Convicted French sex offender became school head teacher, Navy aims to boost sex assault reporting, stop reprisals, Teen Son Testifies in New Jersey Military Child Abuse Case

Convicted French sex offender who became school head teacher 'may have raped 55 pupils'
Some 55 pupils of a primary school in south-eastern France, or their parents on their behalf, have accused the school's ex-head teacher of sexual abuse, prosecutor reveals
By Henry Samuel, Paris  04 May 2015

The former head teacher of a primary school in south-eastern France faces sex abuse charges against 55 pupils, the local prosecutor announced on Monday.

The case of the teacher from Villefontaine near Lyon, known only as Romain F, has shocked France and led to a government inquiry after it transpired he had been convicted of possessing child pornography in 2008 but that the justice ministry had failed to transmit his criminal record to the education ministry.

In March, he was placed under formal investigation for raping 11 pupils since last October, after confessing to having tricked blindfolded pupils into oral sex during a workshop on experiencing new tastes.

That prompted France's education ministry to launch an internal investigation parallel to the legal inquiry to discover how the convicted offender was hired, and determine if any other victims were abused....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11582189/Convicted-French-sex-offender-who-became-school-head-teacher-may-have-raped-55-pupils.html

Navy aims to boost sex assault reporting, stop reprisals
By Meghann Myers, Staff writer May 5, 2015

Instances of sexual assault are down and reporting is up in the Navy, but there are still some trouble spots on officials' minds, especially male victims and retaliation against those who report abuse.

While progress has been made, according to the head of the 21st Century Sailor Office, reports of of retaliation and assaults against men are holding steady....

The 2012 Rand study found that 62 percent of those who reported unwanted sexual contact felt they had been retaliated against, and the number didn't budge in 2014, Rear Adm. Rick Snyder told reporters in a Friday phone interview.

"I am concerned that a high percentage of victims perceive that negative things happen to them [after reporting an assault]," he said. "We're worried about that number."....

In terms of male assault victims, there's a focus on hazing and initiation activities that cross into sexual assault territory.

Men made up half of the service members who had experienced unwanted sexual contact, according to the Rand study, reporting mostly that the incidents happened multiple times, with multiple perpetrators, without the involvement of alcohol, as some sort of hazing ritual.

The reporting rate for women has raised dramatically in the past few years, Snyder said, but reports are stagnant for men at a rate of about 8 percent.

One in three women report, on the other hand....
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/crime/2015/05/05/navy-annual-sexual-assault-prevention-response-report/26705151/

Teen Son Testifies in New Jersey Military Child Abuse Case
NEWARK, N.J. — May 5, 2015 By DAVID PORTER Associated Press

The teenage son of a military couple charged with abusing their three foster children told a jury Tuesday that his parents used Bible passages to justify hitting the toddlers with a paddle, stick and other implements.

The "rod of correction" was one form of discipline meted out by Army Maj. John Jackson and wife Carolyn, John Jackson Jr. testified under direct questioning in U.S. District Court. The couple also forced the children, all of whom were under the age of 5, to drink hot sauce or eat hot pepper flakes as punishment, he said.

"With respect to the Bible, my parents believed that children needed to be trained in a certain way in order to behave," he said. One passage he said they cited: "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child, but the rod of correction will drive it out."

The trial is the second for the Jacksons. The first ended in a mistrial last fall when a prosecutor inadvertently referred to the fact that one of the children had died. The judge had previously ruled that the boy's death could not be introduced during the trial since the defendants were not charged directly with his death.

A 15-count superseding indictment charges them with conspiracy, child endangerment and assault....
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/son-testifies-jersey-military-child-abuse-case-30820382