Why is a Bill of Rights needed? Because there are too many children like Cara Bashold, like Johnny Lindquist, who slip through the fingers of social agencies designed to help them.

"HEW (Department of Health, Education and Welfare) figures indicate that perhaps five children a day perish and 12 a day suffer permanent brain damage directly related to child abuse," Osaka said.

And there are other grim statistics:

Seventeen million children (one out of every four) live in poverty.

As high as 5 percent of the nation's children are incest victims.

The United States ranks 16th in the world's infant mortality rate, 34th for its nonwhite population.

Three-fourths of the 1.7 million mentally retarded children in America live in slums.

Less than 10 percent of the children afflicted with mental health problems receive help.

Osanka, who teaches courses in child abuse and neglect at Lewis, has a special empathy with neglected children. Orphaned at the age of 3, he lived in 14 foster homes as a ward of Cook County.

He notes child abuse is a widespread problem affecting people of every socioeconomic level-"It's not just the oddball down the street. It's everybody's problem."

Abuse can be blatant-scalding a baby or pushing a toddler down the stairsor subtle-ignoring a child or instilling him with a defeatist, negative view of the world.

"Verbal abuse-constantly calling a child negative names-results in a negative self image and feelings of inferiority," says Osanka. "In some cases, it can give the child a license to be deviant.

"Parents who emotionally abuse their children often provide a totally negative emotional environment. They may fight all the time, tell the child it's a dogeat-dog world, teach him to assume that everyone is bad. This kind of home produces the instinct to shoot first and ask question later."

Only the more blatant cases of abuse generally come to the attention of lawmakers. The subtler forms are extremely hard to identify, Osanka said.

"There's a lot of gray area because we're talking about the development of a human being, a future adult. We're talking about how that person is conditioned to view the world."

He points out there's evidence that Lee Harvy Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Manson and John Wilkes Booth learned violent behavior patterns early in childhood as a way of getting attention from their parents and other adults.

"What we're doing is allowing adults to produce criminals, to produce sociopaths and psychopaths who will prey on society," he said.

Osanka contends that while there has been much progress in the area of child abuse reporting and prevention, much more needs to be done.

"In every state there is some new child abuse and neglect reporting law," he said. "Teachers and physicians are required by law to report and investigate cases of abuse and neglect.

"Hotline systems have been fairly effective and groups like Parents Anonymous are doing a great deal to reduce the incidence of abuse, probably much more than the official bureaucracy. The problem is we don't have enough people in the Department of Children and Family Services to handle all the cases, and our court referral system is not adquately equipped to provide therapy for abusive parents."

Osanka believes more education for parenthood is needed, and says parents must be made to realize children are not their property.

"Does the bearing of a child insure the right of treating the child in a less than human way?" he asks. "Because of the widespread notion that children are their parents' property, the public has been hesitant to interfere. People are much quicker to report the abuse of an animal than the abuse of a child.

"Maybe children ought to have a right to divorce their parents. In some cases, society should be able to intervene and sever the rights of those parents to the children."

The petition drive is enlisting the support of community organizations like the League of Women Voters and Parents Anonymous to reach persons concerned about children's problems.

Anyone interested in signing a petition or participating in any way may contact Osanka at 838-0500, Ext. 335.

[From Bloomington (Ind.) Sunday Herald, Mar. 6, 1977]

CHILDREN IN PORNOGRAPHY

SOCIOLOGIST CONDEMNS INCREASE OF NEW 'CHILD ABUSE' FORM

(By Holly Stocking)

The use of children in explicit sexual materials is on the increase, according to an Illinois sociologist.

Children as young as three and four years old are being photographed as they engage in sex acts with other children and with adults, he says. And the pictures are being sold in magazines, pamphlets, and 8 mm films in major cities across the country.

Frank Osanka, associate professor of social justice at Lewis University in Glen Ellyn, Ill., says use of children in erotic literature and films represents a relatively new, but apparently growing trend in adult materials.

And he is deeply concerned-not only because of the possibility of negative impact on children, but also because of the effects he fears such materials will be on some of the people who view them. Moreover, he wants something to be done about it.

"It's absolutely tragic and terrible," Osanka said during an interview at the Executive Inn. Not only do these materials show children engaged in sexual activities, but "it's clear," he said, "that they have been involved in this sort of thing for some time."

Osanka was one of the organizers of a recent nationwide demonstration against the use of children in pornography, and he has appeared as an expert witness in hearings on obscenity and pornography before the Illinois General Assembly.

He teaches a course on child abuse, and his students, many of them law enforcement officials, have brought to his attention a number of films, magazines and pamphlets making use of children as subjects.

Some of the magazines are from Europe, some appear to be from the Far East, and increasing numbers are from California and New York, according to Osanka. And they show chlidren engaging in a wide range of sex-related activities.

Among the worst, Osanka says, is a publication called Child Discipline which the sociologist describes as a primer for adults who want to get sexual gratification from beating their children.

