Irish Catholic watchdog issues child abuse report, House advances child-abuse reforms

Irish Catholic watchdog issues child abuse report
December 10, 2013 AP News

LONDON (AP) — Only 12 of the hundreds of staff members accused of child abuse in Ireland's Christian Brothers order since the mid-1970s have been convicted, the watchdog of the country's Catholic Church said Tuesday.

The report from the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church looked into how the Christian Brothers, a Catholic order set up to run schools, handled abuse allegations. It said although abuse claims were made against 325 of the order's officials since 1975, only a dozen were convicted of crimes.

It was the latest setback for the Christian Brothers, whose history of running schools for boys across Ireland dates back to the early 1800s. The order's reputation has been damaged in recent years by the revelation of widespread child abuse in Irish Catholic institutions....
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-12-10/irish-catholic-watchdog-issues-child-abuse-report   


House advances child-abuse reforms
Tuesday, December 10, 2013

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced several pieces of a child-abuse reform package stemming from the Jerry Sandusky and Roman Catholic clergy scandals.

Lawmakers gave final approval to measures to expand the definition of "perpetrator" in child-abuse cases and toughen penalties for assaults against children under certain circumstances.

The bills now move to the Senate, which is expected to send them on to Gov. Tom Corbett.

The legislation is part of a multi-bill package that's been in the works since shortly after Sandusky, a former assistant football coach at Penn State, was arrested in late 2011....
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/House-advances-child-abuse-reforms-5052647.php