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	Top lawyer says Catholic Church still tainted by rotten apples by Agencies   Jan 2014   UN committee on the rights of the child questions Catholic hierarchy on handling of child sex abuse by priests.   The Roman Catholic Church has faced a cascade of scandals involving child sexual abuse by priests and Catholic lay officials, from Ireland to the US and from Australia to Germany.   Pope Francis, who has vowed zero tolerance of abuse since he was elected last March, said the scandals "are the shame of the Church".   "Do we feel shame? There are so many scandals that I do not want to name them individually but everyone knows about them!" the Pope said.   Like other signatories of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Vatican agrees to submit regular reports on its respect for the rules, and to be scrutinised by an 18-member Child Rights Committee.   A review of the Holy See"s rights record, - marked the Vatican"s second appearance before the committee.   UN committee member Hiranthi Wijemanne charged that abuse perpetrators were too often shielded by the Church hierarchy.   "Why is there no mandatory reporting to a country"s judicial authorities when crimes occur? Taking actions against perpetrators is part of justice," she asked the Vatican"s delegation.   Many past cases of abuse were often covered up by priests superiors, who typically transferred offenders to new parishes, rather than turn them over to police.   The Vatican"s UN ambassador, Monsignor Silvano Tomasi, claimed the Holy See was legally responsible only for implementing the UN Convention on the tiny territory of Vatican City - a position long criticised by campaigners.   But he said that as the central body of the Church the Vatican was working with its local branches to develop measures to stem sexual abuse.   Pope Benedict XVI, pontiff from 2005 to 2013, was the first Pope to apologise to victims and call for zero tolerance of abuse, though critics say that his rhetoric outstripped real action.   Pope Francis has vowed to take things further by setting up a special committee to investigate crimes, enforce prevention measures and care for the victims.   Pressed for details of the Vatican committee, Tomasi said the ground rules and membership were still being established.   UN committee member Sara Oviedo questioned the Vatican"s efforts.   "The Holy See has not established any mechanism to investigate those accused of perpetrating sexual abuse, nor to prosecute them," she said, calling for a "new approach".   Victims groups say the issue is far from settled with cases of ongoing abuse emerging regularly and the total tally potentially in the hundreds of thousands.   Pam Spees, of the US-based advocacy group the Centre for Constitutional Rights, who said, "the Vatican attempted to relegate the issue to the past and claim it is a new era, that they now "get it," but they continue to refuse to turn over records for prosecution, punish higher-ups that covered up the crimes, or provide any real evidence that they are now putting the safety of children above the reputation of the Church," she said.   "Nonetheless, today"s hearing is a milestone in calling for an end to these days of impunity. The international community is demanding answers, and that is the first step toward true accountability and, we hope, an end to the widespread violence against children."   http://crin.org/home/campaigns/end-sexual-violence-religious-institutions http://crin.org/node/38436 http://crin.org/en/library/news-archive/holy-see-vatican-responds-un-questions-sexual-violence-against-children   Oct 2013   Senior lawyer says Catholic Church still tainted by rotten apples, by Kerry Brewster.   A senior Australian lawyer has warned that the Catholic Church will not win back public trust and confidence until its current "tainted" leaders have gone.   Patrick Parkinson, who reviewed the church"s Towards Healing protocol for dealing with victims of sexual abuse, has previously described allegations of the church"s cover-up of sexual abuse as amounting to organised criminality.   In a speech the University of Sydney lawyer, a non-Catholic, declared there were still some rotten apples among the church"s hierarchy.   "There are those still apparently who fail to understand their civic duty as citizens of this country to cooperate with the police," he said.   "There are those I have met whose greatest concern would appear to be to protect their organisation from scandal rather than children in their care.   "There are those who would aspire now to tough out the parliamentary inquiry in Victoria, to tough out the Hunter Valley-Newcastle inquiry, to tough out the royal commission."   Speaking at the annual Smith lecture in Sydney, Professor Parkinson said that while no denomination was free from reproach, the Catholic Church had abused far more children than any other.   "The church needs to find a way to remove its rotten apples from leadership and influence," he said.   Professor Parkinson had earlier withdrawn support from the Towards Healing protocol.   He warns the Catholic Church will not win back trust until its "tainted" leaders, who he would not name, have gone.   "In reality, trust will not be restored, the church will not be able to move on unless and until there is a baton change, those whose careers have been tainted by poor handling of issues of child sexual abuse in the past, until they pass on the baton to another generation, a generation untainted by what has gone on," he said.   "Until that happens I don"t believe the church can recover the trust and respect of the Australian community."   The academic described the widespread sexual abuse of Australian children as a story of shocking moral failure.   Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in Victoria has acknowledged it has received a flood of new child abuse complaints over the past 12 months.   It says, however, that most of the nearly 100 cases relate to abuse alleged to have occurred decades ago.   Nevertheless, the church has removed one serving priest from his parish after a complaint against him was upheld.   http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/   November 13, 2013   Inquiry into child sex abuse slams Catholic Church, recommends sweeping change, by Barney Zwartz. (The Age)   A Victorian government report on child abuse has savaged the Catholic Church, recommending a new independent mechanism for pursuing justice and new criminal laws.   