Vatican's New Rules, Supreme court rejected petition, Bangladesh child abuse

Vatican's New Rules Against Child Sex Abusers to Maintain Status Quo 7/7/10
The Vatican is expected to slightly enhance its rules for punishing clergy who sexually abuse children, but the new policies, likely to be announced within days, will still fall short of what victim advocates say is necessary to protect minors.
Moreover, the changes are seen as fairly minor concessions in a decades-long battle to push Rome to act forcefully against abusers.

In addition, the new policy, which has reportedly been signed by Pope Benedict XVI, still has no provision for dealing with bishops who cover up for molesting priests and it is unlikely to clarify whether or how bishops should report abusers to civil authorities.
The new rules, which Vatican observers say could go into effect within days, will gather norms that have been in place since 2001 to make it easier for the church to defrock or suspend priests accused of abuse. The policies were slightly modified in 2003, after another wave of sexual abuse revelations broke in the United States.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/07/07/vaticans-new-rules-against-child-sex-abusers-to-maintain-status/


The Belgians Make Washington Look Bad July 7, 2010 Marci Hamilton - Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law ....The U.S. Solicitor General and the State Department, led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urged the Supreme Court to vacate a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that permitted a single victim to sue the Holy See for abuse by Fr. Andrew Ronan. The priest admitted repeatedly to victimizing children in Ireland, Chicago, and then Portland. Nevertheless, the legal strategy employed by our government was to grossly distort Oregon law so as to favor the Vatican.

But last week, the Supreme Court, with six Catholics on the bench, took the high road and rejected the Solicitor General's and the State Department's politicization of the case and denied the Holy See's petition. As a result, John V. Doe will be permitted to pursue his case, first through discovery and then at trial. That is a testimony to the rule of law.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marci-hamilton/the-belgians-make-washing_b_637575.html

Bangladesh disabled children sexually abused - study
6 July 2010 Half of all the disabled children in Bangladesh are sexually abused, mostly by close relatives, according to a new study. Most of the offenders are male, the study says. Of the victims, 52% are girls and 48% boys, aged between seven and 18 years. Those with mental disabilities are at even greater risk, the study says. According to the 2001 census, Bangladesh has nearly 12m disabled people. The study was conducted jointly by the Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation (BPF) and Save the Children Sweden-Denmark.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/10522001.stm