April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
KARA reports on the issues of invisible children
These articles compiled by Former CASA Guardian Ad Litem Mike Tikkanen
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All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children
INVISIBLECHILDREN – KARA (KIDS AT RISK ACTION
These articles and videos about child abuse, self-harm, and child protection display a profound need for more of us to be involved in caring for at risk children. Change is needed and it won’t come until more of us give voice to voiceless children.
Find an article or video that strikes you as important and send it to your State Rep or County Commissioner (find them here). It just takes a minute.
For those of you interested in improving our Child Protection Systems (CPS), helpful ideas appear at bottom of the reporting.
| Most sudden infant deaths involved unsafe sleep habits, study finds – The Washington Post
The Washington Post The analysis mirrors known risk factors for sudden infant death. Current recommendations say infants should sleep on firm, flat, level sleep … Study: Unsafe Sleep Practices Linked To Most Sudden Infant Deaths – KFF Health News – KFF Health News
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Baby sleep dangers revealed in new study as nearly 70% of infant deaths were due to co-sleeping Fox News … infant deaths were due to co-sleeping. Allowing a baby to share a bed with someone else drives up the risk of sudden infant death, warns Dr. Marc …
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| Alabama day care worker charged with murder in infant’s death – al.com
AL.com The infant died after being found unresponsive Monday at the Tender Years day care in Demopolis.
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| Alabama day care worker charged with murdering infant – WSFA
WSFA Demopolis police say …
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| Documents: Airway Heights nanny gave police 16 different explanations for infant’s death
KREM.com … baby, not alerting the baby’s parents of the situation and blaming the infant’s death on his two-year-old brother. Documents also accuse Arger of …
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| State Police investigate infant death in South Glens Falls – Times Union
Times Union … death of an infant Tuesday morning in a village home. Police were called to the home at 11:30 a.m. to assist EMS with an unresponsive infant. The baby …
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| Mom accused of abusing 3-month-old daughter after twin sister’s death, Texas cops say
Miami Herald Mother in Austin, Texas, is accused of abusing her 3-month-old baby after a police investigation into the death of the child’s twin sister.
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| Man charged with infant’s overdose death | FOX 2
FOX 2 The coroner’s report said the infant died of acute fentanyl and cocaine intoxication and ruled the death as accidental. Robinson agreed to a urine …
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| Father Acquitted of Murder After Infant Died with Skull Injuries, Multiple Rib Fractures
People According to local Riverfront Times, the judge at the three-day bench trial found that despite the infant’s death being ruled a homicide by the St.
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| Man charged with infant’s overdose death – Yahoo News
Yahoo News A St. Louis judge has signed an arrest warrant for a man in connection with the overdose death of an infant.
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| Child torture could soon be an specific offense in PA, one of only 14 states without law on the books
Tri-State Alert … child torture in the Commonwealth. “Sometimes, the horror these children experience goes beyond abuse, and we need to give our law enforcement …
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| Parolee accused of raping, torturing child gets new trial date – The Oakland Press
The Oakland Press Parolee accused of raping, torturing child gets new trial date … McDonald, 43, is charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct, torture and …
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Man pleads in child abuse, torture case – WOODTV.com WOODTV.com A man accused of child abuse and torture for using ratchet straps to keep an emaciated 13-year-old girl tethered to her bed in southern Kent …
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Littleton Public School bus aide fired, arrested after Colorado students with autism … – CBS News CBS News These children have been traumatized and tortured because they failed them.” A failure, Jess said, is blatantly obvious in the alarming video she …
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| Former Delaware Co. teacher indicted on charges of criminal sexual activity with children
PressConnects.com … torture, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern … child sex abuse charges after first verdict tossed. Those sanctions included …
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| Kent County couple enter pleas in 2022 abuse of teen girl – WZZM 13
WZZM 13 William Williams pleaded no contest to torture, unlawful imprisonment and two counts of first-degree child abuse on Monday. He will be sentenced …
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| Watch: How Kiarra Jones assaulted specially abled children during bus drive to home
Hindustan Times “The torture and torment of my sweet boy could’ve been stopped,” she lamented. Littleton Public Schools have allegedly ignore the case. The initial …
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Gruesome details emerge in kidnapping, torture, and murder case – WPDE WPDE On Tuesday, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office announced arrests in the kidnapping, torture … child, according to court documents. The …