The publication reportedly shows pictures of adults getting sexual satisfaction by spanking, hitting, and otherwise physically assaulting youngsters.

Osanka attributes the proliferation of such materials, in part, to an influx from other countries. But he also attributes it to mounting problems with state obscenity statutes.

In Illinois, for example, he says that the obscenity law has been declared unconstitutional on the basis of vagueness, with the result that there is no longer a law against obscenity, in the state.

In effect, he says, this means that anything goes, at least for the time being. All of the materials he mentioned are sold over-the-counter without apparent fear of prosecution.

Osanka, a soft-spoken father of four, says the use of children in sexual materials is a "clear case of child abuse."

"Children deserve a better break," he says with quiet intensity. "They have the right to be raised as normal human beings in so far as that is possible. "If they want to become abnormal later on, that's their own choice but kids don't have the intellectual capacity to make such judgments. They just don't have any choice in these areas."

Osanka said one way to control such activities is to strengthen child abuse laws so as to make involvement of children in explicit sexual acts a criminal offense.

Another alternative, he says, is to license media which portray children. The sociologist says he is aware that such a proposal has serious implications for First Amendment freedoms, but it is his belief "that our founding fathers, in guaranteeing free speech, clearly did not mean to protect people involved in this kind of activity."

Osanka's concerns extend not only to children who are subjects of such materials, but also to people who purchase and use them.

The very existence of materials of this nature legitimizes them in the mind of some users, he contends, and there exists a danger that sexual abuse of children will become "a social norm by default."

At the very least, he believes, potential problems associated with such literature ought to be brought before governmental bodies and discussed in "a rational, objective manner" with an eye toward creating laws to cope with any undesirable effects.

One stumbling block to solutions at the moment, he says, is a lack of public awareness. "Most people simply don't frequent these places," he says, referring to adult bookstores.

In Bloomington, a reporter located one magazine which advertised "naked children" on its cover. It was to College St. Adult Books at the corner of 14th St. and College Ave.

However, none of the more explicit materials described by Osanka were located, either there or in The Library bookstore at 206 E. Seventh St., or Danish Treats at 501 N. College Ave. The Pegasus Adult Bookstore at 223 W. Sixth St., was closed.

The salesclerk at The Library, when asked if he had any materials featuring children under 14, said "No, the heat's on in that area."

The man indicated that the "heat" was on a national level, suggesting that perhaps recent efforts by Osanka and others were beginning to take effect. "The owners don't want us to go beyond the typical teenage stuff," the clerk said.

Osanka said he was gratified to learn that his efforts might be having some impact. But he added that "unfortunately, such effects are probably shortlived." Osanka was in Bloomington attending a workshop on child neglect and abuse sponsored by the Department of Special Education and the Developmental Training Center at IU, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect.

He will discuss children in pornography on a midnight-to-3 a.m. radio talk show on Monday. The program will be broadcast over WLS out of Chicago.

ATTACHMENT IX

(Drafts of protective city ordinances authored by Acting Mayor Michael Bilandic and Alderman Edward M. Burke (14-Ward) of Chicago)

MOTION TO AMEND

Move to amend said substitute ordinance amending Chapter 192 of the Municipal Code of Chicago by adding the following paragraph to Section 192-10.2: 192-10.2.

If, upon conviction of any person found in violation of Sections 192-9, 192-10, 192-10.1, 192-10.4 or 192-10.5, the court finds that the material depicts or portrays persons of pre-pubescent years, then said person found in violation of said sections shall be fined in an amount not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months or be both so fined and imprisoned.

EDWARD M. BURKE,
Alderman, 14th Ward.

ATTACHMENT XIII

(Chicago opinion: Letters to the Editor and editorials, Chicago Tribune aud Chicago Sun-Times)

| From Chicago Tribune, May 19, 1977}

THE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY PLAGUE

Rarely has an investigative reporting series aroused as much shock and disgust as the four-day series which The Tribune has just printed on the exploitation of children by pornographers. Not even the most ardent civil libertarian, not even

93-185-77—3

the boldest advocate of 1st Amendment rights, can reasonably defend conduct which can corrupt a child's mind and distort his attitude for the rest of his life. The apparent extent of this new cancer is as shocking as the sickness of it. It's especially distressing to learn that much of it originates in Chicago; the plague might have continued to fester and spread if it had not been for Police Supt. Rochford's assignment of a special detail to the matter, and for police cooperation with The Tribune's investigative team.

But the unanimity of revulsion, alas, does not translate into a unanimity of ideas on how to combat the problem. For every suggestion, legalistic objections and potential obstacles are raised. First Amendment freedoms, privacy, sexual equality, federal-state relationships, and rules of court involving testimony by minors, are among the factors cited as in one way or another making decisive and effective action difficult.

This is hand-wringing and soggy defeatism. The corruption of children, whether for the immediate sexual gratification of the corrupters or for the vicarious gratification of others through pornographic photographs, is a clear-cut disgrace which the law should be able to define and deal with if it doesn't already.

