The Systematic Cover Up of Child Abuse

PCFPC.org outlines exactly how our case was handled and what our children reported was happening to them in Riverside, CA.

I was disturbed when looking at California’s human trafficking website, that reports of crimes go to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. This is the department whose deputies and former Sergeant (allegedly) were abusing children and covered up the crime that our children reported in November of 2015.

You have to wonder how these rings are able to operate for so long, without detection or prosecution of its members. Are they assisted by those who are assigned to protect the public? Corruption exists. It is not an abstract construct or “conspiracy theory”. When laws pass that make it easier for child prostitution to exist on the streets in the Golden state, you have to ask why? What is the aim of our legislators when they pass such bills. Are the consequences considered? Are children just casualties my mere coincidence?

This video may make you wonder “Did California Legalize Child Prostitution?“.

This is also a good read https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WbQSxoBkDuGXvvsiA5FBn4q5LdYVRMiEwxLTnjW0buY/edit?pli=1

 

For more information on our case, you may visit the links associated with RID 1300823 in the main menu.

We must no longer stand for and/or ignore the systematic exploitation of children around the world.

Check out this website if you are interested in details:

MASONIC CHILD ABUSE BY DESIGN

Infiltration

In the website referenced above, it is noted that the many agencies are infiltrated with high ranking members benefiting from child abuse (porn, trafficking, rituals, etc).

I wondered why the reports made to CPS by school staff, therapists, and hospital staff went ignored once contact with the alleged abuser (Bobby David Harris III) was made. All who heard the testimony of our children were initially alarmed, then fell of the earth. The CPS agents representing us from San Bernardino county did not enter a report nor show up in any way shape or form for our children and their reports.

Riverside CPS, who were not assigned to our children sent an agent who had witnessed four hours of interview to testify on the stand. She did not remember what was said. She claimed to have not been paying attention.

I do not think that she was part of the operation in any way. However, for her to make such an outrageous claim, when her only job was to listen and act on their behalf points to some sort of interference.

No report ever made it past the Riverside County Sheriff’s department. And CPS agents remained silent and absent to do their job.

Threats

Our children were told by their father that if they told, he would kill me. This was especially driven into our son when visitation resumed in March of 2016, after nearly four months of no contact with his father.

He became afraid to leave the house and would wet or defecate his clothing. If in public, our son would cling to me, afraid that I would be attacked or killed. I took him to the hospital and he had an X-Ray to see why he could not control his bowel movements before he told me of the threats during supervised visits with his father.

The visits were supervised by the father’s mother, who my son claimed would leave him alone with his father while she and his sister went to the bathroom. That is when his father would make the threats. He said he believed the threats because his father had hurt people before.

He told me that people who participated in the group activities referred to his father as “master”.

I reported these threats to the police, CPS, and to the judge.

I asked for supervised visits and referenced subpoenaed bank statements that showed large (in the 10s of thousands) cash deposits in their father’s bank account. He was granted supervised visits with his mother because he claimed to be “unemployed and broke”. More lies on the pile.

No action was taken. I suppose acknowledging the large cash deposits would come with questions. Who knows?

Drugging

Our children claim to have been regularly given pills or things to drink that made them feel strange. This also made it hard to recall details or made some events they remembered surreal. They both recalled being filmed and claimed that their father kept the videos of them in a safe.

In the site reference above, it claims that children are drugged to confuse their awareness and the validity of their experiences, when/if recounted.

Pedophile Guardians

When children do speak out to people who have no part in the abuse, these people are threatened either by the abusers or their friends in high places. No professional involved would risk their career to accurately account for what they heard our children report.

They remained silent and unprofessional.  Compliant in letting the abusers go free.

Brotherhood Protection

In the web reference, it claims that “It is well documented that even when … abusers are challenged about the alleged abuse they become arrogant …[and]… continue the abuse for many years after. This is due to the fact they know they can continue do what they have always done with impunity as they are fully protected by their ‘Brotherhood’, secret-society ‘friends in high places’.”

I understand intimidation, and protecting one’s family and career from harm by remaining silent. But children will be exploited into perpetuity if no one will speak up.

Rituals

Our children claim to have witnessed many ritualistic behaviors. I’ll leave it there. There is plenty on this elsewhere, and may be a lot to swallow if you are not familiar with ritualistic abuse. I know that took a long while for me to get my head around what they described.

The ‘No Evidence’ Lie

When the police were contacted by the social worker on staff at Kaiser Hospital,  a deputy who our children claim was party to the abuse arrived with a rookie cop. The rookie was put in charge of the investigation until Detective Boyd was assigned.

These handpicked cops ignored the allegations and were biased from the very beginning. Searching their father’s home in two parts, with two weeks in between. In the interim, their father loaded the contents of the un-searched area in to a U Haul truck and hired a professional cleaning company.  Then relied on the fact that “There was No-Evidence”.

This crime was purposely and strategically mishandled from the start. Hard evidence was not found. But our children’s accounts and the response to the abuse, and these outrageous actions by the authorities points to obstruction of justice.

‘Missing’ Files Syndrome

“The Masonic Child Protection Police will conveniently ‘loose’ files of documents and witnesses statements of evidence as well as any film taken of the abuse.”

Besides the fact that our children claimed to have been regularly filmed in sexual and strange situations. None of the video evidence would be found. Even if recovered at the scene, it could have been lost.

Our children’s interview was recorded at the police station in Corona, CA. It was a two hour interview where they said they pointed out where they were touched and described what had happened to them. The DA claimed to have not viewed the tape before not pursuing criminal charges. Where is that tape?

I’ve spoken with family members of a former Sergeant of Riverside County Sheriff’s department. A family friend of their father, and direct supervisor of the deputy the children claimed was involved in the ring. They told me that child pornography was submitted along with his computer to Corona Police. They sat on it for a year and took no action.

His family told me that this is a group of sick men who do sick things and that his group had no boundaries and covered for each other. It was recommended that I take our children and “get out of dodge”.

However, I was confident at that point that our justice system was just that. And that our children would be legally free of the abusers they claimed harmed them.

I was wrong.

Falsified Charges

When Riverside failed to take criminal action on their father, or the men and women they reported filmed and abused them, they also ignored all evidence of trauma from Austin Texas, where the children were being treated.

The judge granted full custody to their father. I was not even allowed to have contact with them. After nearly two years of protecting them and fiercely advocating for justice and their mental health.

When I did not just release my children to the wolves, I was criminalized.  It is not criminal to protect your children from impending and serious danger.

Good Cops Side-tracked

“Decent Non-corrupt Police Child Protection officers can also become involved in the case. As soon as they get suspicious and complain, they are told to shut up and are either removed from the case or they leave the force. The most decent cops become whistle-blowers themselves.”

