Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in the CAR Not Given Priority by the United Nations
07/06/2015 Bea Edwards Executive & International Director, Government Accountability Project
On April 29 Sandra Laville at The Guardian broke the story of child sex abuse by French peacekeeping troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) at a camp for the displaced the previous year. An appalling report had surfaced when Prince Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR), decided -- eight months after the fact -- to suspend Anders Kompass, a high-level human rights official and reluctant whistleblower, for reporting the crimes to the French police....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bea-edwards/allegations-of-child-sexu_b_7735940.html
Argentine Judges Allowed to Resign After Child Abuse Ruling
By JONATHAN GILBERT JULY 4, 2015
BUENOS AIRES — Two Argentine judges whose controversial decision to reduce the sentence of a convicted child abuser provoked widespread anger here have had their resignations accepted, Argentina’s state news agency reported on Saturday.
The judges, Horacio Piombo, 72, and Benjamín Sal Llargués, reduced the sentence because they claimed that the 6-year-old victim, a boy, had already displayed homosexual tendencies. They were allowed to step down by Daniel Scioli, the governor of Buenos Aires Province, according to Télam, the news agency.
The revelation of the judges’ ruling infuriated Argentines, especially gay and human rights groups. The federal government’s cabinet chief said it was “one of the greatest barbarities seen in our country.” The decision by Judges Piombo and Sal Llargués to halve the abuser’s sentence was taken last year in the province’s criminal appeals court, but it only came to light recently.
The sentence of Mario Tolosa, the vice president of a sports club who several years ago had raped the boy, a junior soccer player, was cut from six years to a little more than three. Local news reports said Mr. Tolosa had already been released from prison.
The judges based their ruling on what they said was the boy’s sexual disposition, suggesting that he had homosexual leanings....
The judges had previously faced controversy when they halved the sentence of another convicted child abuser, a pastor, in 2011, paving the way for his immediate release from prison.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/05/world/americas/argentine-judges-allowed-to-resign-after-child-abuse-ruling.html
Showing posts with label united nations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label united nations. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2015
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Scathing UN report demands Vatican ‘immediately’ act against child sexual abuse
Scathing UN report demands Vatican ‘immediately’ act against child sexual abuse
The United Nations has demanded the Vatican “immediately remove” all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to authorities. In an unprecedented report the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said the Holy See should also hand over its archives on the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children so culprits, as well as “those who concealed their crimes”, could be held accountable.
The watchdog’s exceptionally blunt paper – the most far-reaching critique of the Catholic Church hierarchy by the world body – followed its public grilling of Vatican officials last month. “The committee is gravely concerned that the Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators,” the report said…
Abusers had been moved from parish to parish or other countries “in an attempt to cover-up such crimes,” it added. “Due to a code of silence imposed on all members of the clergy under penalty of excommunication, cases of child sexual abuse have hardly ever been reported to the law enforcement authorities in the countries where such crimes occurred,” the UN body said…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-05/scathing-un-report-demands-vatican-act-against-child-sex-abuse/5241300
The United Nations has demanded the Vatican “immediately remove” all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to authorities. In an unprecedented report the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said the Holy See should also hand over its archives on the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children so culprits, as well as “those who concealed their crimes”, could be held accountable.
The watchdog’s exceptionally blunt paper – the most far-reaching critique of the Catholic Church hierarchy by the world body – followed its public grilling of Vatican officials last month. “The committee is gravely concerned that the Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators,” the report said…
Abusers had been moved from parish to parish or other countries “in an attempt to cover-up such crimes,” it added. “Due to a code of silence imposed on all members of the clergy under penalty of excommunication, cases of child sexual abuse have hardly ever been reported to the law enforcement authorities in the countries where such crimes occurred,” the UN body said…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-05/scathing-un-report-demands-vatican-act-against-child-sex-abuse/5241300
Saturday, January 18, 2014
UN slams Vatican for 'efforts to cover up' pedophile priests in sex abuse scandal, More than 20 schools face compensation claims from alleged abuse victims in wake of Jimmy Savile scandal 'Savile scandal made mum tell cops about Roache rape' Alleged victim's son speaks out, Freddie Starr arrested for third time over sex abuse claims
UN slams Vatican for 'efforts to cover up' pedophile priests in sex abuse scandal
By Alexander Smith, NBC News contributor 1/16/2014
The Vatican faced blistering criticism from a United Nations committee Thursday over allegations it protected pedophile priests at the expense of victims in what constituted a worldwide sex abuse scandal.
It was the first time representatives of the Holy See were questioned in public on cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy around the world.
