Latest news with #ChildLine
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Alert villagers help stop minor girl's marriage in Kaushambi
Prayagraj: Marriage of a minor girl in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district was stopped on Thursday. With the help of police and social welfare department officials, members of Child Welfare Committee rushed to Kaushambi's Paschim Sarira village to prevent family members and relatives from forcing the minor girl into wedlock. A senior official said a man from the village made a call to ChildLine number 1098 and reported the marriage of the minor girl, following which, officials from child welfare committee, social welfare department and police rushed to the spot. The joint team also checked the documents, including Aadhaar card of the minor girl and found her to be 16 years of age. They informed the family members about the child marriage law and the girl was handed over to the One Stop Centre where she was to remain till investigations into the case were complete. CWC officials said joint team of CWC, anti-human trafficking unit and child helpline rushed to the spot after alert. Officials added that the girl, as per the complainant, was being married to a Kanpur-based man who was twice her age. They counselled the family on the ill effects of child marriage, besides warning them of legal action. "We convinced the relatives of the girl and the man to call off the marriage as the girl was minor. Officials of the child welfare committee will be conducting a detailed probe into the incident," said an official.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Child abuse awareness education bill gets a look after four sessions
The state Capitol in Harrisburg. (Capital-Star file) Pennsylvania schools would be required to integrate child abuse awareness and prevention into their curriculum under a bill being proposed in the state House of Representatives. 'We need to educate (children) when they are young. Sometimes by second grade, it's already too late. They've already been abused. But at least if they hear the program and they get it, we can then provide them with help,' said Abbie Newman, CEO of global and external affairs at Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center in Norristown. Newman testified Tuesday at a hearing for the legislation before the House Children and Youth Committee. No votes happened. Just an informational hearing with expert testimony. That's the furthest the measure has gone, though, with versions introduced during every legislative session since 2019. More than half of states already require schools to teach child abuse awareness and prevention, according to the bill's sponsor state Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery). The Department of Education would jointly develop the age-appropriate curriculum for students in kindergarten through high school with another state agency (likely Human Services) under the current version of House Bill 460, according to legislative researcher Ryan Kline. 'We want to make sure we get this right,' he said, noting the legislation probably will change. Proponents emphasized the need to engage experts — such as local child advocacy centers certified to provide preventative education — to help develop and deliver the curriculum. That could mitigate unintended consequences like traumatizing students and adding to the already overwhelming workload of public school teachers and faculty, they said. They also advised modeling evidence-based programs such as the Safe and Health Communities Initiative recently highlighted in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found rates of both substantiated and unsubstantiated child sexual abuse reports dropped after they'd implemented a three-pronged intervention in schools and surrounding communities across five counties in Pennsylvania. They reached nearly 15,000 second graders in the classroom and more than 14,000 adults through a combination of formal training and public education campaigns during 2018 through 2020. Asked how to improve the bill, one expert said a two-year launch seemed rushed. 'This is too important an issue,' said Benjamin Levi, a professor in the departments of humanities and pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine. 'As a pediatrician, I've dealt with both reporting [and] the long-term consequences. As a researcher, I've looked at these issues. As someone who's developed educational programs, I know how hard it is to implement this. So I just want to caution that as we move forward, we need to be careful, deliberate, and evidence-based.' Levi noted, for example, the potential for reporting to increase. That could overwhelm the state's ChildLine reporting conduit if it remains resourced as is. He pointed out that ChildLine has about half the staff of its counterparts in Illinois and Michigan, which have comparable populations.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- The Hindu
13 persons held in connection with sexual assault on minor
The Pallavaram all women police have arrested 13 persons, including the mother of a minor girl, who was sexually assaulted over a period of time. The incident came to light after she was found pregnant by the doctors at the Government Chengalpattu Hospital. A senior official of the Tambaram Commissionerate said the 13-year-old girl was living with her parents near Pallavaram. As both her parents went for work, she was alone most of the time. A boy of the same area befriended her in the guise of delivering water cans. Gradually, he won her confidence by promising to marry her, and sexually assaulted her. Later, he introduced her to some of his friends, who also sexually assaulted the girl, the police said. She was physically and mentally affected by the incident and suffered from severe stomach pain. Subsequently, her mother took her to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for treatment, where the doctors said she was pregnant. The mother assured them that she would file a complaint but did not, police said. The hospital authorities then informed the Pallavaram All Women Police Station in Shankar Nagar, and the police registered a case and arrested a total of 12 persons, including seven boys and five adults, who were involved in the crime. The adults arrested were identified as Sanjay, N. Nandakumar, S. Surya, A. Nixon, and S. Sanjay. All the accused persons were arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Later, they were produced before the Tambaram Court, where the judicial magistrate sent the juveniles to Chengalpattu Observation Home and the other accused to the Puzhal Prison. Meanwhile, the mother of the girl was also arrested for abetting the crime, as some of the accused told the police that she knew what was happening, police said. ChildLine operates a toll-free helpline for children in distress -1098.