heir to the Max Factor cosmetic fortune was a golden child. He had it made from birth. However, Luster took that golden opportunity and threw it away after he developed some very dirty and vile secrets...criminal secrets that he kept on tape in order for him to relive the crime over and over again for his sexual gratification.
Luster lived off his inheritance and never had a real job. He lived along the beach and was a "surf bum" that liked to hang out at bars with women 10-15 years younger than him. He liked them young, helpless, naive and drunk.
His "M.O." (modus operandi) was GHB. He would innocently flirt with girls and drug the drinks he would buy for them. When they were obviously drugged, he would cart them off like a knight in shining armor, but instead of taking them home, he took them to his home. His rape lair.
After the girls were rendered unconscious he would video tape the assaults.
One video showed a 22-year old victim positioned on the bed "limp as a rag doll" in various sexual positions. He was seen inserting objects into her vagina, including a smoking marijuana cigarette, a candle and plastic saber...he sodomizes her." (Source)
Another video showed Luster having sex with a 17-year old girl who was "unconscious and audibly snoring." Luster looks at the camera and repeats, "I dream about this: a strawberry blonde passed out on my bed, waiting for me to do with her what I will." (Source)
Ten other women came forward and accused Luster of the same crime, but the Ventury County prosecutors limited the charges to just three women. He was charged with 88 counts of sexual assault and other crimes.
LUSTER THE NARCISSIST SOCIOPATH
"My life has been ruined because police and prosecutors jumped to conclusions...They're doing this to punish me for my lifestyle, which doesn't fit in with their conservative values...They allowed the case to go forward to boost their careers." (Source)
Luster even called one of his victims "a total nut" and a "fun loving nymph". "If the DA files charges, it's going to a jury, and she's going to look like a fool. I'm going to get a top-notch lawyer and she'll get cross-examined and ripped to pieces." (Source)
According to Dr. Judy Kuriansky, a clinical psychologist, "When you have sex with an unconscious person, it means that you cannot emotionally tolerate the exchange that is necessary with a real person--dealing with feelings and needs and giving back to the person...it is infantile, hostile and shows inability to respect women...you are the boss and power. Women do your bidding and cannot complain. You can do anything you want and not suffer the consequences."
"Luster's repeated behavior was compulsive to the point of being out of control--indicative of a 'real personality disorder", Kuriansky stated. (Source)
The trial began on December 16, 2002, and just before the holidays, the judge ordered a two-week recess.
When the trial resumed in January Luster was GONE.
But the trial went on without him. On January 21, 2003, the jury took two days to reach a guilty verdict. Luster was found guilty on 86 counts of rape, sexual assault and poisoning. "The judge sentenced Luster to consecutive six-year sentences on each of the 20 rape counts, plus four for poisoning--a total of 124 years in prison." (Source)
"DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER"--WHERE IS LUSTER?
In 2003, a tip came from an American tourist claiming to have seen Luster living in Puerto Vallarta and hanging out at the clubs going by the name of "David Carrera". The fugitive only lasted six months on the lam, and was apprehended on June 18, 2003, by the infamous bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman.
Luster now spends the rest of his days in California's Wasco State Prison.
Hopefully Luster is someone else's "fun loving nymph" now!
June 26, 2009
MICHELLE VILBORG: OVERBOARD OR FOUL PLAY?
More stories are coming out everyday about some cruise ship mishap. Nothing gets solved and everyone is reported to have "fallen off the ship".
For the past four years I have been exploring the dark side of "vacation paradise"...the luxury cruise. Over the last few years, major media coverage has come out about these unsolved incidents and covered infamous cases such as the young, handsome honeymooner, George Smith.
The most baffling thing to me? Cruise Ships ARE NOT REQUIRED to report crime that occurs on their vessel. They are free and clear once they pass that international waters border. Travelers assume "I'm American! I have my rights!"
Sorry to tell you, when you leave the United States, you HAVE NO RIGHTS.
I have absolutely made the conclusion that the cruise business covers up crimes and doesn't investigate throughly and does what they can to make them go away.
