A United Nations committee concerned with children’s rights is requesting that the Vatican provide complete details about every accusation it has ever received of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, published on July 1 a list of issues it found lacking in the Vatican’s latest report on its compliance with the international obligations it accepted when it ratified the convention. Among many other items, the Vatican is being asked to provide: “detailed information on all cases of child sexual abuse”; how it has responded to victims and perpetrators of abuse; whether it ever investigated “complaints of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” of girls in the Magdalene laundries in Ireland; and how it dealt with allegations that young boys who were part of the Legion of Christ were being separated from their families.
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Tim O'Leary
5 years ago
Any sharing of information that might reduce child sex abuse would be great. There is of course a sovereignty issue here. Also, the Vatican has only observer status but maybe a deal could be worked out for sharing information. I think the Vatican should also ask the United Nations about the records of other nations (especially Asian) in abortion, infanticide and sex trafficking. Oh, and maybe they should compare methods to address child sex abuse under the UN's watch. http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1126/p06s02-wogi.html