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| Man pleads no contest to child abuse in teen’s extreme malnourishment – MLive.com
MLive.com William Arthur Williams, 51, submitted the plea on April 8 in Kent County Circuit Court, records show. Williams pleaded to charges of torture, …
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| Couple arrested after 2-year-old is hospitalized in Sacramento with serious injuries
AOL.com A woman and her boyfriend have been arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and torture after the woman’s 2-year-old child was taken to a …
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| Parents plead no contest to killing and torturing their 4-year-old son, Noah Cuatro
Los Angeles Times Jose Cuatro pleaded no contest to first degree murder and torture and faces 32 years to life in prison … child welfare system. Ursula Juarez, 30, and …
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‘Horrific case of child abuse and torture‘ uncovered with help of York Police Department The North Platte Telegraph The abuse was described as “almost indistinguishable from the type of torture that POWs and political prisoners suffered during the Korean War and …
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Parents plead no contest to murder, torture charges of 4-year-old Palmdale boy NBC Los Angeles Parents plead no contest to murder, torture charges of 4-year-old Palmdale boy … Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services is also named as a …
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Noah Cuatro parents agree to guilty pleas in murder, torture of 4-year-old Palmdale boy ABC7 Noah Cuatro parents agree to guilty pleas in murder, torture of 4-year-old Palmdale boy … Related Topics. PALMDALE · LOS ANGELES COUNTY · CHILD ABUSE …
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Noah Cuatro: Parents plead no contest to murder, torture in death of Palmdale boy FOX 11 Los Angeles The parents of Noah Cuatro, who initially claimed their son drowned, pleaded no contest Friday to murder and torture charges in his July 2019 death.
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| Listen: Attorney general joins child torture case against Crosslake woman – Brainerd Dispatch
Brainerd Dispatch Listen: Attorney general joins child torture case against Crosslake woman. Subscribe and listen to the Brainerd Dispatch Minute at brainerddispatch.
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Noah Cuatro’s parents plead no contest in murder, torture of 4-year-old Palmdale boy ABC7 Noah Cuatro’s parents plead no contest in murder, torture of 4-year-old Palmdale boy … Noah’s death was one of several horrific child … “Right now I …
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| Recipient of Child Pornography Sentenced to Six Years in Prison, 10 Years of Supervised Release
Department of Justice … child pornography, some of which depicted the rape and torture of real children as young as toddlers. The sentence, in U.S. District Court for the …
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| Parents plead no contest in 4-year-old Palmdale boy’s death – Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News … torture charges in his July 2019 death. (File … Pasadena-based Hathaway-Sycamores Child … child safety every day in our communities,” the statement …
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| Attorney general joins child torture case against Crosslake mom – Brainerd Dispatch
Pineandlakes … torturing her three young children. Jorden Nicole Borders was initially charged Nov. 21, 2022 , with three serious felony counts of child torture …
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| ‘Spawns of Satan’: Ruby Franke detailed torture of kids in newly released journal | Globalnews.ca
Global News ‘Spawns of Satan’: Ruby Franke detailed torture of kids in newly released journal … This image from video provided by the Utah State Courts shows Ruby …
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‘Horrific case of child abuse and torture‘ uncovered with help of York Police Department York News-Times An investigation lead to officers uncovering the child abuse and torture, which occurred in Texas, police said. The Nebraska Department of Health and …
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| New evidence offers chilling details of Ruby Franke’s abuse – New York Daily News
New York Daily News … child abuse, reveals chilling details of the torture her children faced. Franke, who became known for her popular YouTube channel “8 Passengers …
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| Muskegon County mom who killed son by torture appeals convictions, wants parental rights back
MLive.com Mom says nothing before she’s sentenced to prison for torturing son to death · Mom who tortured son to death has parental rights to youngest child …
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| ‘I will not feed a demon’: Ruby Franke details torture of her children in newly released journals
St George News … child abuse, outlines the “training” process that resulted in the torture and abuse of Franke’s two youngest children. A view of Jodi …
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| York Police assist in investigation that led to conviction of Texas man for torturing children
KOLN A Texas man arrested in …
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| Child murdered at Kalikavu subjected to brutal torture, reveals post-mortem – The Hindu
The Hindu Child murdered at Kalikavu subjected to brutal torture, reveals post-mortem … torturing the child. March 26, 2024 08:30 pm | Updated 08:30 pm IST …
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| Parts of YouTuber Ruby Franke’s Journal Detailing Abuse Released – People
People YouTuber Ruby Franke detailed days of child abuse and torture in a journal, parts of which have now been released by authorities in Utah.