Whistle-blower Harassment

When I reported the police officers in their involvement in the abuse, and their misconduct in the investigation, I was subject to ongoing and insidious harassment and  surveillance.

I submitted pictures and video reference to the courts of men who followed us home from school, and men who robbed us and tore down our video cameras the day I installed them outside. Their faces were shown. This submission was somehow removed from record, and I could not access my gmail accounts after submitted the video links and images.

Back up everything.

 

Psychiatric Incarcerations for Whistle- blowers

While my ex husband constantly claims I am “crazy”. I have no record or history of mental instability. I have never been treated by a psychiatrist, nor medicated. Although, he has recently. I think the multiple criminal convictions, allegations, and the leaking of the truth about him brought him much mental anxiety.

But they have succeeded in scheduling for my incarceration. Child protection has been misinterpreted as child stealing. This is some circus. But I will not play live threatening games with my children. To do so would indicate mental instability.

 

Pseudo- Incompetence

“The public court enquiry will always ‘find’ Gross incompetence’s and Negligence of the Police and Child Protection Services during their initial and subsequent enquiry’s into the abuse. “

Agencies failed to adequately do their job to represent and protect children at every turn in our case.

“Gross Incompetence and Negligence” is actually “Non-compliance” and “Pseudo-incompetence”.

The ‘loss’ of witnesses statements and crucial documents and film, is in fact the destruction of documents. In our case, no neighbors or those who were named as abusers were questioned.

I spoke to an old friend and neighbor. It was reported to me that other neighbors had seen him loaded video equipment and props in to the U Haul truck. He parked it around the corner for nearly a week. This was not a quick dumping of debris as he and the police report. Even so, debris is not an excuse to perform a partial search and allow the suspect to clean up evidence.

His bank records support what the neighbors report. The U Haul truck was rented for one week.

The Police are never ‘truly’ reprimanded. I received letters after a couple of months from the Riverside County Sheriff’s department stated that my allegations were all unfounded.

The Sergeant mentioned previously, however, did take early retirement.

Where is the accountability?

Whistle-blowers Severely Punished or Killed

Because I would not subject our children to further abuse, I face imprisonment and loss of my basic freedom. I am not a criminal or threat to anyone. I am a mother who has tirelessly advocated for her children over the last two years in this impossible situation.

 

NO Justice – Ever

Instead of justice for telling the truth of their abuse, our children have been victimized further. Their very right to a peaceful and safe environment has been stripped away from them by the courts, for no clear reason.

Evidence of abuse and mishandling of our case is much stronger than “not obeying a court order”. But there is much more to our case than what meets the eye. And I now see that I was in losing battle from the beginning, by entering their courts.

We are now free of the abusers and their acts, but our lives have been drastically changed and endangered in other ways.

Remember – There are NO Isolated cases and There are NO Coincidences!

IN THE NEWS

Recently in the News:

California Cop Arrested for Child Porn Placed on Paid Suspension

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/10/17/california-highway-patrol-officer-arrested-on-child-pornography-charges/

School board president arrested for child porn in California

EVIDENCE PRESENTED in brilliant write-up  which explains the detail of six cases that point to this being more than mere separate incidents or isolated events.  Each case is heavily researched with links. It is important to conduct a personal investigation, and not default to take our word for it, or anyone else’s; each must seek their own conclusions.

Recent News in Inland Empire

Child pornography and trafficking occurs all over the world. Rings of men operate together to create and distribute media. The producers and consumers of this content must be caught and exposed. It does happen.

Below are links and articles about groups of men caught in the Inland Empire area.

Don’t dismiss the allegations of victims. Men from all walks of life participate in the exploitation of children.

ICE busts child porn ring

Also arrested in the ring were David Christopher Jelaca, 37, a registered nurse from La Quinta; Alexander Scott Branson, 25, of Upland; Ronald Sousa, 67, of Cathedral City; Bolivar Arnoldo Guillen, 59, of Rancho Cucamonga; Ronald R. Jaenson, 66, of Colton; John Anthony Serrano, 37, of Barstow; and Anthony Starkweather, 20, of Mentone.

 

http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20170403/rancho-cucamonga-man-a-former-temecula-dentist-pleads-guilty-to-possession-of-child-pornography

Rancho Cucamonga man, a former Temecula dentist, pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

Milan Irvin, 34 of Rancho Cucamonga pleaded guilty Monday to one count of possession of child pornography and admitted in a plea agreement that he “downloaded, received, possessed and distributed images and videos of child pornography using the internet,” according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. April 2017

Several Inland Empire men sentenced in federal child porn cases

http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20161214/several-inland-empire-men-sentenced-in-federal-child-porn-cases

“Child exploitation offenses such as those prosecuted in these cases are a scourge on our community,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “My office will continue to protect vulnerable child victims of these heinous crimes by seeking lengthy sentences, such as the one imposed this week, for these criminals.”

 

http://riversidecountynewssource.org/2016/05/05/last-of-3-sought-in-palm-desert-child-sex-trafficking-ring-arrested/

News: Alleged Grooming Gang Charged with Multiple Rape, Child Abduction, Trafficking, and Drug Offences

The issue of child pornography and trafficking is often reported, but seldom investigated. Below is a excerpt from the article found on breitbart.com. I’ve reported the specific names of who our children reported filmed and abused them (that I knew), but nothing was done.  Nothing.

Read the article Titled Alleged Grooming Gang Charged with Multiple Rape, Child Abduction, Trafficking, and Drug Offences

“The authorities have been observed as proving reluctant to tackle the problem for fear of being accused of racism, with endemic sexual grooming in Rotherham being effectively covered up until a whistleblower came forward.

This culture of impunity still persists to some extent: in October 2016, one grooming victim told Breitbart London that, when she went to the police, they refused to act. “I’ve gave [the police] about eighty names”, she said. “At first I tried to give the names anonymously but was told that I’d have to give an official statement.”

She eventually did so, but a discovered that the case had been quietly dropped a year later. “None of the men were ever arrested. I don’t think they even knew there was a case.”

The accused in the Huddersfield case, who are presently in court, are predominantly residents of that city, as well as Bradford, Dewsbury, Dudley, Manchester, and Sheffield.”

