Australia… Queensland passes law to jail priests for not reporting confessions of child sexual abuse – ABC News 8 Sep 20209 Sep 2020 Priests in Queensland will now be compelled to break the seal of confession to report child sexual abuse or face three years in jail. Key points: The law was passed…
Belgium… Jehovah’s Witnesses: 90 victims of sexual abuse come forward 9 Aug 201918 Oct 2019 No fewer than 90 victims of sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses organisation in Belgium have been discovered over a six month period, according to an association for victims. Read…
Culture Change… ‘Tell No One’: Poland Is Pushed to Confront Abuse of Children by Priests – The New York Times 17 May 201918 Oct 2019 SCAARS.ORG is adding a link to the YouTube video here (for as long as it is available): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrUvQ3W3nV4
Clergy Privilege… Pope Francis issues groundbreaking law requiring priests, nuns to report sex abuse, cover-up 9 May 201918 Oct 2019 The law mandates that the world's 415,000 Catholic priests and 660,000 religious sisters inform church authorities when they have "well-founded motives to believe" abuse has occurred. Source: Pope Francis issues…
International… Tell no one: The scandal shaking a religion | BusinessPost.ie 21 Apr 201918 Oct 2019 The Jehovah’s Witnesses have come under scrutiny for their handling of child sex abuse allegations within the church both in Ireland and abroad Source: The Business Post (Ireland), April 21,…
Culture Change… Benedict XVI: The Church and the Scandal of sexual abuse 11 Apr 201918 Oct 2019 This is the long article that the Pope emeritus, Benedict XVI, wrote in the form of notes on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. It is a thorough and merciless…
Belgium… The Brussels Times – More than 70 Jehovah’s Witness sexual abuse victims speak up after Belgian documentary 4 Apr 201918 Oct 2019 More than 70 victims of sexual abuse within the Jehovah's Witnesses have come forward with their stories since the public network aired a documentory about it last week, reports the…
International… Pope Issues Law, With Penalties, for Vatican City to Address Sexual Abuse 29 Mar 201918 Oct 2019
Australia… Australian Royal Commission: Child sexual abuse inquiry scope clarified 7 Mar 201918 Oct 2019 Priests who abused children in their own homes will be included in a Royal Commission into historical sexual abuse. The move is being described as a change-in-scope by advocates but…
Canada… Quebec class action alleging sexual abuse in Jehovah’s Witnesses can proceed | CBC News 7 Mar 201918 Oct 2019 Quebec Superior Court has authorized a class action lawsuit against two Jehovah's Witnesses entities, alleging a culture of silence within the group led to the covering up of sexual abuse.…
Australia… Priests could be arrested if they do not report sexual abuse 7 Mar 20197 Mar 2019 The groundbreaking development would see Victorian priests potentially serve time behind bars if they ignore cases of sexual abuse revealed in confidence. Read more at link below . . .…
Canada… Ex-Jehovah’s Witness faces new child sexual abuse charges in Mont-Laurier, Que. | CBC News 14 Feb 201928 Feb 2019 A former Jehovah's Witness from Mont-Laurier, Que., is facing new charges of sexually assaulting two girls in his congregation in the 1980s — 23 years after he was acquitted of…
International… Utrecht University to investigate sex abuse claims against Jehovah’s Witnesses – DutchNews.nl 14 Jan 201928 Feb 2019 Utrecht University is launching an independent inquiry into sexual abuse by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, in the latest in a series of investigations focused on the church. The university said it…
France… Cardinal on trial in France’s biggest church sex abuse trial 14 Jan 201928 Feb 2019 A Catholic cardinal and five other people went on trial Monday accused of covering up for a pedophile priest who abused Boy Scouts — France's most important church sex abuse…