Before you read the following story, check out these past stories I've posted regarding cruise ship crime.
Cruise Ship Companies vs. The U.S. Government
The Case of Mindy Jordan
The Case of Dianne Brimble
Miscellaneous Cruise Ship Disasters
(BAY MINETTE, Ala.) June 24 - He was on a cruise with his wife when she disappeared. Now, a Bay Minette man is telling his side of the story. 50-year-old Michelle Vilborg is believed to have fallen overboard from the Mobile-based "Holiday" cruise ship, last Monday night.
A cruise to Cozumel was how the Vilborg and her husband, Swede, wanted to celebrate their 30 years together and celebrate Michelle's 50th birthday.
"It was a spur of the moment thing, just something that we did," Swede Vilborg said. "I hugged her, told her I loved her," Michelle's son, Eric, said. "She danced to the car and was, you know, excited to go."
Around 11 p.m., on the couple's first night aboard the Holiday, Michelle disappeared. Swede recalled the last moments he saw his wife. She was going to jump in the shower He was going to sleep.
"I'm laying in the bed, I can hear the water turn on, and I dozed off," Vilborg said. Vilborg said he woke up 45 minutes later and Michelle was gone.
"Personally, I think there is foul play involved," Vilborg said. "Someone knocked on the door. She is gullible. I honestly believe that's what happened. I don't know why she didn't wake me up or push me or say somebody is here."
He says someone heard a splash. Officials told everyone to go back to their rooms.
Vilborg does not believe his wife committed suicide or that she fell overboard. He also says he had nothing to do with her disappearance. "Are you serious?" Vilborg asked. "Of course not. That's the craziest question I've ever heard. I fell asleep for 45 minutes. That's my crime right there. I fell asleep for 45 minutes. I didn't wait for her to come to bed. I just fell asleep. It's the only time I cannot account for."
Michelle's body has not been found. Her son, Eric, just wants to know what happened to his mother. "I feel a little bit of hope," he said. "Nobody has found her. Maybe some small boat picked her up. You hope that, but you know it's not true. It's hard to lose one of your best friends and your mother at the same time."
The Coast Guard called off the search for Vilborg last Thursday after combing an area the size of Delaware 70 miles southwest of Pensacola, Florida.
June 24, 2009
STUDY: MEN LACK SYMPATHY FOR RAPE VICTIMS
As a two time rape victim myself, I would have to agree with this finding. Personally, I find it's only the men who have been sexually assaulted themselves or molested as a child who are the minority in these ignorant attitudes.
Here's MY questions to the "men" out there who lack sympathy for rape victims:
1. Do you have a daughter?
2. Do you have a mother?
3. Do you have a sister?
4. Do you have a wife/girlfriend?
Imagine the horror if any of those women in your life were victimized in such a heinous manner. How would you feel then? What would you do? Sit back and do nothing? Or stand by them and seek justice? Would you walk away?
Think about it, and be honest with yourself.
Unless you are a complete sociopath, I'd be willing to bet that most men would want to go after the attacker, utilizing overzealous "manly" vengeance, violence and threats stemming from a "testosterone-high".
Those male fears of their loved ones considered as "used" non-virginal trash, the "Scarlet Letter" reputation, society seeing them as "whores", rejected as "non-marriage material--a/k/a, the "Madonna/Whore Complex" have been around for centuries and still shape attitudes.
I'd like to think for most men, anger and empathy should be an inherent reaction to protect the women in their lives.
Society judging and disrespecting the women they love and respect is their biggest fear.
The most important part of my job as a mother raising a young son is to teach him respect and admiration towards women. We give life to our sons, why do some adapt such a cruel thought/belief pattern against the kind gender that brought them life, nurtured them, loved them unconditionally and taught them to be decent adults?
Where, as a society, have we gone wrong?
Yes, it is official...chivalry in every aspect is dead.
