Showing posts with label assemlyman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label assemlyman. Show all posts

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Disenfranchised-Educators

Moreno Valley Water Company   Embezzlement Was Reported Repeatedly But The Board Refused To Act. Three Years and $280,000.00 Later ...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Study Warns of Limited Savings from Closing Schools
Edited by I, Praetorian

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Closing schools doesn’t save air academic progress. And it says school districts can help generate some acceptance for a downsizing plan by involving the community early and establishing clear reasons for why certain schools must close.

The report, released Oct. 19, was written by the Philadelphia Research Initiative to foreshadow what the 154,000-student Philadelphia district can expect over the next few years as it plans to close a number of schools because of declining enrollments. The district currently has 70,000 empty seats, according to the report. School administrators have not decided which schools to close and how many, but internal school documents published in June by the website Philadelphia Public School Notebook listed 26 schools that could be shut down.

The report looks at school closings in Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Mo., Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and the District of Columbia. Each of those districts has closed at least 20 schools in the past decade, and most of the buildings have been shuttered in the recent past.
For example, Pittsburgh, with around 25,300 students, went through a “right-sizing” effort that closed 22 schools in 2006. The district is now discussing closing seven more schools. The 17,400-student Kansas City district closed 29 schools—nearly half of its school buildings—in 2010.
A Matter of Context
Closing schools does save money, but in districts whose budgets add up to hundreds of millions of dollars or more, the final savings are relatively small, said Larry Eichel, the program director for the Philadelphia Research Initiative, which is a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Philadelphia’s current annual budget, for example, is $2.8 billion.
Six Cities Shuttering Buildings
To inform deliberations over plans to close schools in Philadelphia, researchers conducted case studies of recent school closings in six other urban districts.
Chicago
Closure Period: 2001-2009
Number Closed: 44
Buildings in Use: 602
Detroit
Closure Period: 2009-2010
Number Closed: 59
Buildings in Use: 130
Kansas City, Mo.
Closure Period: 2009-2010
Number Closed: 29
Buildings in Use: 29
Milwaukee
Closure Period: 2005-2010
Number Closed: 20
Buildings in Use: 137
Pittsburgh
Closure Period: 2006
Number Closed: 22
Buildings in Use: 64
District of Columbia
Closure Period: 2008
Number Closed: 23
Buildings in Use: 11
*As of 2011.
Source: The Philadelphia Research Initiative

“The savings are under a million dollars per school,” Mr. Eichel said. “That’s real money, but not money that changes anything fundamentally.”
The biggest chunk of district money is spent on teachers, and those staff members typically are still needed, just at different locations.

A district also has to pay for some maintenance on shuttered buildings so they don’t become neighborhood eye sores.

And districts should not expect a windfall from selling their old buildings. Those facilities are undesirable to businesses for some of the same reasons that districts decided to close them: The buildings are often located in areas that are losing population. Also, they tend to be in poor condition, and it may be hard to convert them to other purposes, Mr. Eichel said.
The study found examples of repurposing, however. In Milwaukee, a former middle school was bought last year for $600,000 to be converted into senior housing. In Chicago, several closed schools have been converted to charter schools.
Impact on Learning

In examining the academic performance of students in schools slated to be closed, the report focused on a studyDescription: Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader by the Consortium on Chicago School Research that looked at students whose schools were closed between 2001 and 2006. That study found that student performance fell at schools that were slated to be shut down and remained low for the rest of the school year. A year later, though, the academic performance of those displaced students had rebounded to preclosure levels.
The Pew report also cites a studyDescription: Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader led by researchers from the RAND Corp. that examined achievement from students from closed schools in a “midsized urban district in the Northeast.” Though the district was not named, the paper noted that the district closed 22 schools in the 2005-06 school year, which corresponds with Pittsburgh’s experience.
That paper said students in the district whose schools were closed did see a drop in their reading and math scores, but researchers found the effect could be mitigated or eliminated if the students were moved to schools that were higher-performing than the ones they left behind.

