Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Stephanie F. Brown, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The website Craigslist.com in Atlanta is under investigation by law enforcement agencies for its use as a child prostitution site. A non-profit child advocacy organization claims that in February, 2009, 176 girls were advertised on Craigslist in Atlanta, Georgia. The FBI has filed charges against two individuals for taking nude photographs of a 17 year old girl and then uploading them onto Craigslist. According to the FBI charges, the two individuals who were charged worked for two days as a prostitute, providing her earnings to the two individuals who have since been charged.
In Buckeye, Arizona, prosecutors have filed indictment charges against Pastor Charles Carfrey. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has charged the Pastor with sexual exploitation of a minor, failure to register as a sex offender and kidnapping. Charles Carfrey worked as the pastor of The Lord’s House Church. The Pastor pleaded not guilty on these serious criminal offenses.
An Euclid, Ohio dad has been arrested for several criminal charges including child endangerment, attempted murder and assault on a firefighter. Sammy G. Hunter, Jr. faces these serious criminal charges from incidents that took place at his home. It was reported that Mr. Hunter got high, turned on his oven, and tried to shove his son inside the oven. The baby’s mother stopped Mr. Hunter from doing this. Mr. Hunter then tried to start a fire in the home that had a natural gas line. Firefighters responded to the scene. Then, Mr. Hunter assaulted firefighters. Of course, Mr. Hunter was arrested for these allegations. He pled not guilty to the charges.
In Bronx, New York and other cities, apartment complexes and condominiums pose certain hazards for children. In particular, child suffer serious personal injuries including fractures, brain damage, and wrongful death from falls out of apartment / condominium windows. Many apartment buildings have windows that can be accessed by a toddler. It is important for parents, caregivers, and the landlord to provide for the safety needs of the child. Child proof locks and safety bars or gates can help prevent injury. Alarms can also be installed to alert a parent or caregiver that a window has been accessed or tampered with. While these safety measures and others are helpful, close parental supervision can help prevent many fall related injuries from apartment / condominium windows.
In Harrisburg, Illinois, the criminal trial of a day care worker will be heading to trial in July 2009. Christi Bailey, age 28, is accused of punishing children in the Illinois day care center by putting hot sauce on their tongues when the children misbehaved. Bailey is also charged with counts of assault and battery for slamming a child into a wall and dragging another child into an office. Ms. bailey faces a total of 7 criminal counts for her alleged improper care and abuse of the childrenin a Harrisburg, Illinois day care center.
In Illinois and other States, children are injured in day care center playgrounds every day. Many injuries would have been prevented if the day care center properly supervised the children playing on the playground and properly maintained the playground equipment including swings, monkey bars, slides, stairs, see saws, and ladders. Pursuant to the Illinois Administrative Code, Title 89 – Social Services – Chapter III Department of Children & Family Services Rules (including licensing standards) 
In California, parents depend on day care centers / child care centers to properly supervise their children. Children need to be treated with due care, dignity, and respect. While the parent is not technically the person enrolled in the California child care center, the California Department of Social Services, the agency that licenses and regulates child care centers, requires that child care centers give the notice and sign an acknowledgement of receipt of the notice.
Tragically, children are abused in Iowa every. Some incidents of child abuse are reported and investigated by the Iowan Department of Human Services. Many, however, go unnoticed and unreported as the abused child injuries and needs remain hidden from authorities, law enforcement, teachers, family members and others. Every person who knows of or who suspects child abuse has a duty to report the suspected abuse / neglect. The Department of Human Services has the authority to conduct an assessment of a child who is allegedly the subject of child abuse. There are eight categories of child abuse as set forth in Section 232.68 of the Iowa Code. The categories are the following: physical abuse, mental injury, sexual abuse, child prostitution, exposure of children to drugs or presence of illegal drugs, denial of critical medical care, manufacturing or possession of drugs, and bestiality in front of a child.