The Mystery of Inequity

It’s the mystery of Inequity
Said it’s the misery of Inequity
Said it’s the history of Inequity
When it all
All falls down
Telling you all
It all falls down
Children
Eat your bread
Little children
Eat your bread
’cause it all
All falls down
Telling you all
It all falls down
Yo!
Ya’ll can’t handle the truth in a courtroom of lies
Perjures the jurors
Witness despised
Crooked lawyers
False Indictments publicized
Its entertainmentthe arraignments
The subpoenas
High profile gladiators in bloodthirsty arenas
Enter the Dragon
Black-robe crooked-balance
Souls bought and sold and paroled for thirty talents
Court reporter catch the surface on the paper
File it in the system not acknowledged by the Maker
Swearing by the bible blatantly blasphemous
Publicly perpetrating that “In God We Trust”
Cross-examined by a master manipulator
The faster intimidator
Receiving the judge’s favor
Deceiving sabers doing injury to they neighbors
For status, gratis, apparatus and legal waivers
See the bailiff
Representing security
Holding the word of God soliciting perjury
The prosecution
Political prostitution
The more money you pay.. the further away solution
Legal actors
Babylon’s benefactors
Masquerading as the agency for the clients
Hypocritical giants
Morally non-compliant
Orally armed to do bodily harm
Polluted, recruited and suited judicial charm
And the defense isn’t making any sense
Faking the confidence of escaping the consequence
That a defendant is depending on the system
Totally void of judgment purposely made to twist em’
Emotional victim blackmailed by the henchmen
Framed by intentions
Inventions whereby they lynch men
Enter the false witness slandering the accused
Planting the seed openly showing he’s being used
To discredit, edit, headed for the alleged
Smearing the individual fearing the unsuspected
Expert witness (the paid authority)
Made a priority to deceive the majority
Of disinterested peers
Dodging duty for years
Hating the process
waiting to be returning to their careers
Do we expect the system made for the elect
To possibly judge correct?
Properly serve and protect?
Materially corrupt
Spiritually amuck
Oblivious to the cause
Prosperously bankrupt
Blind leading the blind
Guilty never defined
Filthy as swine
A generation purin it’s own mind
Legal extortion
Blown out of proportion
In vein deceit
The truth is obsolete
Only two positions:
Victimizer or Victim
Both end up in destruction trusting this crooked system
Mafia with diplomas keeping us in a coma trying to own a piece
of the “American Corona”
The Revolving Door
Insanity every floor
Skyscraping, paper chasing
What are we working for?
Empty traditions
Reaching social positions
Teaching ambition to support the family superstition?
When the Son of Podition is Commander in Chief
The standard is Thief
Brethren can we candidly speak?
Woe to the men
Trusted in the chariots dem’
Leaning on horses
They run their intellectual sources
Counterfeit wisdom creating the illusion of freedom
Confusion consumes them
Every word they speak it turns them out really white
Internally they absent of light
trapped in the night and bonded to the Cain of the night
Under the curse
Evil men waxing more worse
Faxing the first
Angelic being cast to the earth
It’s time for rebirth
Burnin’ up the branch and the root
The empty pursuits of every tree bearing the wrong fruit
Turning me ill
Let him who stole, no longer steal
Oh it’s real
Surrender for Jehovah is real
How long will you sleep
Troubled by the thoughts that YOU keep
The idols YOU heap
Causing the destruction you reap
Judgment has come
Find it and return to the One
Abandon the flesh
Self-interest: Broadway to death
Pride and the Greed
Hide and subdividing the seed
The knowledge of Good and Evil is what caused us to lie
Caused us to die
Let your emotions be crucified
Renounce all your thoughts
Repent and let your mind be re-taught
You’ll find what you soughtwas based on the deception you bought
A perception of naught
Where the majority remains caught
Loving a lie
Not realizing in Adam, all die
Loving a lie
Not realizing in Adam, all die
Loving a lie
Not realizing in Adam, all die
Loving a lie
Not realizing in Adam, all die
It’s the mystery of Inequity
Say it’s the history of Inequity
Say it’s the misery of Inequity
When it all
All falls down
I’m telling you all
It all falls down
By Lauryn Hill

Police Officers and Sexual Abuse

After reporting the involvement of Riverside County Sheriff Sergeant and his deputies in the abuse allegations made by my children, I saw how secretive police departments were when investigating other officers.

When I went into the Jurupa Valley Station to be interviewed, I was told that I would have no knowledge of what would be done or how the investigation would be handled. In the end, a letter would be sent in the mail stating whether the allegations were founded or not. Either way, none of what they found would be admitted for criminal prosecution.

I wondered what the point of my disclosing abuse to this organization was. Where was the remedy for my children? By reporting these crimes, I opened my immediate family up for harassment and retaliation, but the officers faced nothing but administrative punishment/separation.

Surprise! I received a letter a few months letters stating that all allegations were unfounded. This coincided with reports from mutual friends (Our family had a prior long-standing friendship with the Sergeant’s family), that the Sergeant had taken early retirement.

Retiring, resigning, or being put on administrative leave does not offer a solution to victims who claim they were abused by police officers.  If little or no consequence comes from the reporting of the crime, it is worth the risk for the predator to pursue its victim.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Department is allowed to stay quiet about improprieties to limit liability, allowing officers reported for misconduct to quietly resign, keep their certification and sometimes jump to other jobs. But if the crimes are not addressed, or criminally prosecuted, how will the safety of communities they serve be protected?

In a yearlong investigation of sexual misconduct by U.S. law enforcement, The Associated Press uncovered about 1,000 officers who lost their badges in a six-year period for rape, sodomy and other sexual assault; sex crimes that included possession of child pornography; or sexual misconduct such as propositioning citizens or having consensual but prohibited on-duty intercourse.

This only includes officers whose licenses were revoked, and not all states take that action. In fact, California and New York do not have systems to revoke certifications of officers for misconduct.

In this report, some states did not remove officers for sexual misconduct, even after cases were highlighted in news stories or court records.

“It’s happening probably in every law enforcement agency across the country,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino of the Sarasota Police Department in Florida, who helped study the problem for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “It’s so under-reported and people are scared that if they call and complain about a police officer, they think every other police officer is going to be then out to get them.”

The AP’s findings, along with other research and interviews with experts, suggest that sexual misconduct is a common type of complaint against law officers. Phil Stinson, a researcher at Bowling Green State University, analyzed news articles between 2005 and 2011 and found 6,724 arrests involving more than 5,500 officers. Sex-related cases were the third-most common, behind violence and profit-motivated crimes. Cato Institute reports released in 2009 and 2010 found sex misconduct the second complaint against officers, behind excessive force.

The day AP announced that nearly 1,000 police officers had lost their badges for sexual assault, Daniel Holtzclaw’s trial for allegedly raping 13 women while on duty began.

After the Associated Press finished the investigation into sex crimes that included possession of child pornography; or sexual misconduct such as propositioning citizens or having consensual but prohibited on-duty intercourse.

The crime I reported, along with the many others, must not be seen as lone instances. These crimes are part of a cultural issue and reflect the health of our society at large. A small percentage of people who are criminally abusive exist, but when they have a badge, they have access to victims with impunity.

Dr. Phil Stinson studies corruption within law enforcement at Bowling Green State University. The former police officer is the head of a study by the Department of Justice called Police Integrity Lost: A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested. “Almost all crime by police officers falls into one or more of these types: alcohol related, drug related, sex related, violence related, or profit motivated.” Dr. Stinson explains that these crimes are hard to track for a variety of reasons. “There’s no official statistics or data any agency keeps [on police crime]. Prior research in this area has been really hampered by various methodological problems; if you survey police officers and police departments there’s a social desirability effect. They’re not going to answer these questions honestly.”