STUDY REVEALS MEN LACK SYMPATHY FOR RAPE VICTIMS
June 24, 2009
British Psychological Society
Men blame male victims of rape for not fighting off their attacker. This is one of the findings of Dr Michelle Davies and Dr Paul Rogers from University of Central Lancashire who will present their research at the British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference today, Wednesday 24th June 2009. The conference is being held the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.
This study focussed on attitudes of blame towards rape victims in different scenarios, including drug-assisted-rape.
301 participants (150 men and 151 women, with an average age 23) read a scenario in which victim gender, sexuality, and whether the victim was awake or asleep at the time of the assault were manipulated. They were than asked to complete a questionnaire on blame.
The results showed that men had less sympathy for rape victims overall and tended to blame the victim more than women did. In particular men were blamed for not fighting back.
VERY SURPRISING AND TELLING ATTITUDE
The men questioned in the study classed assaults on gay men as the least serious especially if the victim was conscious.
Dr Davies commented: 'Rape is a heinous crime and the process of gaining a conviction can be almost as traumatic. Knowing certain victims in certain situations are blamed more than others gives those involved in treating victims a "head start" in knowing what types of reactions victims might face.'
The conference is being held at the University of Central Lancashire from the 23rd to 25th July.
Source
British Psychological Society
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155181.php
June 23, 2009
GUEST BLOGGER: ANGELA DOVE SHARES HER FAMILY'S PERSONAL ANGUISH
Guest blogger: Angela Dove, author of No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder (Berkley/Penguin 2009).
Before Jacquelyn MacDonald’s daughter was killed, she led a fairly normal life. She was a retired nurse, a grandmother, a small British woman with an even smaller voice. But when her older daughter, Debi Whitlock, was killed in a brutal and baffling murder in 1988, Jacque says, “I became the mouth that learned to roar.”
Debi Whitlock was killed in her Modesto, California home with a knife from the kitchen while her 3-year-old daughter slept undisturbed only a few feet away. There was no sign of forced entry, no sign of struggle, and the investigation soon stalled. But Jacque needed answers. She launched a one-woman crusade to find Debi’s killer—and succeeded. Nine years after the murder, Jacque’s efforts resulted in the capture and conviction of her daughter’s killer. Meanwhile, she started helping other survivors through her local television and radio show, “The Victim’s Voice,” which is now broadcast to millions of homes throughout California’s Central Valley. In 2007 Jacque received the National Crime Victims’ Service Award, and next month she’ll be recognized by Arnold Schwarzenegger with the California Governor’s Award for Advocacy.
I was honored when Jacque asked me to write her story, but I had some reservations. Debi Whitlock had been married to my father when she was murdered. She was my stepmother and the mom of my younger half-sister, and I was the last person to see her alive.
Now an award-winning columnist in NC, I began researching the homicide investigation and how Jacque had supplemented those efforts. It was during that process that I discovered the many solid reasons my father had been the top suspect to his wife’s murder. Dad had died in 2001, but for years before his untimely end I had sensed his anger and sadness. And secrecy. Now I had the missing pieces of the puzzle: when Jacque MacDonald, the avenging mother and hero of these events, finally found justice for her daughter, she had also cleared my father’s name.
My book, No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder, is a daughter’s account of how one act of violence shattered lives, made heroes, and continues to affect change in the world.
No Room for Doubt is available at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon:
For more information, visit www.AngelaDove.com
Angela Dove
June 14, 2009
TYLER HAYES WEINMAN--A FUTURE SERIAL KILLER?
Serial Killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, and Albert DiSalvo (The Boston Strangler) are known to have killed and tortured animals as children before moving on to their human victims. Obviously, there are many factors that lead someone to murder or serial killing, but that constant link is animal abuse.
It has been researched and noted by the FBI that there is a correlation between serial killers and animal abuse/torture. They have linked animal cruelty to domestic violence, child abuse and serial killings.
A study done by North Eastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to abuse humans than people who do not.
A majority of people on death row for murder admit to having abused animals as children.
MIAMI - A South Florida teenager was arrested early Sunday and accused of killing and mutilating the cats of his neighbors — a disturbing string of deaths that has horrified residents and shaken animal lovers in two Miami-area communities.
