News, news, news Links to news stories, some on our site, some on other sites. New ones are added all the time, so do check back!

NEWS

Child pornography flourishes in a world with no borders

"Estimates of the number of children who are victims vary hugely, from ten thousand to 100,000. Pornographic images of children, from babies through to teenagers are posted on the web. Figures cited in the report estimate nearly 20 percent of individuals possessing child pornography had images of babies and children aged under 3 and more than 80 percent had images of children aged between 6 and 12. The report says most producers of pornographic images of children are known to the victims, in fact more than a third are family members and more than a third of those found guilty of possessing child pornography live with children."

Sex Slavery: The Desperate Plight of Many Women

"No one is seeing the situation for what it is," said Karen Stauss, an attorney with Polaris Project, an anti-trafficking organization based in Washington, D.C. "It's like we're saying, 'We blame you for what you are suffering.' "

Unrealistic Expectations Always in Fashion

"Germany's most popular women's magazine, Brigitte, recently announced that starting next year, it would ban professional models from its pages to combat the glorification of ultra-thin women, and use "real" women instead.

160,000 U.S. Children Had Cosmetic Surgery in 2008

In 2008, cosmetic interventions such as breast augmentation, liposuction, Botox injections, hair removal, birthmark removal or "Asian eye surgery" were performed in 160,283 U.S. residents under the age of 19. Among the more controversial cosmetic procedures is blepharoplasty, also known as "Asian eye surgery," in which people of Asian descent undergo surgery to widen their eyes and add the eyelid crease normally found only in people of European descent. Blepharoplasty was performed on 369 children in 2008.

Women in the Seats but Not Behind the Camera

"I'm not talking about those buff babes who pop up in adolescent fantasies, licking their lips as they lock and load; IÕm talking about movies made for and with women. I'm also talking about movies directed by women. Here's a little history: Only three women have been nominated as directors by the academy in 81 years:. . . "

DEMAND--see the film online!

Shared Hope International's explosive new documentary, featuring investigative footage of the dark and hidden world of sex traffickers, pimps and buyers. "DEMAND" exposes the men who buy commercial sex, the vulnerable women and children sold as commodities, and the facilitators of the sale within the marketplace of exploitation.

Are Americans a Broken People?

Can people become so broken that truths of how they are being screwed do not "set them free" but instead further demoralize them? Yes. It is called the "abuse syndrome." How do abusive pimps, spouses, bosses, corporations, and governments stay in control?