A former Oklahoma City police officer, Daniel Holtzclaw, was sentenced to 263 years in prison January of 2016 after he was convicted of rapes and other offenses that authorities say occurred while he was on duty.

Dr. Stinson’s research shows that the victims of police sexual assault are disproportionately under-aged. He says crimes like these are more common than we think.

He says “When one woman, one girl, or even a boy is believed, and it gets charges brought and it gets in the newspaper—for every one victim that comes forward initially, there’s five more that come forward. That’s what happened with Holtzclaw.”

 When a claim is taken seriously, the cases may never become public; police departments often deal with the issue behind the scenes. “Sometimes [officers are] given the opportunity to resign in lieu of being criminally prosecuted. One of the reasons they have to do that is if they question an officer and they ask him about an incident and they require him to answer the questions, they have to elect that they’re going to use the statements administratively or criminally. Once they’ve decided to use [testimony] for discipline purposes, they can’t use those statements against the officer in court. They have to build their criminal case another way.”

“In some cases instead of charging an officer with a sex crime, they’ll charge him with official misconduct or official oppression or violation of oath. It hides the true nature of the crime, so they might get convicted, but they’re not a registered sex offender.”

Dr. Stinson was a police officer in New Hampshire in the 80’s.  A man was arrested with possession of child pornography. “The sergeant that I worked with at the time spent the next month cataloging and watching every one of the videos. It was clear to me that he had more of an interest than he should have in these cases.”

Dr. Stinson has a theory that policing is “sexual.” “There’s a sexual dynamic to it,” he says. “It’s a twisted power and coercion dynamic, [and it can be] a complete misuse of authority and power.” An officer may encounter sex-related issues throughout their work. “It’s a reoccurring theme. They deal with sex crimes, they’re surrounded by vulnerable people, there are all these different aspects. Power equals sex in many ways. It’s something that is not talked about; there things we don’t discuss in polite company.

Because it has been largely erased from public records, it is challenging to study and to report on this subject matter.

The scars of sexual abuse are not easily erased. But the evidence needed to prosecute the abuse is.

Diana Tourjee notes in her article, “The culture of silence and the imbalance of power are two parts of an institutional system of oppression. Even the researcher confronts obstacles: Studying police corruption has alienated Dr. Stinson from old friends in the force.”.

“I no longer drink with my law enforcement friends in bars,” he says. “People have asked me a lot about that and people have been concerned about it. I don’t get invited to any parties any more. This is not anti-law enforcement. I think of it as pro-law enforcement.”

The references to studies made on sexual abuse and police come from personal experience with reporting sex crimes along with links and references below.

Diana Tourjee’s article for the Broadly. Read it here

Matt Sedensky’s article for the Associated Press. Read it here

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA)

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation.[21] Sexual abuse refers to the participation of a child in a sexual act aimed toward the physical gratification or the financial profit of the person committing the act.[13][22]
 Forms of CSA include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of the outcome), indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, displaying pornography to a child, actual sexual contact with a child, physical contact with the child’s genitals, viewing of the child’s genitalia without physical contact, or using a child to produce child pornography.
[21][23][24] Selling the sexual services of children may be viewed and treated as child abuse with services offered to the child rather than simple incarceration.[25]

Effects of child sexual abuse

include guilt and self blame, flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia,fear of things associated with the abuse (including objects, smells, places, doctor’s visits, etc.), self-esteem issues, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, addiction, self-injury, suicidal ideation,somatic complaints, depression,[26] post-traumatic stress disorder ,[27] anxiety,[28] other  mental illnesses  including  borderline personality disorde[29] and dissociative identity disorder ,[29]  propensity to re-victimization inadulthood,[30]  bulimia nervosa,[31]  physical injury to the child, among other problems.[32] In the United States, approximately 15% to 25% of women and 5% to 15% of men were sexually abused when they were children.
[33][34][35][36][37] Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims; approximately 30% are relatives of the child, most often brothers, fathers, mothers, uncles or cousins; around 60% are other acquaintances such as friends of the family, babysitters, or neighbors; strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child sexual abuse cases.
[33] In over one-third of cases, the perpetrator is also a minor .

The Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC)

Since child abuse and neglect is of ‘universal’ nature, certain quarters have advocated that there is a need for an international action to address the problem. Thus, various efforts were undertaken by the international community which materialized in 1989 when the Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC) was passed and ratified by almost all the countries worldwide with the exception of the United States of America and Somalia.38
This Convention recorded among the highest in term of the number of participating statesthat ratified any international convention.
The CRC was formulated to protect the rights of children be it civil, cultural, economic, political and social. There are several articles specifically related to child abuse and neglect. Among the articles is Article 19 which provides: States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.and Article 34 which provides:States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these purposes, States Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent:
(a) The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity;
(b) The exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices;
(c) The exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials.
World Health Organization in their 2006 report opined that incorporating the CRC into the domestic laws is among the recommended strategies to address the problem of child abuse.
36
See Cindy L. Miller-Perrin & Robin D. Perrin, note 3 at page 12.
37
California was the first state in the United States of America which introduced mandatory reporting intheir child protection laws in 1963. Other states in the United States of America followed since 1967. SeeDonna M. Pence and Charles A. Wilson, “Reporting and Investigating Child Sexual Abuse”,
The Future of Children
, Volume 4 No. 2, 1994, 70-83 at page 71.
38
See http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Child_Protection_Information_Sheets.pdf. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
39
 Ibid 
.

R.A 7610 SPECIAL PROTECTION AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

Read Notes on RA 7610 Child Abuse Law

RA 7610          June 17, 1992

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR STRONGER DETERRENCE AND SPECIAL PROTECTION AGAINST CHILD ABUSE, EXPLOITATION AND DISCRIMINATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled::

ARTICLE I
Title, Policy, Principles and Definitions of Terms

Section 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”

Section 2. Declaration of State Policy and Principles. – It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State to provide special protection to children from all firms of abuse, neglect, cruelty exploitation and discrimination and other conditions, prejudicial their development; provide sanctions for their commission and carry out a program for prevention and deterrence of and crisis intervention in situations of child abuse, exploitation and discrimination. The State shall intervene on behalf of the child when the parent, guardian, teacher or person having care or custody of the child fails or is unable to protect the child against abuse, exploitation and discrimination or when such acts against the child are committed by the said parent, guardian, teacher or person having care and custody of the same.1awphi1@alf

It shall be the policy of the State to protect and rehabilitate children gravely threatened or endangered by circumstances which affect or will affect their survival and normal development and over which they have no control.