The Pew report offers several tools that districts can use to reduce the pain of closing schools. For example, it suggests that outside experts can bring a level of objectivity to the proceedings. Seeking community support early is also essential, the report notes.
It says that the 45,000-student District of Columbia school system committed a misstep by moving too quickly to close schools in the face of a 30 percent decline in enrollment. Under the leadership of then-Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, the school system announced that closures were coming in September 2007, and the final vote to close 23 schools came, after much controversy, four months later.

Mary Filardo, the executive director of the Washington-based 21st Century School Fund, studies school facilities issues and agrees that the system in Washington moved too quickly to shut down schools. Too many school districts distrust the public when it comes to closure decisions, she said.
Taking It to the Public

“The reason you involve the community is not to make [closings] palatable,” she said. “The reason you involve the community is because you want to make better decisions.”
She added that people whose children attend school in such urban areas often “are working-class or low-income. They know about making tough decisions and struggling” and can understand the necessity for some closings.

As District of Columbia school officials learned, making a misstep in school closings can cause political fallout. The community uproar over the closings in Washington was one of the ingredients that led last year to the primary-election defeat of then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who had selected Ms. Rhee, and to the chancellor’s departure.
And after community members in Chicago protested that school- closure decisions were being made in secret, the Illinois legislature passed a law in August that governs how that 409,000-student system can make facilities decisions.

“The political fallout is from not having a trusting relationship with your public,” Ms. Filardo said.
Being Transparent
But involving the public can be a delicate balancing act, said Nancy R. Kodman, the executive director for academic and operations integration for Pittsburgh schools. Just introducing the problem to the community, she said, leads to people saying, “You don’t have any solutions? You don’t have any ideas?” But a full plan is criticized for being drawn up in secret.

“You lessen that by being as transparent as you can,” Ms. Kodman said.
When Pittsburgh closed more than 20 schools, she said, the district talked with the public about what it was hoping to achieve. Academic improvement was put forward as the top goal, and to eliminate some political horse-trading, the closures were considered as a group, in a single up-or-down vote by the school board.

While many urban districts are struggling with how to handle excess space, Ms. Filardo noted that Seattle is dealing with overcrowded classrooms, thanks to unexpected population growth. The Seattle Times reported in October that in one school, a 4th grade class is meeting in a hallway, and many classes are meeting in portables. An infusion of about 1,500 more students than expected is prompting the district to reopen some schools that it had closed, over community objection, in the past few years.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Part 1 of Deconstructing Hate Sites


This Information is Provided by the Victim of Such A Hate Site: A Man Still Fighting One Year Later to Clear His Name From the False Accusations of Belonging to Such Hate Based Internet Sewage... I am that Victim along with another outstanding person and Journalist MVgordie (mvgordie.com).


I, Praetorian






Responding to Online Hate
When people see hate on the Net, they just say: "Well, what can I do about it?" And they move on. But the only way people can start to get rid of the hate is by taking some interest in the ways in which we, as human beings, can prevent hate from spreading.
A Vancouver Island high-school student
MNet’s 2001 survey "Young Canadians in a Wired World" showed that when young people came across a "hateful" Web site, more than a third (36 per cent) simply ignored it. If they received hateful e-mail messages, again more than three in ten did nothing—though a similar percentage told a friend, an adult, or the police. There is no reason to believe that adults’ rate of response is any higher.
Granted, it’s not always easy to tell whether hateful online content is actually illegal, rather than just offensive and annoying. Sometimes material can only properly be defined as illegal by the courts. Still, the courts can’t prosecute what they don’t know about—so public response is crucial.
If people want to do something about hate material they see on the Internet, there are several options:
Contact the Internet Service Provider
All over the world, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are being forced to become more proactive about hate material on their servers. Most ISPs now have Acceptable Use Policies that clearly define the guidelines for using their services, as well as the penalties for violating those guidelines.
In Canada, most ISPs belong to the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP). CAIP’s Code of Conduct states that its members will not host illegal content, and will make a reasonable effort to investigate legitimate complaints about illegal content or network abuse—taking appropriate action, if needed. However, ISPs do not have the legal power to decide what material is illegal; and so most are reluctant to remove suspect content from their servers without official direction from a law enforcement agency.

