International
A baby trafficker in Kenya was convicted after a BBC expose. Fred Leparan, an employee at Nairobi’s Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital, fell for a sting operation put on by undercover BBC reporters.
The reporters posed as an infertile couple wanting a baby. They filmed Leparan accepting $2,500 for a baby boy in the government hospital’s care. He was also filmed falsifying paperwork for the local children’s home to make the number of children arriving go from three to two.
When confronted with the footage, Leparan claimed to not recognize parts of the hospital where he had been employed for three years.
Due to high rates of infertility and a difficult adoption process, the demand for children in Kenya is high. Leparan may have been caught, but other babies have been stolen from street mothers and sold for profit as well.
Mueni Mutisya from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Child Trafficking Unit told BBC the unit currently gets, on average, around five new child abduction cases a week.
Kenya passed new laws last year to help negate child trafficking. Mueni would like to see a form of “see something, say something” laws enforced, which would mandate citizens to report suspicions of child abuse or abduction.
National
Rumors began at the beginning of the week indicating that Joe Jonas was in contact with a divorce lawyer. AP News confirmed the rumors on Wednesday, Sept. 6, noting the divorce filing in Florida’s Miami-Dade County Court.
The couple has two children, and they plan to share custody of them. According to the filing, they have a prenuptial agreement Jonas expects to be enforced.
Jonas and his soon to be ex-wife, Sophie Turner, made identical statements on their Instagrams.
“After four wonderful years of marriage, we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” the statement read. “There are many speculative narratives as to why, but truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.”
The divorce filing says, “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.”
According to allegations from TMZ, the couple had very different lifestyles. Over the last three months, Turner had been in London and left the kids with Jonas. While on tour with his brothers, Jonas had been caring for the kids as well.
Allegedly, Jonas saw a clip of Turner on a Ring doorbell camera which solidified his decision to divorce after a marriage on the rocks.
Local
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) is offering free mental health first aid training during September, the month of National Suicide Prevention and Recovery.
There will be two training sessions: One for learning how to help adults struggling with mental health or substance abuse and the other for helping youths who are experiencing warning signs of these issues. The classes are open to all Oklahoma residents 18 years or older.
In the past year, 4.1% of adults in Oklahoma had serious thoughts of suicide and one in 10 students reporting attempted suicide in the past 12 months.
The training will teach attendees to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance abuse. Attendees will be taught how to listen to and provide resources for their loved ones.
“Everyone has a role in preventing suicide. No matter who you are, you can help save a life by knowing the warning signs and understanding what to do when you recognize someone is at risk,” ODMHSAS Commissioner Carrie Slatton-Hodges said. “By offering mental health training, we empower adults with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide early intervention and encourage youth and adults on their mental health journey.”
Oklahoma Christian University will be hosting a candlelight vigil Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m. at Hartman Place to honor World Suicide Prevention Day.
Everyday is World Suicide Prevention Day.
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