The best interests of children shall be the paramount consideration in all actions concerning them, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities, and legislative bodies, consistent with the principle of First Call for Children as enunciated in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child. Every effort shall be exerted to promote the welfare of children and enhance their opportunities for a useful and happy life.

Section 3. Definition of Terms.

 

(a) “Children” refers to person below eighteen (18) years of age or those over but are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition;

(b) “Child abuse” refers to the maltreatment, whether habitual or not, of the child which includes any of the following:

 

(1) Psychological and physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment;

(2) Any act by deeds or words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of a child as a human being;

(3) Unreasonable deprivation of his basic needs for survival, such as food and shelter; or

(4) Failure to immediately give medical treatment to an injured child resulting in serious impairment of his growth and development or in his permanent incapacity or death.

 

(c) “Circumstances which gravely threaten or endanger the survival and normal development of children” include, but are not limited to, the following;

 

(1) Being in a community where there is armed conflict or being affected by armed conflict-related activities;

(2) Working under conditions hazardous to life, safety and normal which unduly interfere with their normal development;

(3) Living in or fending for themselves in the streets of urban or rural areas without the care of parents or a guardian or basic services needed for a good quality of life;

(4) Being a member of a indigenous cultural community and/or living under conditions of extreme poverty or in an area which is underdeveloped and/or lacks or has inadequate access to basic services needed for a good quality of life;

(5) Being a victim of a man-made or natural disaster or calamity; or

(6) Circumstances analogous to those abovestated which endanger the life, safety or normal development of children.

 

(d) “Comprehensive program against child abuse, exploitation and discrimination” refers to the coordinated program of services and facilities to protected children against:

 

(1) Child Prostitution and other sexual abuse;

(2) Child trafficking;

(3) Obscene publications and indecent shows;

(4) Other acts of abuses; and

(5) Circumstances which threaten or endanger the survival and normal development of children.1awphi1Ÿ

 

ARTICLE II
Program on Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination

Section 4. Formulation of the Program. – There shall be a comprehensive program to be formulated, by the Department of Justice and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in coordination with other government agencies and private sector concerned, within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, to protect children against child prostitution and other sexual abuse; child trafficking, obscene publications and indecent shows; other acts of abuse; and circumstances which endanger child survival and normal development.

ARTICLE III
Child Prostitution and Other Sexual Abuse

Section 5. Child Prostitution and Other Sexual Abuse. – Children, whether male or female, who for money, profit, or any other consideration or due to the coercion or influence of any adult, syndicate or group, indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct, are deemed to be children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse.

The penalty of reclusion temporal in its medium period to reclusion perpetua shall be imposed upon the following:

 

(a) Those who engage in or promote, facilitate or induce child prostitution which include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

(1) Acting as a procurer of a child prostitute;

(2) Inducing a person to be a client of a child prostitute by means of written or oral advertisements or other similar means;

(3) Taking advantage of influence or relationship to procure a child as prostitute;

(4) Threatening or using violence towards a child to engage him as a prostitute; or

(5) Giving monetary consideration goods or other pecuniary benefit to a child with intent to engage such child in prostitution.

 

(b) Those who commit the act of sexual intercourse of lascivious conduct with a child exploited in prostitution or subject to other sexual abuse; Provided, That when the victims is under twelve (12) years of age, the perpetrators shall be prosecuted under Article 335, paragraph 3, for rape and Article 336 of Act No. 3815, as amended, the Revised Penal Code, for rape or lascivious conduct, as the case may be: Provided, That the penalty for lascivious conduct when the victim is under twelve (12) years of age shall be reclusion temporal in its medium period; and

(c) Those who derive profit or advantage therefrom, whether as manager or owner of the establishment where the prostitution takes place, or of the sauna, disco, bar, resort, place of entertainment or establishment serving as a cover or which engages in prostitution in addition to the activity for which the license has been issued to said establishment.

 

Section 6. Attempt To Commit Child Prostitution. – There is an attempt to commit child prostitution under Section 5, paragraph (a) hereof when any person who, not being a relative of a child, is found alone with the said child inside the room or cubicle of a house, an inn, hotel, motel, pension house, apartelle or other similar establishments, vessel, vehicle or any other hidden or secluded area under circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the child is about to be exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse.

There is also an attempt to commit child prostitution, under paragraph (b) of Section 5 hereof when any person is receiving services from a child in a sauna parlor or bath, massage clinic, health club and other similar establishments. A penalty lower by two (2) degrees than that prescribed for the consummated felony under Section 5 hereof shall be imposed upon the principals of the attempt to commit the crime of child prostitution under this Act, or, in the proper case, under the Revised Penal Code.

ARTICLE IV
Child Trafficking

Section 7. Child Trafficking. – Any person who shall engage in trading and dealing with children including, but not limited to, the act of buying and selling of a child for money, or for any other consideration, or barter, shall suffer the penalty of reclusion temporal to reclusion perpetua. The penalty shall be imposed in its maximum period when the victim is under twelve (12) years of age.

Section 8. Attempt to Commit Child Trafficking. – There is an attempt to commit child trafficking under Section 7 of this Act:1awphi1@alf

 

(a) When a child travels alone to a foreign country without valid reason therefor and without clearance issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development or written permit or justification from the child’s parents or legal guardian;

(c) When a person, agency, establishment or child-caring institution recruits women or couples to bear children for the purpose of child trafficking; or

(d) When a doctor, hospital or clinic official or employee, nurse, midwife, local civil registrar or any other person simulates birth for the purpose of child trafficking; or

(e) When a person engages in the act of finding children among low-income families, hospitals, clinics, nurseries, day-care centers, or other child-during institutions who can be offered for the purpose of child trafficking.

 

A penalty lower two (2) degrees than that prescribed for the consummated felony under Section 7 hereof shall be imposed upon the principals of the attempt to commit child trafficking under this Act.

ARTICLE V
Obscene Publications and Indecent Shows

Section 9. Obscene Publications and Indecent Shows. – Any person who shall hire, employ, use, persuade, induce or coerce a child to perform in obscene exhibitions and indecent shows, whether live or in video, or model in obscene publications or pornographic materials or to sell or distribute the said materials shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its medium period.

If the child used as a performer, subject or seller/distributor is below twelve (12) years of age, the penalty shall be imposed in its maximum period.

Any ascendant, guardian, or person entrusted in any capacity with the care of a child who shall cause and/or allow such child to be employed or to participate in an obscene play, scene, act, movie or show or in any other acts covered by this section shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its medium period.

ARTICLE VI
Other Acts of Abuse

Section 10. Other Acts of Neglect, Abuse, Cruelty or Exploitation and Other Conditions Prejudicial to the Child’s Development.

 

(a) Any person who shall commit any other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation or to be responsible for other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development including those covered by Article 59 of Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, but not covered by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period.