Repor
t online hate to the police
Some urban police departments now have a High-Tech Crime Unit to investigate online offences. If none exists, a complaint can be made to the local police. It’s advisable to attach a copy of the offending material to the letter of complaint.

File a complaint with the F.B.I.
Good for the records otherwise pretty useless unless threats of violence are made.

Check out "hate watch" Web sites
A number of sites exist to monitor and document illegal material on the Internet. Some notable examples are B’nai Brith League for Human Rights, which hosts a hate hotline; and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which has identified thousands of offensive Web sites. Its CD entitledDigital Hate 2002 lists sites that promote antisocial and illegal activities ranging from hate music to suicide bombing. The Southern Poverty Law Center is another good resource.


Any hate found on a California Web site is now subject to new legislation—though hate encountered on other states sites must be dealt with differently. However, the U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League both recommend that surfers alert them to any online hate, so that they can try to get the offending material removed.


And since the active promotion of tolerance is one of the Abest responses to hate, check out the online pamphlet 101 Tools for Tolerance: Simple Ideas for Promoting Equity and Diversity, developed by the Web-based group Tolerance.org.

For more detailed information about the organizations mentioned here, a
s well as information on how to report online hate, see the links in the sidebar.

Saturday, October 15, 2011


The Self Harm Cycle
Latest Evidence Suggests



Self-harm is most common in children over the age of 11 and increases in frequency with age. It is uncommon in very young children although there is evidence of children as young as five trying to harm themselves.


Self-harm is more common amongst girls and young women than amongst boys and young men. Studies indicate that, amongst young people over 13 years of age, approximately three times as many females as males harm themselves.


A study in Oxford found that approximately 300 per 100,000 males aged between 15 and 24 years, and 700 per 100,000 females of the same age, were admitted to hospital following an episode of self-harm during the year 2000. Community based studies report higher rates of self-harm than hospital based studies.


A national survey of children and adolescents carried out in the community found that 5 per cent of boys and 8 per cent of girls aged 13-15 said that they had, at some time, tried to harm, hurt or kill themselves.
In the same national survey, rates of self-harm reported by parents were much lower than the rates of self-harm reported by children. This suggests that many parents are unaware that their children are self-harming.


A study carried out in schools in 2002 found that 11 per cent of girls and 3 per cent of boys aged 15 and 16 said they had harmed themselves in the previous year.
Greater incidence of self-injury amongst gay and lesbian young adults; five times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts. A greater number of occurrences of self-injury exist among those with physical disabilities and epilepsy.


The UK has one of the highest rates of self-harm in Europe, at 400 per 100,000 population. It is estimated that there are at least 170,000 cases of self-harm which come to hospital attention each year. Many more incidents of self-harming behaviour probably take place but are not included in any statistics because people may choose not to seek medical help.


New estimates have been made about the most common form of Self Harm
Cutting: 72 percent
Burning: 35 percent
Self-hitting: 30 percent
Interference w/wound healing: 22 percent
Hair pulling: 10 percent
Bone breaking: 8 percent
Multiple methods: 78 percent (included in above)





If you would like to email Stop Self Harm, to ask for help or advice email us at stopselfharm@hotmail.co.uk or leave a message in our guestbook and we'll get back to you.
We also ask, if you are visiting this site, please leave us a message in our guestbook with what you thought of the site or ideas on how to improve it, we appreciate any feed back.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