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter gives update on mum's health amid cancer treatment
Dame Esther Rantzen, who is campaigning to make assisted dying legal, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023 after initially finding a lump under her armpit Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, has given an update on her mum's health, admitting she 'might get in trouble for being so honest'. ChildLine star, Esther, 84, who is campaigning to make assisted dying legal, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023 and is now, sadly, stage four. When asked by Loose Women host Charlene White how Esther was doing, Rebecca conceded she couldn't say much, but did give a brief update, replying: "I get in trouble because I'm overly honest. I share everything. I will tell you absolutely everything about how I am, down to latest bowel movements, should you so wish. But I mustn't tell you what she's up to because she's private, as she should be." Revealing that her mum was "coping", she then said: "What she has said for me to say is she loves you, she sends her love and she's coping." It comes after Esther, who works with various charitable causes and founded the charities Childline, a helpline for children, which she set up in 1986, made a heartbreaking last wish in a new interview. She told The Times last month: "If there is a heaven, it would be a very happy place. It's a lovely idea to meet [husband] Desmond again and all those I have loved and lost — my parents and grandparents, my close friends and family." The seasoned journalist is currently fighting terminal lung cancer after initially discovering a lump under her arm pit around Christmas in 2022. Just weeks later in January 2023, a biopsy confirmed that Esther had cancer. In May of the same year, she confirmed that her condition was at stage four and was taking medication to keep her comfortable and ease her symptoms. But in March, her daughter revealed that the medication was no longer working as Esther wasn't responding to it. Since sharing her diagnosis, the philanthropist has spoken openly about signing up for Dignitas – a clinic in Switzerland where assisted dying is legal. She says that by joining the clinic, it was the only way she was able to control the end of her life, should it become "unbearable." But Esther has also been a strong advocate for the assisted dying bill in the UK, which is currently being debated in parliament. MP Kim Leadbeater, who was behind the Assisted Dying Bill had agreed to pause the introduction until 2029. While Assisted Dying is currently illegal in England, the bill was recently passed by the Isle of Man parliament and is currently awaiting royal assent from King Charles, which would make the Isle of Man the first place in Great Britain to legalise assisted dying. Speaking about her law and how she believes it will be too late for her, Esther wrote in The Times: "I always knew that any change in the assisted dying law could not possibly come in time for me. So the delay — the law in England and Wales could be pushed back until at least 2029 — won't affect me personally."
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Over 3k charges filed after two girls report rape, Houtzdale couple charged
CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Houtzdale man is in jail and his wife was charged after two teenage girls reported they had been raped for years. Randy Pinto is facing 3,540 felony charges including rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, sexual assault, and related offenses after the teen girls came forward. Katie Pinto was charged with two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children. State police were alerted to a Child Line report April 30 about rape and other sexual assaults involving the girls that began when they were five years old. When speaking to investigators, the girls claimed Randy raped them and forced them into sexual acts multiple times at multiple locations. Sheetz robber waited in line and lowered his mask before robbing the store, police said Troopers also spoke to a juvenile male who said he was aware Randy was molesting the girls and described an altercation where Randy allegedly pushed him down and choked him. According to a criminal complaint, Randy sexually assaulted the girls at a home in Olanta, PA and at a home in Houtzdale. Troopers also noted an assault occurred at an unknown location while hunting in a deer blind. The girls claimed Randy would give them a small amount of money or toys so they wouldn't tell Katie what he did. The girls said they ultimately did tell Katie but claim she did not report the abuse to authorities. When questioned by investigators, Katie alleged that she knew about the rape for years but claimed she was 'very afraid' of Randy which prevented her from reporting it. According to the complaint, Randy was described as having a bad temper and would often yell and throw items when he was angry. Randy was arraigned late Thursday, May 1 and taken to the Clearfield County Jail. Magisterial District Judge Joseph Morris denied Randy's bail. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 14. Katie has a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