The U.N. committee's main human rights investigator, Sara Oviedo, led the most intense grilling the Holy See has received on the issue, according to a report by The Associated Press.
Given the "zero tolerance" policy of the Vatican, she asked, why were there "efforts to cover up and obscure these types of cases?"....
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/16/22324032-un-slams-vatican-for-efforts-to-cover-up-pedophile-priests-in-sex-abuse-scandal
More than 20 schools face compensation claims from alleged abuse victims in wake of Jimmy Savile scandal
Jan 12, 2014
By Keith Perry
....More than 20 schools face compensation claims from alleged abuse victims after the Jimmy Savile scandal.
They include fee-paying institutions Caldicott, in Farnham, Bucks, where Deputy PM Nick Clegg went and Ashdown House, East Sussex, London Mayor Boris Johnson's prep school.
The allegations span from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Jessica Standley, of lawyers Slater & Gordon, said since Savile there had been "an increase in victims reporting abuse at institutions"....
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jimmy-savile-scandal-more-20-3013389
'Savile scandal made mum tell cops about Roache rape' Alleged victim's son speaks out
THE son of a woman accusing Bill Roache of rape has said she wouldn’t report him as she “didn’t want to cause a rift in his family”.
17th January 2014
The man, who was not identified, added that he only became of his mum’s experience after the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Giving evidence, the alleged rape victim's son said he recalled a conversation with her about the time the Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith cases emerged in 2012....
The man told his mum that she should go to the police as there may be more women out there and that “sometimes it takes that one person to have the strength to come forward”.
"She really didn't want to. She was telling me straight away that some things are just best left alone in the past.
"She didn't want to cause a rift between his family and on top of that she desperately didn't want anyone to find about it."
He said that remained the case and some members of her family still don't know.
Roache, 81, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, denies the rapes and five counts of indecent assault involving the four other complainants aged 16 and under on dates between 1965 and 1971....
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/361003/Bill-Roache-trial-Humiliated-rape-victim-only-told-cops-after-Jimmy-Savile-scandal
Freddie Starr arrested for third time over sex abuse claims
The comedian was first arrested over a year ago by detectives from Operation Yewtree, the investigation launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal
By Hayley Dixon 14 Jan 2014
Freddie Starr has been arrested for a third time by police investigating the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.
The comedian, 71, was told that he faces a further allegation of sexual offences when he attended a police station in Warwickshire by appointment.
Starr was first arrested more than a year ago by detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Yewtree, the investigation launched in the wake of claims against Savile....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/jimmy-savile/10572394/Freddie-Starr-arrested-for-third-time-over-sex-abuse-claims.html
Thursday, February 21, 2013
UN Faults US For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics, Cardinal Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases, TV content affects children's behavior
- U.N. Faults U.S. For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics
- Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV content affects children's behavior over time
U.N. Faults U.S. For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics
Religion News Service By Caleb Bell 02/20/2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. is failing to pursue and prosecute clergy guilty of child sexual abuse, according to a recent United Nations committee report. The U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child, in a little-noticed Jan. 25 report, urged the U.S. to "take all necessary measures to investigate all cases of sexual abuse of children whether single or on a massive and long-term scale, committed by clerics."
David Clohessy, the director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, described national efforts to deal with child-molesting clergy as "woefully inadequate." "There has been and continues to be too cozy a relationship between religious and governmental figures," Clohessy said. "Other than a handful of local prosecutors, there's been almost no action at the state or federal level."
The U.S. Department of Justice did not return requests for comment, and the National Association of Attorneys General declined to comment. Abuse cases are typically handled by local and state prosecutors, not the federal government....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/un-faults-us-for-failure-to-prosecute-abusive-clerics_n_2729239.html
Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin By RACHEL ZOLL 02/20/13
NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was deposed Wednesday about abuse cases against Roman Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led from 2002 until 2009. Frank LoCoco, an attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and Jeff Anderson, a plaintiffs' attorney, confirmed the cardinal was deposed.
The Milwaukee Archdiocese faces allegations from nearly 500 people. Archbishop Jerome Listecki, the current Milwaukee church leader, sought bankruptcy protection in 2011, saying the process was needed to compensate victims fairly while ensuring the archdiocese could still function. Milwaukee is the eighth diocese in the U.S. to seek bankruptcy protection since the abuse scandal erupted in 2002 in Boston.