THE DEFINITION OF COURAGE. YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Please understand this is a 70 year-old former U.S. Prosecutor! This man, Dr. Richard I Fine, PHd is my hero (see video series below, courtesy of Full Disclosure) and model for my fights to come  with Moreno Valley USD  also one of the most litigated school districts in the inland empire. For over 20 years of corruption spearheaded by the personalities of the COWARDS and BULLY BOYS RUNNING MVUSD'S HUMAN RESOURCES.  One of the former participated in felony misuse and theft of public funds, one a convicted felon who used an unregistered pistol firing at a car fleeing his house with his own daughter inside the car. He is still employed and partially running a MVUSD middle school. This school was formerly the flagship of the entire district. The current coward is helping to cover up directly or indirectly the theft of  or miss use of  student funds that totals in the multiple $100,000s in cash  EVERY YEAR.


The man most responsible for this system wide cover-up, a man who lied more than once to me when I was looking for help with the criminal activity I stumbled upon, was fired early this year then allowed to stay on with a double demotion to assistant principal. The Board was afraid that out and out firing would tempt him to tell all. For years covered up by some of the Superintendents and their assistants, including Bob Crank who was one of the key players Most area taxpayers are paying twice over for there child's education without knowing and some of that money is stolen in cash! Watch for the documentation and names to come.  BUT lets not forget the School Board who hires these people, among which contains a documented CHILD MOLESTER and a yet to be charged criminal who used the power of the office for... well, come back and see. Another is on the payroll of local Developer and member of the shadowy Jewish "Gold Trust" and its silent members. An organization who's home is somewhere in Beverly Bills, CA. I have fired off a letter to the Jewish Defense League* asking point blank if they are associated... 


Did I mention the possible cover-up of an alleged murder of a 17 year-old student at the hands of a former school district employee? One of whom was working here until two years ago. I am still working on this. Time and the efficiency of the alleged cover-up has made it hard to follow.
Sincerely, I, Praetorian.


*The Jewish Defense League or JDL is a Jewish nationalist and far-right organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary".[1] While the group asserts that it "unequivocally condemns terrorism", and claims to have a "strict no-tolerance policy against terrorism and other felonious acts,"[2] it was described as "a right-wing terrorist group" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation[3] in 2001, and as a hate group involved in "anti-Arab terrorism" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[4] According to the FBI, the JDL has been involved in plotting terrorist attacks within the United States.[3] Outside the FBI, the  Anti-Defamation League (ADL)[2] and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).[3 are the largest watch dog organizations in the US monitoring hate groups




Sunday, October 2, 2011




Description: http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/1px.gifDescription: http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/1px.gifDescription: http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/img/3.0/1px.gif
September 28, 2011|By Brad Lendon, CNN; edited by Praetorian
arrested in alleged SAT cheating scam in New York

Authorities have arrested seven people in an, high school and are investigating whether the cheating extends to other schools. Samuel Eshaghoff, 19, of Great Neck, New York, was arrested Tuesday on felony fraud charges that could result in four years in prison if he's convicted, the Nassau County District Attorney's Office said.
Six students face misdemeanor charges. Their names are not being released because they are minors.

