A Hancock County man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday after being convicted of possession of child pornography. “With each image or video depicting child sexual abuse, we must remember there is a name, an identify, and a life of a real child attached to each file,” said Child Abuse Investigations Specialist Derek Cress of Zero Abuse Project.

Police in Muncie were shown a video of a 17-year-old repeatedly holding a lit lighter to her daughter’s hand as another girl sprayed perfume to accelerate the flame. “Sadly, these days, we see more and more parents who record themselves abusing their children. I wish I could tell you it’s shocking, but it just isn’t. It’s simply a way to memorialize the conduct forever,” said Kristina Korobov, who is the senior lawyer for the Zero Abuse Project.

After more than a year working with experts, advocates, and organizations including Zero Abuse Project, two students from the same school once attended by Jacob Wetterling have developed an award-winning online safety curriculum on recognizing and preventing the threat of grooming in online gaming, social media, and more.

Roughly 800 lawsuits have been filed against local child welfare agencies in New York since passage of the state’s 2019 Child Victims Act lifted statutes of limitation for survivors to file legal claims against alleged perpetrators. Joelle Casteix, a survivor of child sexual abuse and Chair of Zero Abuse Project’s Board of Directors, praised those brave enough to file suit. “The more we empower survivors, the more we normalize the discussion of abuse, and the more we empower kids to speak out while the abuse is going on, so we can put predators behind bars,” she said.

SurvivorSpace, a website and mobile app from Zero Abuse Project that is dedicated to supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse, is proud to announce the release of a compelling video featuring three adult survivors engaging in a candid conversation about their experiences. Filmed in February, the video captures an intimate discussion among three survivors, sharing their personal journeys of overcoming the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. With honesty and vulnerability, they delve into the challenges they faced, the impact on their lives, and the paths they’ve taken toward healing and empowerment.

A 33-year-old La Crosse, Wisconsin, man was recently sentenced to federal prison in a sextortion case involving a teenage girl, according to authorities. The case surrounding Seth W. Fagan was investigated in part by the Wisconsin Department of Justice—Division of Criminal Investigation. Zero Abuse Project’s ICAC team members, Dan Barry and Derek Cress, discuss the balance between respecting a child’s privacy versus keeping them safe.

At the 2024 Criminal Justice Summit of Northeastern Minnesota held Thursday at the Pike Lake Beach and Golf Club, members of the regional criminal justice system learned what steps to take to help these child victims. Caitie Dahl, a forensic investigator with the Zero Abuse Project, spoke at the summit to help attendees understand one type of victim who is very easily overlooked. “There’s just a rich history of not necessarily prioritizing cases involving children because of some perceived inabilities to provide accurate and reliable information,” said Dahl.

Zero Abuse Project, a national nonprofit organization, announced that the March 23 federal budget signed into law by President Biden included an appropriation of $1.2 million for the nonprofit to provide a child abuse prevention program in Minnesota. The congressionally-directed spending was jointly sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).

A national organization is recognizing the director of the St. Paul-based Jacob Wetterling Resource Center for her work in advocating for missing and murdered people, and for sexual abuse prevention. Alison Feigh is one of 28 recipients around the country of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s annual Visionary Voice Awards, the center announced Tuesday.

A new bill being hammered out by Minnesota legislators hopes to breathe new life into reinvestigating cold case murders on a consistent basis. The bill seeks to empower families of victims and to survivors by forcing law enforcement agencies to reopen cases upon request. Zero Abuse Project’s Director of Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, Alison Feigh, speaks to the bill and its potential impact.

There are at least 2,000 unsolved murders in Minnesota, so a lot of families are dealing with a major loss without any answers. A new bill gives them some power to force police departments to re-open cases and could give some hope to people who say they often feel hopeless.

Zero Abuse Project CEO Jeff Dion appeared on ABC 6 News discussing our work, mission, and upcoming luncheon event, “A Safer World for Kids” coming in April.

Zero Abuse Project, in partnership with the Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, has graduated 30 Nigerians from the justice sector, child protection sector, and law enforcement, as child forensic interviewers for child sexual assault. As the first academy on the continent, it sets a precedent that will echo across borders, inspiring others to join the mission of creating safer spaces for children in Africa.

As virtual reality programs are booming, so are reports of attacks, harassment and sexual assault. Some activists argue these incidents should be treated as serious — even criminal — acts. And authorities are starting to pay attention. This spring, under a grant from the U.S. Justice Department, the Zero Abuse Project will hold workshops to explain the metaverse and its dangers to state and local police.

In the year since a one-time window opened in New York State allowing people to file sex-abuse lawsuits even after the statute of limitations had expired, more than 3,000 civil suits have been filed. Now, the focus is shifting to new legislation that could create another window for lawsuits or make permanent the ability to file civil lawsuits for sexual assault beyond the statute of limitations.

The Redwood County Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with The Minnesota County Attorney’s Association (“MCAA”) and Zero Abuse Project (“ZAP”), hosted Investigating and Prosecuting Stalking, Sexual Assault, and Domestic Violence, a two day training which brought together professionals from agencies across the State including law enforcement, prosecution, advocates, and social workers who listened and learned from experts.

Michael Kelly, a former New Hanover County Schools teacher who pleaded guilty to 59 sex crimes against children in 2019, has been ordered to pay $140 million in damages to the 14 plaintiffs in a civil case. The estimation for damages was completed by Jeffery Dion, CEO of Zero Abuse Project.

John Stamos says he was sexually abused by his babysitter as a young child. The former “Full House” star made the heartbreaking revelation in advance of his upcoming book, “If You Would Have Told Me.” The 60-year-old told People magazine that he tried to “pack it away,” but that “it took me writing a book,” to realize what he accuses the babysitter of was inappropriate.