(b) Any person who shall keep or have in his company a minor, twelve (12) years or under or who in ten (10) years or more his junior in any public or private place, hotel, motel, beer joint, discotheque, cabaret, pension house, sauna or massage parlor, beach and/or other tourist resort or similar places shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its maximum period and a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000): Provided, That this provision shall not apply to any person who is related within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity or any bond recognized by law, local custom and tradition or acts in the performance of a social, moral or legal duty.

(c) Any person who shall induce, deliver or offer a minor to any one prohibited by this Act to keep or have in his company a minor as provided in the preceding paragraph shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its medium period and a fine of not less than Forty thousand pesos (P40,000); Provided, however, That should the perpetrator be an ascendant, stepparent or guardian of the minor, the penalty to be imposed shall be prision mayor in its maximum period, a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000), and the loss of parental authority over the minor.

(d) Any person, owner, manager or one entrusted with the operation of any public or private place of accommodation, whether for occupancy, food, drink or otherwise, including residential places, who allows any person to take along with him to such place or places any minor herein described shall be imposed a penalty of prision mayor in its medium period and a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000), and the loss of the license to operate such a place or establishment.

(e) Any person who shall use, coerce, force or intimidate a street child or any other child to;

 

(1) Beg or use begging as a means of living;

(2) Act as conduit or middlemen in drug trafficking or pushing; or

(3) Conduct any illegal activities, shall suffer the penalty of prision correccional in its medium period to reclusion perpetua.

 

For purposes of this Act, the penalty for the commission of acts punishable under Articles 248, 249, 262, paragraph 2, and 263, paragraph 1 of Act No. 3815, as amended, the Revised Penal Code, for the crimes of murder, homicide, other intentional mutilation, and serious physical injuries, respectively, shall be reclusion perpetua when the victim is under twelve (12) years of age. The penalty for the commission of acts punishable under Article 337, 339, 340 and 341 of Act No. 3815, as amended, the Revised Penal Code, for the crimes of qualified seduction, acts of lasciviousness with the consent of the offended party, corruption of minors, and white slave trade, respectively, shall be one (1) degree higher than that imposed by law when the victim is under twelve (12) years age.

The victim of the acts committed under this section shall be entrusted to the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

ARTICLE VII
Sanctions for Establishments or Enterprises

Section 11. Sanctions of Establishments or Enterprises which Promote, Facilitate, or Conduct Activities Constituting Child Prostitution and Other Sexual Abuse, Child Trafficking, Obscene Publications and Indecent Shows, and Other Acts of Abuse. – All establishments and enterprises which promote or facilitate child prostitution and other sexual abuse, child trafficking, obscene publications and indecent shows, and other acts of abuse shall be immediately closed and their authority or license to operate cancelled, without prejudice to the owner or manager thereof being prosecuted under this Act and/or the Revised Penal Code, as amended, or special laws. A sign with the words “off limits” shall be conspicuously displayed outside the establishments or enterprises by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for such period which shall not be less than one (1) year, as the Department may determine. The unauthorized removal of such sign shall be punishable by prision correccional.

An establishment shall be deemed to promote or facilitate child prostitution and other sexual abuse, child trafficking, obscene publications and indecent shows, and other acts of abuse if the acts constituting the same occur in the premises of said establishment under this Act or in violation of the Revised Penal Code, as amended. An enterprise such as a sauna, travel agency, or recruitment agency which: promotes the aforementioned acts as part of a tour for foreign tourists; exhibits children in a lewd or indecent show; provides child masseurs for adults of the same or opposite sex and said services include any lascivious conduct with the customers; or solicits children or activities constituting the aforementioned acts shall be deemed to have committed the acts penalized herein.

ARTICLE VIII
Working Children

Section 12. Employment of Children. – Children below fifteen (15) years of age may be employed except:

 

(1) When a child works directly under the sole responsibility of his parents or legal guardian and where only members of the employer’s family are employed: Provided, however, That his employment neither endangers his life, safety and health and morals, nor impairs his normal development: Provided, further, That the parent or legal guardian shall provide the said minor child with the prescribed primary and/or secondary education; or

(2) When a child’s employment or participation in public & entertainment or information through cinema, theater, radio or television is essential: Provided, The employment contract concluded by the child’s parent or guardian, with the express agreement of the child concerned, if possible, and the approval of the Department of Labor and Employment: Provided, That the following requirements in all instances are strictly complied with:

(a) The employer shall ensure the protection, health, safety and morals of the child;

(b) the employer shall institute measures to prevent the child’s exploitation or discrimination taking into account the system and level of remuneration, and the duration and arrangement of working time; and;

(c) The employer shall formulate and implement, subject to the approval and supervision of competent authorities, a continuing program for training and skill acquisition of the child.

 

In the above exceptional cases where any such child may be employed, the employer shall first secure, before engaging such child, a work permit from the Department of Labor and Employment which shall ensure observance of the above requirement.

The Department of Labor Employment shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the effective implementation of this Section.

Section 13. Non-formal Education for Working Children. – The Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall promulgate a course design under its non-formal education program aimed at promoting the intellectual, moral and vocational efficiency of working children who have not undergone or finished elementary or secondary education. Such course design shall integrate the learning process deemed most effective under given circumstances.

Section 14. Prohibition on the Employment of Children in Certain Advertisements. – No person shall employ child models in all commercials or advertisements promoting alcoholic beverages, intoxicating drinks, tobacco and its byproducts and violence.

Section 15. Duty of Employer. – Every employer shall comply with the duties provided for in Articles 108 and 109 of Presidential Decree No. 603.

Section 16. Penalties. – Any person who shall violate any provision of this Article shall suffer the penalty of a fine of not less than One thousand pesos (P1,000) but not more than Ten thousand pesos (P10,000) or imprisonment of not less than three (3) months but not more than three (3) years, or both at the discretion of the court; Provided, That, in case of repeated violations of the provisions of this Article, the offender’s license to operate shall be revoked.

ARTICLE IX
Children of Indigenous Cultural Communities

Section 17. Survival, Protection and Development. – In addition to the rights guaranteed to children under this Act and other existing laws, children of indigenous cultural communities shall be entitled to protection, survival and development consistent with the customs and traditions of their respective communities.

Section 18. System of and Access to Education. – The Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall develop and institute an alternative system of education for children of indigenous cultural communities which culture-specific and relevant to the needs of and the existing situation in their communities. The Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall also accredit and support non-formal but functional indigenous educational programs conducted by non-government organizations in said communities.

Section 19. Health and Nutrition. – The delivery of basic social services in health and nutrition to children of indigenous cultural communities shall be given priority by all government agencies concerned. Hospitals and other health institution shall ensure that children of indigenous cultural communities are given equal attention. In the provision of health and nutrition services to children of indigenous cultural communities, indigenous health practices shall be respected and recognized.