Prosecutors allege Eshaghoff impersonated six Great Neck North High students between 2010 and 2011, charging between $1,500 and $2,500 to take the SAT test for them.
Description: http://articles.cnn.com/images/pixel.gifEshaghoff would take the test at schools other than Great Neck, where proctors would not be familiar with the students' identity, and present fake, unofficial identification, prosecutors say.
Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said authorities uncovered the scam after hearing rumors of cheating, comparing the test scores of suspects to their school grade-point averages, and finding a "wide gulf" in the cases of the six suspects.
The district attorney's office said it is investigating possible cheating scams at two other Nassau County high schools as well as possible further instances involving Eshaghoff.
Eshaghoff's attorney, Matin Emouna, said his client pleaded not guilty in the case.
And he said cheating on tests is something that should be handled in schools, not in criminal courts.
"At what point are you going to draw the line?" Emouna asked during a phone interview with CNN Wednesday. "No one has had a case like this in the U.S., and I think attorneys are going to have a field day with it."
The victims in the case are other students who are denied admission at the colleges of their choice by the students who cheated, Rice said Wednesday on CNN's "American Morning."
"Honest kids should not be bumped out of college slots by kids who cheated," she said.
Rice called on the Educational Testing Service, the nonprofit entity that administers the SAT nationwide, to establish procedures to combat cheating, including photographing students as they take the test and attaching the picture to the answer sheet.
"We need ETS to tighten security they have at these test centers," Rice said.
She also called on ETS to inform colleges if cheating is suspected. ETS currently deals with suspected cheating by canceling test scores and offering refunds, retests or arbitration, according to the district attorneys office.
Rice said authorities have no evidence implicating parents in the cheating scandal.
Great Neck North identifies itself as a high-performing high school, with a 97% graduation rate and almost 97% of students planning to pursue higher education.
The mean scores achieved by Great Neck North students on SAT tests in 2010 were well above the national average, according to the profile.
Eshaghoff, a 2010 Great Neck North graduate, tested in the 97th percentile, Rice said. He is now enrolled at Emory University in Atlanta after attending the University of Michigan for his freshman year, the prosecutor's office said.
The next SAT test dates are this weekend, and Rice said authorities will be vigilant.
"These arrests should serve as a warning to those taking the SAT this Saturday that if you cheat, you can face serious criminal consequences," Rice said.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Campaign Season 2011: More importantly, the reals fights of right and wrong are less than a year away


We are less than two months away from Campaign Season 2011. More important, the big fights will come in about one year. That's why I thought it important pull up this old Press-Enterprise article (below). The thing that Dan Lee couldn't say (and keep his job) was that the $300,000 that Ieedo put into the front organzation. "Moreno Valley Taxpayers Association," was used in one of the most ugly and legally questionable smear campaigns since Carl Rove. It is estimated that only $10,000 were actually used to unseat White and 30,000 to unseat West who had stood up to the "developer" and "Israeli Ex. Pat." Ieedo Benzeevi in public session. The rest was easily channeled to other campaigns to skirt Campaign Finance laws and then the majority back to Benzeevi who probably got the tax write off anyway. Further, it is rumoured that Ieedo Benzeevi is on a "Home Land Security" watch list. Hmmmm!

 For those that don't remember Carl Rove, the brain (God knows Bush needed one) and executioner for the George W. Bushees run for the RNC nomination for the Presidency in 2000. Rove who dodged Vietnam, thus the name "Chicken Hawk" accused an actual veteran, John McCain of being dishonest and dishonorable in serving his country (Remember the "Sift Boat" Veterans ad?). Utter bullshit and the prelude for Bushes entire presidency.  McCain of course was a Vietnam Vet who spent many years as a POW, tortured regularly by his captors, and who came home via a prisoner exchange.

On the local Moreno Valley Front:

Beware conflicts of interest among newcomers, departing Moreno Valley councilman says



Download story podcast

10:00 PM PST on Thursday, November 27, 2008


By DAN LEE
The Press-Enterprise
MORENO VALLEY - A departing city councilman expressed concern Tuesday about the influence that development ()and real estate interests might have on the council in light of this month's election.

Charles White , who was defeated in his re-election bid Nov. 4, noted that developer (and Israeli Ex. Pat.) Iddo Benzeevi and real estate broker Jerry Stephens donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Moreno Valley Taxpayers Association. The group, which is headed by city Planning Commissioner Michael Geller, campaigned strongly against White and Councilman Frank West.


"Because of developer and real estate broker relationships with the planning commissioner and council (and now the school board), I am concerned that money has taken control of our city," White said at the end of Tuesday's council meeting. "I believe conflicts of interest do exist."