Tyler Hayes Weinman, 18, was taken into custody at a party, police said.
"In the past month, residents in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods have reported finding more than two dozen cats killed and mutilated. Some of the dead cats were missing fur — neighbors said some had been skinned — and appeared to have been cut with a sharp, straight instrument, police said.
"It's shocking to think that someone who lives right here and is our neighbor could do something like this," said Thomas Shad, whose small black cat, Miss Kitty, was among those killed. Shad, whose house is near Weinman's, said he had suspected a local resident might be behind the killings, which were first reported in May.
Police said they have been watching the house where Weinman stays with his mother, and neighbors said he was taken to the police station for an interview on his prom night a few weeks ago.
HE MISSED THE PROM--A RUINED MAN FOR LIFE?
Weinman was still wearing a tuxedo when officers whisked him away that night, they said, and he missed the dance."If they do get the wrong guy and it's not him, they've ruined his life as it is right now," said 19-year-old Kyle Hantzis, who lives next door to Weinman.
Twice arrested as a juvenile
Hantzis, who said his father dates Weinman's mother, called the teenager quiet and well-spoken. Authorities said Weinman was spending his summer doing odd jobs, and an online profile on Facebook.com says that he graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High this spring.
By Sunday afternoon, there was already a group on the popular social networking Web site which listed its name in all capital letters as "Tyler Weinman Cat Mutilator! Justice For Miami Cat Mutilations!"
Police said Weinman was twice arrested as a juvenile, though they said they could not provide details about his previous run-ins with the law. Hantzis said he had a hard time picturing the teen as a serial cat killer."I don't think, the way he acts and his demeanor, I don't think he could physically do it."
RELATED STORY--A VERY DISTURBED TEEN
June 11, 2009
"TMI" NOT A GOOD IDEA FOR TWITTER OR FACEBOOK
Since I am an advocate of the Colorado company, FACE FILE, I am using this opportunity to inform everyone of these potential dangers that we do every day without a second thought. These tips could save yourself from a potentially harmful situation.
CONSIDER IT--IT'S POSSIBLE
If you are a Twitter or Facebook user, most of us are guilty of this.
TMI. Too much information.
“Hey all! I’m going to Chicago this weekend!”
“I’m off to a party!”
“Going on vacation for a week!”
We innocently tell our “friends” what we are doing and where we are going constantly. Our society is at an all-time high with the insurmountable and overwhelming abundance of “information overload”.
You are thinking, “It’s not a big deal….these are my ‘friends’, right?”
I challenge you to look closely at your entire friend list on Twitter or Facebook. Sure, you’ve got your real “friends and family”, but I’d be willing to bet you have people listed as “friends” you barely know, are slight acquaintances with, or maybe just “internet friends” you “think” you know, but in reality DON’T know.
One internet site discussed this very topic and a commenter wrote:
“My best friends are people I've met online. Met one on WoW and have known him for 2 years, and the other…I've known him for nearly 5 years. I feel closer to both of these people than anybody I know…and I don't see that ever changing.”
Be honest with yourself. Do you really KNOW these people? Is the innocent “twittering” and “facebook updates” regarding your personal information getting into the wrong hands?
What if?
“I’m going to a party at 222 Walnut St. tonight!”
Suppose someone on your “friend list” sees the information of your evening excursion? What if this information becomes the direct cause of an assault, rape, robbery or any other criminal victimization against you?
What if?
“I’m headed to Hawaii for a week! Can’t wait!”
What if that “friend” reads that you will be gone for an extended time; right down to the details of when you will be gone, and when you will return. Knowing your house or apartment will be empty is a criminal’s dream come true. It’s not hard to locate a person’s address online; thus you may have a potential burglary at hand.
By giving too much “TMI”, this will only set you up for a potentially bad or harmful situation. If you feel it necessary to tell friends you will be out of town or what you are planning on doing or going, think about emailing them individually.
Face File’s Motto: “It’s better to be safe than sorry”.
Visit www.face-file.com for more personal safety and crime deterrent information.
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