Section 20. Discrimination. – Children of indigenous cultural communities shall not be subjected to any and all forms of discrimination.

Any person who discriminate against children of indigenous cultural communities shall suffer a penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period and a fine of not less than Five thousand pesos (P5,000) more than Ten thousand pesos (P10,000).

Section 21. Participation. – Indigenous cultural communities, through their duly-designated or appointed representatives shall be involved in planning, decision-making implementation, and evaluation of all government programs affecting children of indigenous cultural communities. Indigenous institution shall also be recognized and respected.

ARTICLE X
Children in Situations of Armed Conflict

Section 22. Children as Zones of Peace. – Children are hereby declared as Zones of Peace. It shall be the responsibility of the State and all other sectors concerned to resolve armed conflicts in order to promote the goal of children as zones of peace. To attain this objective, the following policies shall be observed.

 

(a) Children shall not be the object of attack and shall be entitled to special respect. They shall be protected from any form of threat, assault, torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment;

(b) Children shall not be recruited to become members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines of its civilian units or other armed groups, nor be allowed to take part in the fighting, or used as guides, couriers, or spies;

(c) Delivery of basic social services such as education, primary health and emergency relief services shall be kept unhampered;

(d) The safety and protection of those who provide services including those involved in fact-finding missions from both government and non-government institutions shall be ensured. They shall not be subjected to undue harassment in the performance of their work;

(e) Public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and rural health units shall not be utilized for military purposes such as command posts, barracks, detachments, and supply depots; and

(f) All appropriate steps shall be taken to facilitate the reunion of families temporarily separated due to armed conflict.

 

Section 23. Evacuation of Children During Armed Conflict. – Children shall be given priority during evacuation as a result of armed conflict. Existing community organizations shall be tapped to look after the safety and well-being of children during evacuation operations. Measures shall be taken to ensure that children evacuated are accompanied by persons responsible for their safety and well-being.

Section 24. Family Life and Temporary Shelter. – Whenever possible, members of the same family shall be housed in the same premises and given separate accommodation from other evacuees and provided with facilities to lead a normal family life. In places of temporary shelter, expectant and nursing mothers and children shall be given additional food in proportion to their physiological needs. Whenever feasible, children shall be given opportunities for physical exercise, sports and outdoor games.

Section 25. Rights of Children Arrested for Reasons Related to Armed Conflict. – Any child who has been arrested for reasons related to armed conflict, either as combatant, courier, guide or spy is entitled to the following rights;

 

(a) Separate detention from adults except where families are accommodated as family units;

(b) Immediate free legal assistance;

(c) Immediate notice of such arrest to the parents or guardians of the child; and

(d) Release of the child on recognizance within twenty-four (24) hours to the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development or any responsible member of the community as determined by the court.

 

If after hearing the evidence in the proper proceedings the court should find that the aforesaid child committed the acts charged against him, the court shall determine the imposable penalty, including any civil liability chargeable against him. However, instead of pronouncing judgment of conviction, the court shall suspend all further proceedings and shall commit such child to the custody or care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development or to any training institution operated by the Government, or duly-licensed agencies or any other responsible person, until he has had reached eighteen (18) years of age or, for a shorter period as the court may deem proper, after considering the reports and recommendations of the Department of Social Welfare and Development or the agency or responsible individual under whose care he has been committed.

The aforesaid child shall subject to visitation and supervision by a representative of the Department of Social Welfare and Development or any duly-licensed agency or such other officer as the court may designate subject to such conditions as it may prescribe.

The aforesaid child whose sentence is suspended can appeal from the order of the court in the same manner as appeals in criminal cases.

Section 26. Monitoring and Reporting of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict. – The chairman of the barangay affected by the armed conflict shall submit the names of children residing in said barangay to the municipal social welfare and development officer within twenty-four (24) hours from the occurrence of the armed conflict.

ARTICLE XI
Remedial Procedures

Section 27. Who May File a Complaint. – Complaints on cases of unlawful acts committed against the children as enumerated herein may be filed by the following:

 

(a) Offended party;

(b) Parents or guardians;

(c) Ascendant or collateral relative within the third degree of consanguinity;1awphi1@ITC

(d) Officer, social worker or representative of a licensed child-caring institution;

(e) Officer or social worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development;

(f) Barangay chairman; or

(g) At least three (3) concerned responsible citizens where the violation occurred.

 

Section 28. Protective Custody of the Child. – The offended party shall be immediately placed under the protective custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development pursuant to Executive Order No. 56, series of 1986. In the regular performance of this function, the officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development shall be free from any administrative, civil or criminal liability. Custody proceedings shall be in accordance with the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 603.

Section 29. Confidentiality. – At the instance of the offended party, his name may be withheld from the public until the court acquires jurisdiction over the case.

It shall be unlawful for any editor, publisher, and reporter or columnist in case of printed materials, announcer or producer in case of television and radio broadcasting, producer and director of the film in case of the movie industry, to cause undue and sensationalized publicity of any case of violation of this Act which results in the moral degradation and suffering of the offended party.Lawphi1@alf

Section 30. Special Court Proceedings. – Cases involving violations of this Act shall be heard in the chambers of the judge of the Regional Trial Court duly designated as Juvenile and Domestic Court.

Any provision of existing law to the contrary notwithstanding and with the exception of habeas corpus, election cases, and cases involving detention prisoners and persons covered by Republic Act No. 4908, all courts shall give preference to the hearing or disposition of cases involving violations of this Act.

ARTICLE XII
Common Penal Provisions

Section 31. Common Penal Provisions.

 

(a) The penalty provided under this Act shall be imposed in its maximum period if the offender has been previously convicted under this Act;

(b) When the offender is a corporation, partnership or association, the officer or employee thereof who is responsible for the violation of this Act shall suffer the penalty imposed in its maximum period;

(c) The penalty provided herein shall be imposed in its maximum period when the perpetrator is an ascendant, parent guardian, stepparent or collateral relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, or a manager or owner of an establishment which has no license to operate or its license has expired or has been revoked;

(d) When the offender is a foreigner, he shall be deported immediately after service of sentence and forever barred from entry to the country;

(e) The penalty provided for in this Act shall be imposed in its maximum period if the offender is a public officer or employee: Provided, however, That if the penalty imposed is reclusion perpetua or reclusion temporal, then the penalty of perpetual or temporary absolute disqualification shall also be imposed: Provided, finally, That if the penalty imposed is prision correccional or arresto mayor, the penalty of suspension shall also be imposed; and

(f) A fine to be determined by the court shall be imposed and administered as a cash fund by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and disbursed for the rehabilitation of each child victim, or any immediate member of his family if the latter is the perpetrator of the offense.