Conflicts of interest, illegal campaign financing, threats and arson... the list of accusations goes on. I want to know is it true the now nearly bankrupt developer and Israeli Ex. Pat., Iddo Benzeevi is on a Homeland Security Watch List? Really? More will be revealed this time next year. I predict a surprisingly well-funded resurrection of the MPA a racist organization that never really went away and of course Vickie E. Baca or one of her (31 known alias.)

The background story continues below


Tuesday was the last regular council meeting for White and West, who represented the 1st and 3rd council districts, respectively, for the past 12 years. New council members Jesse "420" Molina and Robin Hastings will be sworn in Dec. 9 at the next regular council meeting. None of the council members responded publicly to White's concerns. Mayor Bill Batey did not attend Tuesday's meeting because he was working at his firefighting job. Council members Richard Stewart and Bonnie Flickinger thanked White and West for their service on the council.
"I think we can be collectively proud of what we have been able to accomplish together over the past 12 years," Flickinger said after White spoke.
The Moreno Valley Taxpayers Association sent out a barrage of mailers to voters before the election, saying White and West had failed to stop crime and traffic from increasing.
The councilmen said they were targeted because White had opposed naming eastern Moreno Valley "Rancho Belago" -- which Benzeevi had supported -- and West opposed Benzeevi's plans to build distribution centers there.
Geller said White was merely bitter about being defeated. The planning commissioner also disputed the notion that Benzeevi and Stephens might have undue influence at City Hall with the election of two new council members.
"Ultimately Jesse and Robin are going to make their own decisions," Geller said by phone Wednesday. "Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't talked with them."
During the campaign, Hastings and Molina said they would act independently of Geller, Benzeevi and Stephens.


Geller, who is also a local attorney, also said he does not have any conflicts of interest. He said he personally has never taken any money from Benzeevi and does not take a salary from the taxpayers association. Geller added that he abstains from voting when Stephens' projects come before the planning commission, because he has done legal work for Stephens.

Benzeevi said he had the highest respect and admiration for White's dedicated service to the city and expressed hope that the councilman would continue to remain involved in the community. "I wish him all the best," the developer said by phone. He declined to respond further to White's comments about his potential influence at City Hall. Stephens did not return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

White also brought up the issue of Molina's campaign signs, which said, "Elect Jesse Molina, He's One of Us." He said he thought that was a reference to Molina's Latino background.
"I thought, 'What would have been the reaction if my signs had read, 'Vote Right, Vote White'?" White said. "We do not need racism in our city elections ... Hopefully, we have seen the last of it."
Molina, White's successor, attended Tuesday's council meeting and said the "He's One of Us" slogan was not meant to imply anything racial. It was meant to convey that he was part of the working class, he said.
"It's sad to think people felt that way," Molina said after the meeting. "I wish he could have taken it another way."


Meanwhile, candidate Mike Rios, who finished second in the 3rd District behind Hastings and ahead of West, told the council that he plans to remain active in city issues, vowing to fight proposals to build warehouses in eastern Moreno Valley and "special interests" like Benzeevi and Stephens, and starting his own city watchdog organization.


"Mike Rios is not going away, so get used to my face, because I'm not leaving," Rios said. "I will not rest until I give this city back to the people of Moreno Valley ... This is Round One. I've still got 11 rounds to go, and I will take that championship belt from Iddo Benzeevi."
Benzeevi said he appreciated everyone's participation in community affairs.
West did not make any departing remarks at the end of the meeting.

"(White) did a very dramatic and moving statement that should stand alone," he said afterward.

Reach Dan Lee at 951-763-3457 or dlee@PE.com

This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out?

What's taking so long? This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out? "Hell has a special level for those who sit by idly during times of great crisis."
Robert Kennedy

The Art of SETTING LIMITS, Its not as easy as it looks.

Art of Setting Limits Setting limits is one of the most powerful tools that professionals have to promote positive behavior change for their clients, students, residents, patients, etc. Knowing there are limits on their behavior helps the individuals in your charge to feel safe. It also helps them learn to make appropriate choices.