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| ‘Children being subjected to torture across Bengal since 2021 Assembly polls’: NCPCR in …
The Indian Express ‘Children being subjected to torture across Bengal since 2021 Assembly polls’: NCPCR in report to President Murmu. State minister calls it a …
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| Missing 3-year-old is found covered in sores, unable to eat, MN cops say. Mom charged
Kansas City Star Red Lake Nation mother arrested, charged with torture when authorities locate son covered in wounds, barely able to walk or eat: MN cops.
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| Harrison County man gets 10 life sentences for torturing children – KLTV
KLTV David Michael Calhoun …
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Cooke County man gets 10+ life sentences for torturing children – FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth A North Texas man was given more than 10 life sentences for torturing several children similar to the way POWs and political prisoners were …
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| Red Lake woman charged with child assault, torture after Amber Alert – MPR News
MPR News A 35-year-old Red Lake woman is facing charges of child assault and neglect in connection with an Amber Alert issued for an abducted child last …
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| Child torture, other charges filed against Red Lake mother who sparked AMBER Alert
Bring Me The News A Red Lake woman is accused of child torture and other felonies after allegedly abducting her three-year-old son, who law enforcement found Friday …
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| Cooke County man gets life sentence for torturing kids | wfaa.com
WFAA Man convicted, gets 10+ life sentences for torturing children in Cooke County. “The prolonged period of torture that the defendant put the children …
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Man sentenced to life in Cooke County child torture case – KXII KXII A man was sentenced to …
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| Red Lake mother charged with torture and abuse of son who was subject of recent Amber Alert
Star Tribune A Red Lake, Minn., mother is charged with child torture, abuse and neglect in connection with a recent statewide Amber Alert issued for the abduction …
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| Kansas will pay $1M over murder of 7-year-old boy torture victim whose body was fed to pigs
ABC7 Chicago Kansas will pay $1M over murder of 7-year-old boy torture victim whose body was fed to pigs · Related Topics · Child Death · Top Stories …
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| State Laws Set the Tone for Safety and Risk of Suicide Among LGBTQ Youth
Research Horizons – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Suicide attempts are 18% lower when states clearly include sexual orientation and gender identity in antibullying laws. States with more gay/straight …
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| Trans boy, 17, who killed himself on mental health ward felt ‘worthless’ – The Guardian
The Guardian … suicide attempts, which were getting worse as time went on. Dr Laura Eccleston, the clinical psychologist in charge of the ward, described Charlie …
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| Mom defends Queens 16-year-old arrested for punching woman down church steps as a ‘good boy‘
New York Daily News The suicide attempt occurred just before the suspect was due to be arraigned on robbery and assault charges for the brutal mugging of Irene …
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| (Opinion) NH adults need to support, protect LGBTQ+ children – NH Business Review
NH Business Review But let’s be clear that the overarching reason that suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are more prevalent in our LGBTQ+ kids is not because they …
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| 6-year-old girl stabbed; mother also has knife wounds in possible murder-suicide attempt
Japan Today … suicidal adults murdering or attempting to murder precious and innocent children. ZERO excuses for harming children. I just hope the poor …
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‘Van life’ poster child Brianna Madia whose picture-perfect life on the road was blown apart … Daily Mail EXCLUSIVEVan lifer poster child whose life BLEW UP amid accusations of fraud opens up about how misery drove her to attempt suicide. By Lillian …