Dolan is one of two U.S. cardinals to be deposed this week. Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be questioned Saturday in a lawsuit over a visiting Mexican priest who police believe molested 26 children in 1987. The Rev. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico in 1988 after parents complained. He has been ousted from the priesthood but remains a fugitive.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/nyc-cardinal-dolan-deposed_n_2733340.html
Child and Adolescent Medicine
TV content affects children's behavior over time
SHERRY BOSCHERT, Family Practice News Digital Network
Both the quantity and the content of television viewing by children may affect social behaviors long term, with effects that may last into adulthood, the results of two studies have shown.
In one randomized, controlled trial involving 565 preschool-aged children in the United States, coaching parents to reduce viewing of violence on the screen and to increase exposure to prosocial programming resulted in significantly less aggression and more prosocial behavior in the children after 6 months compared with the control group, effects that mostly were maintained at 12 months, Dr. Dmitri A. Christakis and his associates reported.
A separate longitudinal study from New Zealand followed 1,037 people from birth to age 26 years and found a significantly increased risk for antisocial outcomes in adults who had watched the most TV as children. Every extra hour of weeknight TV watching as children was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of having a criminal conviction by age 26, reported Lindsay A. Robertson and her associates.
Previous studies have shown that children imitate what they see on the screen and that reducing TV watching reduced aggression in 9-year-olds. Few studies have looked at preschoolers or at interventions aimed at content, Dr. Christakis said.
His study found that children fed a "media diet" deemphasizing violent programs and promoting viewing of programs that focus on sharing, caring, and education had Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE) scores at 6 months that were 2 points better than in the control group, a significant difference that continued at 12 months (Pediatrics 2013;131:431-8)....
http://www.familypracticenews.com/specialty-focus/child-adolescent-medicine/singleview-enewsletter/tv-content-affects-children-s-behavior-over-time/677a82222dd3520265f0bb767308e975.html
- Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV content affects children's behavior over time
U.N. Faults U.S. For Failure To Prosecute Abusive Clerics
Religion News Service By Caleb Bell 02/20/2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. is failing to pursue and prosecute clergy guilty of child sexual abuse, according to a recent United Nations committee report. The U.N.'s Committee on the Rights of the Child, in a little-noticed Jan. 25 report, urged the U.S. to "take all necessary measures to investigate all cases of sexual abuse of children whether single or on a massive and long-term scale, committed by clerics."
David Clohessy, the director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, described national efforts to deal with child-molesting clergy as "woefully inadequate." "There has been and continues to be too cozy a relationship between religious and governmental figures," Clohessy said. "Other than a handful of local prosecutors, there's been almost no action at the state or federal level."
The U.S. Department of Justice did not return requests for comment, and the National Association of Attorneys General declined to comment. Abuse cases are typically handled by local and state prosecutors, not the federal government....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/un-faults-us-for-failure-to-prosecute-abusive-clerics_n_2729239.html
Cardinal Timothy Dolan Deposed About Abuse Cases Against Catholic Church When Archbishop Of Milwaukee, Wisconsin By RACHEL ZOLL 02/20/13
NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was deposed Wednesday about abuse cases against Roman Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which he led from 2002 until 2009. Frank LoCoco, an attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, and Jeff Anderson, a plaintiffs' attorney, confirmed the cardinal was deposed.
The Milwaukee Archdiocese faces allegations from nearly 500 people. Archbishop Jerome Listecki, the current Milwaukee church leader, sought bankruptcy protection in 2011, saying the process was needed to compensate victims fairly while ensuring the archdiocese could still function. Milwaukee is the eighth diocese in the U.S. to seek bankruptcy protection since the abuse scandal erupted in 2002 in Boston.
Dolan is one of two U.S. cardinals to be deposed this week. Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be questioned Saturday in a lawsuit over a visiting Mexican priest who police believe molested 26 children in 1987. The Rev. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico in 1988 after parents complained. He has been ousted from the priesthood but remains a fugitive.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/nyc-cardinal-dolan-deposed_n_2733340.html
Child and Adolescent Medicine
TV content affects children's behavior over time
SHERRY BOSCHERT, Family Practice News Digital Network
Both the quantity and the content of television viewing by children may affect social behaviors long term, with effects that may last into adulthood, the results of two studies have shown.
In one randomized, controlled trial involving 565 preschool-aged children in the United States, coaching parents to reduce viewing of violence on the screen and to increase exposure to prosocial programming resulted in significantly less aggression and more prosocial behavior in the children after 6 months compared with the control group, effects that mostly were maintained at 12 months, Dr. Dmitri A. Christakis and his associates reported.
