KINSEY LEGACY
Safety in libraries:
Recently a public library system that had been honored by First Lady Laura Bush an exemplary learning institution was the scene of an attack on an 8-year-old girl by a 23-year-old homeless man in a library bathroom. This man had been expelled from the library for exposing himself to a 16-year-old girl a few weeks before. One librarian has reported that he frequently viewed pornography on library terminals. In July 2002, the assailant willingly put on a demonstration for Fox News (Channel 29) on how to access pornography on library computers. The library employs an “acceptable use” policy, but obviously this did not work in this case. The man accosted the little girl in a library restroom and left her in critical condition which was later upgraded to stable with injuries to her neck, shoulders, eyes and buttocks. He admitted that he had choked the girl to keep her quiet and had walked in behind the girl as she entered the restroom with a key. The girl had come to the library with her grandmother but had gone to the restroom alone. The man had previously served seven months in prison for a similar attack on a 9-year-old girl.
Child rape increases in Wichita
The number of child rape incidences doubled in Wichita during the last year according to police records and a recent article by Tim Potter of the Wichita Eagle on February 22, 2004. There were 66 incidents reported on victims 15 and younger with the youngest being 1-year-old. There were 28 reported in 2002. Experts estimate that reported rapes represent only one-third to one-half of the actual rapes that occur. Many victims and their families keep silent about the rapes. One-third of last year’s cases resulted in charges. Most rapists who prey on children are trusted adults who insist on secrecy or threaten the children if they tell. Often the children do not even realize that it is wrong because it is performed by someone they trust. Testifying in court is very scary for children, so many do not follow through after the report.