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| Anselmo murder trial: Victim’s husband and three of her children testify – Daily Commercial
Daily Commercial … suicide attempts in front of the children, neglect, and domestic violence. It was the opposite of Dejah Waite’s earlier testimony. The adult …
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Attempts to replace legal representation prior to Summerlin murder-suicide shooting failed YouTube Comments12 ; Mother who pushed her children onto 405 Freeway described herself as an astrologer. KCAL News · 12K views ; Ellen DeGeneres EXPOSED Hosting …
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| Meet the babies helping to improve childhood health in Liverpool – BBC
BBC ‘I’ve got my daughter back after suicide attempts‘ · Measles jab campaign targets unprotected millions · Inside one of first child ‘excess weight’ …
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| Child sex abuser sentenced to 120 years; judge calls victim a ‘hero’ | KSL.com
KSL News … suicide attempts, and that’s not mentioning mine,” Berkley said. “She has scars up and down both legs.” Because of what happened to her daughter …
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DATA WORTH HAVING (INFORMED DECISIONS)
Together, the KARA board has over 40 years of experience working in, researching, and writing about Child Protective Services.
We are concerned that CPS is creating what it was designed to stop.
This is not about the workers.
They are doing incredibly challenging work that takes a toll on their well-being. Secondary trauma is part of the job, turnover is high, and good results are hard to come by.
This is about institutional transparency and the lack thereof.
The public knows almost nothing about the depth and scope of generational child abuse in the community or the underlying child outcome metrics of CPS.
While the public sees dysfunction caused by under-informed policymakers, it can’t tell lawmakers what needs to be fixed. This is not because they (the public) don’t care or want to know.
It is because the institution doesn’t make important metrics or basic outcomes available. Program managers most often use the HIPPA laws and HR policy to defend their lack of information sharing.
In the Casey Foundation review of MN CPS a few years ago, Dee Wilson called the HIPPA law defense a “red herring” in most cases We do not want names; we want data and descriptions to make informed decisions about policy.
For instance,
In the recent MN investigative report of children murdered while in CPS at the hands of their caregivers, four counties refused to participate, and no county offered up any information not already made public.
A few years before, MN Governor Dayton called out the “catastrophic failure” of CPS in the tortured death of 4-year-old Eric Dean (after 14 reports of abuse made by mandated reporters -the boy was never seen by a social worker) 4 counties were screening out 90% of child abuse calls, social workers were forbidden to review prior histories of a families child abuse when reviewing new cases, the reporter that broke the story told this interviewer how impossibly hard it was getting information from the County about how the boy died.
If it were not for the tenacious reporting of Star Tribunes Brandon Stahl, and serious investigative reporting of MN’s Safe Passage For Children, we would know nothing about the hundreds of children murdered by their caregivers in CPS just as absent the efforts of CASAMN and KARA tattling to the Star Tribune, we would know nothing about the misguided recent two-year battle by management to kick the CASA volunteer Guardian ad Litem program out of MN (making it one of two States not to have a CASA program in the U.S.
Every State has this issue. Too many broken children living dysfunctional lives with little chance of receiving the help they need to have a productive life.
All this to say that informed decisions require outcomes-based data and information. Until we have it, schools, public health and safety, CPS workers and thousands of abused and neglected children will continue to suffer.
Find an article or video in this report that strikes you as important and send it to your State Rep or County Commissioner (find them here).
It just takes a minute. Signup here for KARA’s 9am (Central Time) Friday updates and send a note with your article to your chosen politician or newspaper reporter a weekly habit.
Your voice can give abused children a voice that they do not have
in their homes, the media or the Statehouse.