There are many ways to go about setting limits, but staff members who use these techniques must keep three things in mind:
Setting a limit is not the same as issuing an ultimatum.
Limits aren’t threats—If you don’t attend group, your weekend privileges will be suspended.

Limits offer choices with consequences—If you attend group and follow the other steps in your plan, you’ll be able to attend all of the special activities this weekend. If you don’t attend group, then you’ll have to stay behind. It’s your decision.
The purpose of limits is to teach, not to punish.
Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result in predictable consequences. By giving such choices and consequences, staff members provide a structure for good decision making.
Setting limits is more about listening than talking.
Taking the time to really listen to those in your charge will help you better understand their thoughts and feelings. By listening, you will learn more about what’s important to them, and that will help you set more meaningful limits.
Download The Art of Setting Limits

SYSTEMATIC USE OF CHILD LABOR


CHILD DOMESTIC HELP
by Amanda Kloer

Published February 21, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT
category: Child Labor
Wanted: Domestic worker. Must be willing to cook, clean, work with garbage, and do all other chores as assigned. No contract available, payment based on employer's mood or current financial situation. No days off. Violence, rape, and sexual harassment may be part of the job.

Would you take that job? No way. But for thousands of child domestic workers in Indonesia, this ad doesn't just describe their job, it describes their life.

A recent CARE International survey of over 200 child domestic workers in Indonesia found that 90% of them didn't have a contract with their employer, and thus no way to legally guarantee them a fair wage (or any wage at all) for their work. 65% of them had never had a day off in their whole employment, and 12% had experienced violence. Child domestic workers remain one of the most vulnerable populations to human trafficking and exploitation. And while work and life may look a little grim for the kids who answered CARE's survey, it's likely that the most abused and exploited domestic workers didn't even have the opportunity to take the survey.

In part, child domestic workers have it so much harder than adults because the people who hire children are more likely looking for someone easy to exploit. Think about it -- if you wanted to hire a domestic worker, wouldn't you choose an adult with a stronger body and more life experience to lift and haul and cook than a kid? If you could get them both for the same price, of course you would. But what if the kid was cheaper, free even, because you knew she wouldn't try and leave if you stopped paying her. Or even if you threatened her with death.



Congress Aims to Improve Laws for Runaway, Prostituted Kids

by Amanda Kloer

categories: Child Prostitution, Pimping

Published February 20, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT

The prospects for healthcare reform may be chillier than DC weather, but Democrats in the House and Senate are turning their attention to another warmer but still significant national issue: the increasing number of runaway and throwaway youth who are being forced into prostitution. In response to the growing concerns that desperate, runaway teens will be forced into prostitution in a sluggish economy, Congress is pushing several bills to improve how runaway kids are tracked by the police, fund crucial social services, and prevent teens from being caught in sex trafficking. Here's the gist of what the new legislation is trying to accomplish:

Shelter: Lack of shelter is one of the biggest vulnerabilities of runaway and homeless youth. Pimps will often use an offer of shelter as an entree to a relationship with a child or a straight up trade for sex. In the past couple years, at least 10 states have made legislative efforts to increase the number of shelters, extend shelter options, and change state reporting requirements so that youth shelters have enough time to win trust and provide services before they need to report the runaways to the police. Much of the new federal legislation would make similar increases in the availability and flexibility of shelter options.

Police Reporting: Right now, police are supposed to enter all missing persons into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database within two hours of receiving the case. In reality, that reporting doesn't always get done, making it almost impossible for law enforcement to search for missing kids across districts. This hole is a big problem in finding child prostitution victims and their pimps, since pimps will often transport girls from state to state. The new bill would strengthen reporting requirements, as well as facilitate communication between the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Switchboard

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women
Nor the Fool Politicians that used so many American GIs' lives as fodder for the fight over an english noun - "Communism"