A separate longitudinal study from New Zealand followed 1,037 people from birth to age 26 years and found a significantly increased risk for antisocial outcomes in adults who had watched the most TV as children. Every extra hour of weeknight TV watching as children was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of having a criminal conviction by age 26, reported Lindsay A. Robertson and her associates.
Previous studies have shown that children imitate what they see on the screen and that reducing TV watching reduced aggression in 9-year-olds. Few studies have looked at preschoolers or at interventions aimed at content, Dr. Christakis said.
His study found that children fed a "media diet" deemphasizing violent programs and promoting viewing of programs that focus on sharing, caring, and education had Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE) scores at 6 months that were 2 points better than in the control group, a significant difference that continued at 12 months (Pediatrics 2013;131:431-8)....
http://www.familypracticenews.com/specialty-focus/child-adolescent-medicine/singleview-enewsletter/tv-content-affects-children-s-behavior-over-time/677a82222dd3520265f0bb767308e975.html
Saturday, October 16, 2010
UN envoy says over 15,000 raped in eastern Congo
UN envoy says over 15,000 raped in eastern Congo
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Writer – Oct 15, 2010
UNITED NATIONS – More than 15,000 people were raped in the volatile eastern region of Congo last year, according to the best data available, the top U.N. envoy in the African nation said Friday. Roger Meece, who heads the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, said the scale of the security problems in the east, including sexual attacks, is "enormous." Meece told the U.N. Security Council that the "horrific" mass rapes in late July and early August by rebel militias in eastern Congo's mineral-rich Walikale region underscored the importance of protecting civilians....Somewhat different but equally troubling figures were provided by the U.N. Population Fund, which determined there were 17,507 sexual violence attacks throughout Congo in 2009 — including more than 9,000 in North and South Kivu which have been at the center of the conflict in the east.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101015/ap_on_re_us/un_un_congo_rapes
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Writer – Oct 15, 2010
UNITED NATIONS – More than 15,000 people were raped in the volatile eastern region of Congo last year, according to the best data available, the top U.N. envoy in the African nation said Friday. Roger Meece, who heads the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, said the scale of the security problems in the east, including sexual attacks, is "enormous." Meece told the U.N. Security Council that the "horrific" mass rapes in late July and early August by rebel militias in eastern Congo's mineral-rich Walikale region underscored the importance of protecting civilians....Somewhat different but equally troubling figures were provided by the U.N. Population Fund, which determined there were 17,507 sexual violence attacks throughout Congo in 2009 — including more than 9,000 in North and South Kivu which have been at the center of the conflict in the east.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101015/ap_on_re_us/un_un_congo_rapes
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Support and Change for Survivors of Egregious Trauma Panel
Support and Change for Survivors of Egregious Trauma Panel to be presented at the 54th Conference by the Committee of the Status on Women at the United Nations
Sponsored by Dr. Dana Raphael, Ph.D. and the Human Lactation Center, an NGO with UN Status.
The presentation will be from 10 AM to 12 on March 10th at the Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission 221 East 52nd St. (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), New York City.
The program is free and no registration is required. Dr. Raphael who was a student of Margaret Meade is a member of the ISSTD This is the 6th year that she has offered a program at this
Conference featuring survivors and allies of persons who report RA/MC and other forms of extreme abuse.
Speakers are
Aurana Morgan, M. A. (of this list): "Recovery from Ritual Trauma"
Devana Petree, Ph.D. candidate: "Leaving and Recovering from Hare Krishna"
Brenda Rivera, "Recovery from RA/MC"
Dana Raphael, Ph.D.: "Advocacy for Extreme Abuse Survivors and
Supportive Behaviors for Families of Survivors"
Eileen Schrader, M.S. Discussant
Sponsored by Dr. Dana Raphael, Ph.D. and the Human Lactation Center, an NGO with UN Status.
The presentation will be from 10 AM to 12 on March 10th at the Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission 221 East 52nd St. (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), New York City.
The program is free and no registration is required. Dr. Raphael who was a student of Margaret Meade is a member of the ISSTD This is the 6th year that she has offered a program at this
Conference featuring survivors and allies of persons who report RA/MC and other forms of extreme abuse.
Speakers are
Aurana Morgan, M. A. (of this list): "Recovery from Ritual Trauma"
Devana Petree, Ph.D. candidate: "Leaving and Recovering from Hare Krishna"
Brenda Rivera, "Recovery from RA/MC"
Dana Raphael, Ph.D.: "Advocacy for Extreme Abuse Survivors and
Supportive Behaviors for Families of Survivors"
Eileen Schrader, M.S. Discussant
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