The first thing to recognize is that there are two fronts on which the war must be fought. On one, the enemy are those who take direct part in the corruption of young minds and bodies-whether boys or girls, for homosexual or heterosexual purposes, for photography or otherwise. The second is against the publishers and distributors who provide a lucrative market for what is known as "chicken" or "kiddie-porn."

On the first, we tend to agree with Elmer Gertz, the civil libertarian lawyer, who told our reporters that it should be possible to fight the battle by means of existing laws and that there is no need for a proliferation of new laws. To pass more laws than necessary is to cheapen all of them, just as inflation cheapens the dollar. And like most states, Illinois already has a number of laws involving the sexual abuse of children; it is a violation to take "indecent liberties" or to "contribute to the delinquency of a minor." In general, conviction requires proof of physical actions. But the "contributing" statute also includes "any lewd act," and this ought to include pornographic photography. If the courts determine otherwise, then legislation may be needed.

But it will be hard to stamp out child pornography as long as there is a profitable market for it; and despite the objections of libertarians, we can see no effective way to deal with this except through obscenity laws. So there is new reason for Illinois to push ahead with a new obscenity law to conform with the Supreme Court's ruling and to replace the earlier law which was ruled unconstitutional.

It's good to see that on the federal level, too, Congress has reacted to the disclosures. Rep. Peter Rodino, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has ordered the crime subcommittee under Michigan Rep. John Conyers to see what if any federal action may be necessary. Congress could, for example, extend the Mann Act to prohibit the transportation of males as well as females across state lines, with emphasis on child pornography.

But as we said, we are not going to measure progress against this plague by the number of laws passed; we are going to measure it only by the results. So we must look first to the police and the courts, and their job is to figure out how results can be achieved; not to find excuses why they can't. We're not going to settle for half a job done.

[From Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 9, 1977]

DON'T CHILDREN COUNT?

Your coverage of "pre-teen porn" prompts this letter.

We supposedly live in a free society for all people. How free are these children (who are little people) being used for porno magazines, films and prostitution? Is this the future generation being cultivated now? What about laws? Don't they count for children? When these victims grow into adults, what then? It will be too late to punish the criminals and undo the damage.

If for some unknown and incomprehensible reason there are no existing laws to protect the civil rights of our “little people,” let's get them passed immediately, Mrs. JEAN SICILIANO.

[From Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 16, 1977].

PROVE THE WRONG

Even more abhorrent to the ideal of free speech than the conviction of Larry Flynt was your editorial "Smut with 6-year-olds." To think that a major newspaper would advocate censorship in any form was, until your editorial, unthinkable.

And don't deny it. You said "the dangers to the children involved . . . take it beyond a free-speech issue."

The crime is not the viewing or reading of this material; it is the corruption of the children. Let the prosecutors prove, and let the juries be convinced, that the publishers, booksellers and others are abettors or conspirators in the crimes of contributing to the delinquency of minors and assault on minors with intent to gratify sexual desires. The laws are on the books.

NATTY BUMPPO, Brownsville, Ky.

[From Chicago Tribune, May 31, 1977]

"HATRED OF CHILDREN"

MORTON GROVE.-It is good to see and hear the uproar over the use of children in the production of pornography. However despicable this development, though, it is merely a surface symptom.

The root of this disease is a growing hatred of children in our society, which increasingly consider them a burden rather than the treasure they are. The most dreadful manifestation of this attitude is the willingness to treat unborn babies as not human and to submit them to the abortionist's cruel instruments, sanctioned by an inhuman legal system.

While the use of children in pornography and prostitution is correctly seen as the equivalent of murder, these children are still alive, and there is hope that with proper treatment many of them will recover from their nightmare experiences. There is likewise hope that laws will be enacted to deal with the beasts who prey upon them.

But aborted children will never recover from their treatment. Their agonies are their death agonies. They are ruined permanently. But the law calls it something else than murder and protects the killers rather than the innocent victims.

Considered objectively, which is the more barbaric, the more depraved: the use of an estimated 100,000 [give or take a few] children in the production of porno materials, or the killing within the law of millions of unborn babies? JOSEPH T. GILL.

[From Chicago Tribune, May 21, 1977]

DESTROYING CHILDREN

CHICAGO. After reading "Child pornography: sickness for sale" in The Tribune May 15, I got physically sick myself. If our laws are so weak we can't fight these terrible things, they should be changed.

Any nation that lets her children be destroyed [for as a psychiatrist quoted in this article stated they are "emotionally and spiritually murdered"] will be severely punished by God. Being a mother of two young children myself, I shuddered when I read of three-year-olds being sold into prostitution and pornography. Let's unite to fight this terrible evil.

ELAINE SERLAS.

[From Chicago Tribune, June 1, 1977]

CHILD PORN PATRONS

CHICAGO. You should be commended for your coverage of children in pornog-raphy. Your articles have focused on the pornographers, the children, and the