April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Approximately 1 in 6 adult women in Oregon has been the victim of forcible rape in her lifetime. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be victims of sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. Sexual assault affects everyone, whether you are a victim, family member, friend, employer, co-worker, neighbor or community member. However, due to the nature of this issue, not many people want to acknowledge or admit that sexual abuse is an issue we need to face. Therefore to overcome, minimization, denial, I have posted some articles from this weeks local papers. In hopes to shed light on the prevalence of this issue. I would remind folks that only 10% of all sexual assault cases are ever reported to law enforcement in the first place – so I think it is safe to say that these reported incidents are just the tip of the Iceberg.
Locally – the University of Oregon Newspaper the Oregon Emerald reports on Monday April 2nd, .
Man arrested for masturbating in library
By: Trevor Davis | News Reporter Oregon Emerald Newspaper
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: Front Page
Department of Public Safety and Eugene Police officers responded to a report of a transient man masturbating and viewing pornography on an open-access computer at the Knight Library around 9:30 p.m. on March 22, Eugene police said.
Ryan Carl Mesaros, 25, was arrested on previous warrants and was charged with public indecency and cited for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, Eugene police spokeswoman Kerry Delf said.
A student assistant working at the Current Periodicals desk reported that a man using a public computer on the third floor was viewing pornography and masturbating, said Mark Watson, associate university librarian for Collections & Access. Library staff then called DPS.
Delf said DPS officers saw the man “actively masturbating,” and the Eugene Police Department was called to assist DPS officers.
Watson said similar incidents happen two or three times each year.
“These are the ones that we know about, that people come tell us and we respond to,” Watson said. “My guess is that you can figure if we have two or three of these a year that we handle in a formal way, there are probably some more that happen that we don’t ever hear about.”
Andrew Bonamici, associate University librarian for Instructional Services, said the library isn’t considering filtering Internet access and said he isn’t aware of any public academic research library that would do so.
“We don’t put filters on the computers or say you can’t look at pornography or other kinds of sexual materials or erotic materials because in some cases those may be objects of study,” Bonamici said.
Library officials started a safety monitor program last fall and trained student staff, mainly to prevent theft, Watson said. When library patrons leave their belongings unattended, for example, safety monitors will either leave a note or tell the owner to keep a closer eye on their possessions.
“We really weren’t trying to have students act like security personnel,” Watson said. “We just want them to be a visible presence in the building.” He added that safety monitors won’t apprehend anyone and are instructed to contact DPS.
The library is open 24 hours a day during finals and dead week, and a security firm is hired to monitor the building and check for student identification at the entrance from midnight to 8 a.m.
Bonamici said that students who see suspicious activity in the library should contact staff immediately.
“Because Knight Library is a very large facility, we need help from everyone using it to help monitor the environment,” he said.
Department of Public Safety officials could not be reached for comment.
In OREGON - Reported in the Register Guard on 4/3/07.
Roman Catholic priest investigated in abuse
PORTLAND – A Roman Catholic priest in Tillamook is under investigation by police after accusations that he molested a child in Portland, church officials said.
The Rev. Joseph V. Hoang, 39, was put on administrative leave March 19 after the Portland Archdiocese received a report of sexual abuse, church spokesman Bud Bunce told the Oregonian.
Church officials later learned that a criminal investigation by Portland Police already was under way, Bunce said.
Sgt. Brian Schumautz confirmed an investigation but would not release details surrounding the case.
Hoang has been the pastor at Sacred Heart Catholic Churce in Tillamook since September 2004, Bunce said. The allegations did not involve a Sacred Heart parishioner, he said.
NATIONALLY: As reported on 4/3/07 by the Associated Press
Sex Sting nets 28 Florida suspects
ORLANDO, Fla. – Three Walt Disney Co. employees were among 28 men charged with soliciting sex from a minor amid a weeklong sting operation in the Orlando area, authorities said. The men, ranging in age from college students to their 40’s and 50’s, had chatted online with people they believed to be boys and girls, ages 13 and 14.
Several agencies worked together to set up the sting at a Polk County home, where the suspects were arrested through Sunday. Three of the men worked for Walt Disney Co., on as a 21-year old intern, another as a 55-year old part-time instructor at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the third as a 44-year old electronics technician.
Contact the crime, health and safety reporter at tdavis@dailyemerald.com
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