Parents, community, must prevent child abuse
Police are still looking for their third suspect in the case of alleged large-scale abuse of children in Punta Gorda. U.S. citizen Harry Lee Jones, wanted by the cops on a charge of human trafficking, has not yet been found and chances are that he is no longer in the country, as reports to News 5 indicate that he was seen Saturday morning at the Philip Goldson International Airport. But while authorities try to put together their criminal case, another section of government must deal with the situation of child abuse–in Toledo and the entire country–from a very different perspective.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
In the vast majority of cases, children are abused by someone they know and trust: a close relative, a family friend…even a parent.
Sadly, statistical reports reveal that since 1995 there has been a steady increase in the number of boys and girls neglected, abandoned, emotionally or physically and sexually abused.
The Director of the Human Services Department, Ava Pennil, says in 2002 they handled a total of one thousand, five hundred cases of child abuse.
Ava Pennil, Director, Human Services
“This is a good time for all parents to speak to their children about paedophiles because paedophiles are people that can read children. They can go into a park, it is said, and they can sit in a park and pick out the children they can victimised.”
In the case of two U.S. citizens charged with sex crimes in Punta Gorda, around a thousand pictures of young girls were uncovered on one of the suspect’s computers.
Ava Pennil
“We are going through each picture one at a time, and with the help of the community, with the principals in the community, we are trying to identify each child. Maybe some of them are innocent pictures, and if those are innocent pictures fine, but still as a guard.”
One of the two American men charged in the case, fort-five year old Dennis Bruce, is charged with carnal knowledge, indecent assault and trafficking of persons, while the other, sixty-one year old Amos Capps, is charged with indecent assault and trafficking in persons.
Ava Pennil
“I would say it’s the first case that we are seeing of this magnitude. There are a lot of children involved, we do not know to what extent they are involved. While these children will provide evidence to put these people behind bars, the focus of the department is to help those children to deal and come to terms with what has happened, understand what has happened, don’t blame themselves because they are not at fault, it’s the perpetrator that is at fault.”
A third suspect identified as fifty-eight year old Harry lee Jones is being sought by police.
Carmen Zetina, Commissioner of Police
“He was in fact in our custody, but because of the limitation, the custodial limitation imposed on us, we had to release him and afterwards we develop evidence against him, so he is a wanted person you can consider.”
Police Commissioner Carmen Zetina says at this time they have no evidence of a pornography ring, but he strongly believes that ongoing investigations will yield such information. Zetina says contrary to reports, they were only officially informed about the incident in P.G. in the last several weeks.
Carmen Zetina
“If the public knew, definitely the public didn’t bring it to the attention of the right person. That information came in about, I think about three to four weeks ago, and we were developing this information. You have to understand that information does not work in court, there must be evidence; it is only when you have the evidence. Let me tell you that the information came as a pornography ring that is taking place. Up to now, up to now, we don’t have the evidence, but we are going there. We have to look at the computers, the hardware that they had, but I can tell you that the three charges being imposed on these individuals, we are on line.”
Pennil says there are laws in place to protect the children and prosecute the perpetrators, so no child or parent should be afraid of reporting any incident.
Ava Pennil
“The Families and Children Act is the major round, and then are also criminal codes that are used against the perpetrator. And then only recently, another couple months ago, we passed the trafficking in persons act, and that act is wide, wide open.”
However, Pennil says that in the end the protection of children will only be as strong as parents and the community make it.
