Is Media Making Our Kids Too Sexy Too Soon?

As a domestic relations mediator and child protection worker (CASA and GAL)--and a parent--I have occasion to wonder if the media is making our kids too precocious too soon.  In So Sexy So Soon (2008), authors Diane E. Levin, PhD and Jean Kilbourne, EdD weigh in and conclude that is the case.  While I do not agree with all of their premises or prejudices, there is still considerable merit to their book

Court Debates Whether Secret Potty Pics = Sexual Exploitation

As a guardian ad litem (GAL) and domestic relations mediator in New Mexico, I take special interest in unusual court cases involving children.  In State v. Myers, 2011-NMSC-028, the New Mexico Supreme Court rejected the Court of Appeals' chastisement, and concluded that the Sexual Exploitation of Children Act, NMSA §§ 30-6A-1 et seq. applies to taking covert pictures of the genitals of female minors' while they used the restroom.

In what was an unusual twist, the Court of Appeals, on remand, had concluded that the State Supreme Court had impermissibly expanded the scope of the Act.  Specifically, it

ICWA Processes and Placement Requirements

Besides my mediation and arbitration work, I am also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and guardian ad litem (GAL) in New Mexico.  Recently, the Second Judicial District CASA Program organized Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Trianing at the Juvenile Justice Center.  Bernie Teba, member of the Navajo Tribe and Santa Clara Pueblo, and the CYFD Tribal Liaison, discussed various ICWA processes and placement requirements which I will recount here. 

NM Abuse and Neglect Processes and Proceedings

Although I began my alternative dispute resolution (ADR) career in the labor/employment field, I have since expanded my practice to include domestic relation mediation and child protection related work, as I observed in my last blog posting.  This blog will address, generally, New Mexico law on child protection processes.