Betrayal of Trust, the report of the Victorian inquiry into how the churches handled child sexual abuse, recommends a new law making it a criminal offence to allow a child to remain at risk, plus making it illegal to groom a child or parents, and making reporting abuse mandatory for everyone.   The report also recommends excluding child abuse from the statute of limitations because victims can take decades to come forward.   It says organisations should be held accountable for their legal duty to protect children and should be vicariously liable - an indication the committee wants to end the so-called Ellis defence by which the Catholic Church argues it cannot be sued.   Committee member Andrea Coote said the committee found current Catholic leadership saw child sexual abuse as a short-term embarrassment and not as a reason to question their own culture. "A sliding morality has emerged in the Catholic Church," Ms Coote said.   Chairwoman Georgie Crozier said children were betrayed by trusted figures in organisations of high standing, and suffered unimaginable harm.   "Parents experienced a betrayal beyond comprehension, and the community was betrayed by the failure of organisations to protect children in their care," she told Parliament as she tabled the report.   The report also recommends greater scrutiny over organisations.   Committee members were greeted warmly by victims and their families after handing down the report.   Chrissie and Anthony Foster, whose daughters were serially abused in primary school by paedophile priest Kevin O"Donnell, welcomed the findings.   Both testified at the inquiry and have campaigned for compensation and reform for years on behalf of their daughters. Emma Foster later committed suicide, while Katie is in a wheelchair after being hit by a car.   Stephen Woods, who was sexually assaulted by convicted paedophile Christian Brother Robert Best said: "It"s just the start, another step in the change in society...so that parliamentarians and victims will now be able to potentially change one corner of society."   Mr Woods, who was abused when he was a student at a Christian Brothers, said that the report gave victims and the community "power and impetus to change."   He said he was not surprised by the strong recommendations, saying that there was a "palpable change in the mood and tone" of the committee members during the inquiry when victims began to give evidence.   http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-13/inquiry-recommnends-making-failure-to-report-sexual-abuse/5088212
	UN Secretary-General highlights "crucial" work of civil society to advance human rights by International Service for Human Rights   Oct 2013   Secretary-General"s remarks at high-level event on supporting civil society:   Thank you for this initiative which touches on so much of the work that brings world leaders to the United Nations this week. I am pleased to be here to deliver this message on behalf of the Secretary-General.   We are living in turbulent times. The relationship between leaders and those they govern is changing. There are new demands, new technology and new expectations.   But one act, one approach, remains at the heart of this bond: listening.   If leaders do not listen to their people, they will hear from them – in the streets, the squares, or, as we see far too often, on the battlefield.   There is a better way. More participation. More democracy. More engagement and openness.   That means maximum space for civil society.   Free and independent civil society is a foundation for healthy, responsive governance.   Civil society is crucial for advancing human rights by raising awareness, and ringing the alarm about abuse, inequality, or creeping authoritarianism.   Indeed, civil society is central to advancing the work of the United Nations across our agenda, not only for human rights but also for peace and security, as well as development.   Civil society has never been more important or needed.   That is why the growing pressures and restrictions facing civil society in country after country are so deeply troubling. Legislation is being introduced targeting civil society and sometimes making it practically impossible for them to operate.   We are seeing a rise in laws that restrict the activities of human rights defenders.   We are seeing new ways to impede their work – through over-reaching anti-terrorism and national security legislation; measures relating to public morals, or defamation; laws requiring registration and funding of associations; and new rules regulating Internet access.   The assault on human rights defenders and other civil society groups through the law has been matched with outright attacks.   Smear campaigns. Travel bans. Harassment and intimidation. Illegal detentions. Torture. Even death.   Reprisals and intimidation against individuals cooperating with the United Nations is unacceptable – not only because they help us do the work mandated by the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – but because they also aim to discourage others from working with us.   We must take action at every level to strengthen the voices of democracy.   Leaders and others in positions of influence and authority must publicly and systematically condemn acts of reprisal and intimidation. I welcome ongoing discussions to ensure a strong UN system-wide response to reprisals.   There should be impartial investigations to bring perpetrators to justice, and remedies for victims.   And, of course, we must reinforce the indispensable role of United Nations Special Rapporteurs in defendingand protecting all aspects of human rights, including the rights to freedom of association and assembly.   People and civil society groups often risk their lives to improve the lives of others.   They speak out even when knowing they could be silenced forever. They highlight problems that others ignore or might not even know exist.   They seek out like-minded people across the world even as they are left at times to feel all alone. They protect our rights. They deserve their rights.   All of us have a responsibility to respect fundamental human rights and protect those who advocate for them.   When that does not happen, all of us have an obligation to stand up and speak out. Let us do that today and every day.   http://www.ishr.ch/news/worlds-leading-human-rights-body-condemns-civil-society-crackdown Visit the related web page
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