Sri Lanka passes new law to regulate online content
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lanka’s lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill to regulate online content, the speaker of the parliament announced, a law which opposition politicians and activists allege will muzzle free speech. The Online Safety Bill proposes jail terms for content that a five-member commission considers illegal and making social media platforms such […]
Tech bosses could face jail after UK Government backs down over online harm
London, UKReuters Tech bosses could be jailed in Britain if their platforms fail to protect children from online harm after the government agreed to toughen a proposed law to avoid the prospect of a first parliamentary defeat for the Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak faced losing a vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday after […]
Vatican’s anti-child abuse panel to issue first full report in 2024
Vatican CityReuters The Vatican panel due to produce annual reports on child abuse prevention within the Catholic Church will not deliver its first full review until 2024, its secretary said on Friday. In April, after a wider constitutional overhaul of Vatican structures, Pope Francis gave the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors a mandate […]
New Zealand child abuse survivors call for intervention from Pope Francis
Sydney, AustraliaReuters A New Zealand group representing survivors of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has called on Pope Francis to intervene in the redress process, claiming that church authorities were mishandling it and retraumatising victims. In a letter sent to the Vatican and seen by Reuters, the New Zealand chapter of Survivors Network […]
Northern Ireland child abuse victims get formal government apology
London, UK AP The Northern Ireland Government issued a formal apology on Friday to people who were abused in orphanages and children’s homes, telling them that “the state let you down.” Ministers from all five political parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly read out apologies to survivors gathered at the Stormont government buildings near Belfast. […]
EU plans law requiring tech firms to do more to combat child abuse
Frankfurt, Germany Reuters The European Union plans to legislate in the coming months to require technology companies to do more to tackle child sexual abuse, beefing up current voluntary arrangements, a top official said in a newspaper interview. European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson gives a news conference following the EU High-level Forum on […]
Vatican-backed sex abuse research institute expands mandate
Rome, ItalyAP The Catholic Church’s foremost research institute studying sexual abuse of minors is expanding its mandate to also include the sexual and spiritual abuse of adults, evidence of the Vatican’s increasing awareness that children aren’t the only victims of clergy who abuse their power and authority. Rev Hans Zollner, one of Pope Francis’ top […]
“This is the moment of shame,” Pope says about France abuse report
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis said on Wednesday he was saddened and ashamed by the Catholic Church’s inability to deal with sexual abuse of children in France and that the church must make itself a “safe home for everyone”. “I would like to express to the victims my sadness, sorrow for the trauma they have suffered […]
Moral injury
There’s a new term that is finding traction on our world – it is especially being used in the area of things like post-traumatic stress disorder. A Holocaust memorial in Hungary. PICTURE: Mika/Unsplash It’s called ‘moral injury’. Not physical injury, but moral injury. It’s when someone has had an experience that is so repugnant to […]
Pandemic feared fuelling child abuse at Nigeria’s Islamic schools
Thomson Reuters Foundation Efforts to stop abuse and forced begging of pupils at Islamic schools in northern Nigeria are at risk as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could push more struggling families to enrol their children, according to campaigners. The Islamic schools, known locally as almajiri schools, are estimated to host about 10 […]