 

ARTICLE XIII
Final Provisions

Section 32. Rules and Regulations. – Unless otherwise provided in this Act, the Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, shall promulgate rules and regulations of the effective implementation of this Act.

Such rules and regulations shall take effect upon their publication in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Section 33. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.

Section 34. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall continue in full force and effect.

Section 35. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, or rules inconsistent with the provisions of this Acts are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 36. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect upon completion of its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved: June 17, 1992.lawphi1Ÿ

Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies

Deputy Jackson, along with Rookie Deputy Cox performed the initial search of Bobby Harris home in Eastvale, CA, November 2015. Olivia Baker, from Riverside CPS, testified on the stand December 22nd, 2015, that she waited outside of the home for hours while Crystal Turner was inside, for the deputies and Mr. Harris to arrive.

They then conducted a search of the home, not including the garage. Although both Mr. Harris and the Riverside County deputies claim that a construction project was occurring, and used that as an excuse to exclude the search of the garage, the project had been completed and cleaned up weeks prior by the home owner’s insurance company.

On the stand, Olivia Baker did not use the excuse given by authorities. She expressed that Mr. Harris claimed he did not have the key to access his own garage. So it was left un-searched.

Which ever the reason, I believe that evidence to what my children claim was occurring at their father’s home was in that garage. Given the severity of the allegations, no locked door or construction project should have hindered the complete search of their father’s home to uncover any evidence.

After the search, deputy Jackson and Cox went to the hospital to visit with my children. They had disclosed abuse to the social worker and doctor on staff. We arrived at the hospital at 4pm, the social worker went off duty at 9 pm, and the officers arrived just before 10 pm.

Deputy Jackson did all of the talking, told me that my son did not speak, that my daughter’s statements were inconclusive, and that she would not arrest an innocent man on false allegations.

She handed me a generic card, and wrote deputy Cox’s email address on the back. She told me to send any information there, and that a detective would be in contact shortly. I initially thought that she was Deputy Cox because of this. She did not want me to have her name or contact information. And why our case was assigned to a rookie officer is beyond me.

Deputy Cox took the stand on behalf of Mr. Harris on December 22nd, 2015. He testified to hearing our little girl speak of being molested by multiple men. He claimed to have not believed her because of her calm demeanor. In his professional opinion, she was coached.

Did I mention that this deputy was in training?

He was dismissed for lack of experience in the field.

The day after the half-search was performed, Mr. Harris rented a U Haul truck, filled it with the contents of his garage, and parked it around the block for a week. He claims it was full of debris and that he dumped the contents in a dumpster of a nearby apartment complex, Homecoming.

I wonder if video footage will support that “crime/story”. Probably not. A neighbor shared that she saw him loading video equipment and props into the van. And when she approached him on it and wanted to know where he got all of that cool equipment, he handed her the card of our old neighbor, and ex police officer. Mr. Harris told her to mention his name, and she would get a discount. His subpoenead bank statements also show that the truck was rented for a week.

This does not coincide with his rent and dump crime/story.

Also, when I lived at the residence, there were three entry ways in to the garage, and we could not lock ourselves out from the inside. We were also in the habit of legally dumping our trash in rented Waste Management dumpsters.

Our children claim that Deputy Jackson is part of the group involved in criminal activity with their father. According to them, she regularly visited their home in and out of uniform.

She is a direct report to Sergeant Sanford. Allegations regarding child pornography have been brought against him as well.

Here is a true and correct copy of the report submitted by Deputy Jackson.

Here is a true and correct copy of the report submitted by Deputy Cox.

The running theme with all people have contact with or even hear of this case (like the children’s attorney) is to presume coaching. Why?

How the POLICE investigate child abuse allegations

If concerns about child abuse are reported to the police, they have a duty to investigate. This page tells you more about these investigations and how the decision to prosecute is taken.

Law Enforcement Response to Child Abuse

How the police investigate allegations of child abuse

If someone reports concerns about child abuse to the police, the case will be dealt with by a specialist child abuse investigation team.The team may do one or more of the following things to investigate the allegations:

  • share information with the local authority, schools, and health services to establish what is already known
  • visit and speak to the child, either with or without parental permission
  • visit the home where the child lives or where the offence took place
  • search for and seize evidence of the offence
  • arrange a medical examination of a child (see below)
  • place a child into police protection for up to 72 hours if they believe the child is at risk of immediate significant harm
  • gather statements from potential witnesses (see below).

Medical examinations

The police may want the child who has been abused to be medically examined. The first priority in a medical examination is the safety and welfare of a child.  If a child needs immediate medical treatment, this will always come before any other consideration. Where the child is very young, the parents have to give permission for a medical examination. On rare occasions, a social worker may seek a court order for a medical examination to take place if a parent won’t allow it. If the child is older, the doctor will have to be satisfied that the child is clearly able to give their consent to be medically examined. Police and social workers may attend the medical examination along with the child’s parents and it will be carried out by a specialist pediatrician who will make a record of any injuries and arrange photographs if necessary. If you visit a GP with concerns about child abuse, a further specialist medical examination may need to take place.

Statements

The police may ask anyone who could be a witness to the abuse to provide a statement. This may be written or, particularly with children, by interviewing in a special room with video or DVD recording equipment. When a child is interviewed, a social worker will often be present or may even conduct the interview if they have specialist training. If you are suspected of child abuse, the police must either arrest you or invite you to speak to them at a police station. They must advise you of your legal rights and offer you the opportunity of seeking advice from a solicitor.

Police complaints

If you’re unhappy about the way the police investigate allegations, you may be able to make a complaint.

The decision whether or not to prosecute

Once the police have conducted their investigation and gathered all relevant information, they have to decide if there is enough evidence to consider a prosecution. If there is enough evidence, the police papers are passed to the Child Protective Service (CPS) who make the decision whether a suspect should be charged with an offence or not. CPS may ask the police to make further enquiries or obtain additional evidence. There are guidelines in place which CPS must follow when dealing with a child abuse case. When they make the decision about whether to prosecute someone, specialist prosecutors in CPS must look at all the relevant evidence and decide:

  • if there’s a realistic prospect of conviction, and
  • if a prosecution is in the public interest.

The guidelines say that victims and witnesses should be made aware from the start of the investigation exactly what is expected of them, particularly in terms of going to court and giving evidence, and they should be offered support to help them in this process.  When considering how believable a child or young person is, the police and CPS should focus on the allegation, rather than focusing just on any perceived weaknesses in the victim. In particular, police and prosecutors should avoid making assumptions about victims. A reluctance to cooperate with those in authority, failure to report allegations of abuse swiftly, and providing inconsistent accounts are not uncommon in victims of child sexual abuse, especially during initial interviews’.

The child or young person can be told that other people have made allegations about the suspect. But this should usually only be done after they have given their own account and the details of other allegations shouldn’t be shared.