Tags: Child abuse
UN “concerned” about role of Catholic Church in Polish schools
Posted: Fri, 22 Apr 2022
A UN committee has echoed many concerns raised by the NSS relating to the Catholic Church and child rights in Poland. Read More »
Canada and Chile failing on clerical child abuse, NSS tells UN
Posted: Wed, 20 Apr 2022
The National Secular Society has raised concerns about clerical child abuse in Canada and Chile with the United Nations. Read More »
UN committee: Polish schools should promote “equality and inclusion”
Posted: Wed, 06 Oct 2021
A UN committee has expressed concern about the Catholic Church's impact on children's rights in Poland following an NSS intervention. Read More »
Culture isn’t an excuse for inaction, says Nazir Afzal in NSS lecture
Posted: Mon, 06 Sep 2021
The former prosecutor Nazir Afzal has addressed issues such as forced marriage, honour-based violence and child abuse in an NSS lecture. Read More »
Child abuse inquiry criticises religious groups’ “egregious failings”
Posted: Thu, 02 Sep 2021
An inquiry has criticised religious organisations' handling of child abuse and said various cultural factors contribute to the problem. Read More »
Prosecutor Nazir Afzal to address ‘blind spots’ in NSS lecture
Posted: Thu, 01 Jul 2021
The NSS is delighted to announce that the distinguished prosecutor Nazir Afzal will deliver its annual Bradlaugh Lecture for 2021. Read More »
UN castigates Vatican over clerical sexual abuse of minors
Posted: Wed, 23 Jun 2021
UN special rapporteurs have criticised the Vatican over child sexual abuse in stronger terms than ever before. Read More »
French cardinal culpable over failure to disclose child sexual abuse
Posted: Fri, 05 Mar 2021
France's top court has confirmed that Philippe Barbarin, a former Catholic archbishop, is culpable for failing to report child abuse. Read More »
UN quizzes Ireland over institutional abuse and religious schooling
Posted: Thu, 11 Feb 2021
A UN committee has raised accountability for abuse in religious settings and access to secular schools in a report on Ireland. Read More »
Irish mother and baby homes inflicted a “profound generational wrong”
Posted: Fri, 15 Jan 2021
A report has highlighted the Irish state's decades-long failure to protect vulnerable women and children at church-run institutions. Read More »
Catholic Church put its reputation first on child abuse, inquiry finds
Posted: Tue, 10 Nov 2020
The Catholic Church put its reputation before the interests of child abuse survivors, with senior leaders complicit, an inquiry has found. Read More »
CoE put its reputation before child protection, abuse inquiry finds
Posted: Tue, 06 Oct 2020
The Church of England failed to take action to deal with child abuse as it prioritised defending its reputation, an inquiry has found. Read More »
Poland’s agreement with Vatican helps protect abusers, NSS tells UN
Posted: Fri, 04 Sep 2020
The NSS has raised concerns with the UN that a treaty between Poland and the Vatican undermines efforts to tackle child abuse. Read More »
Religious groups’ safeguarding failures exposed at abuse inquiry
Posted: Tue, 18 Aug 2020
Witnesses at a public inquiry have called for the mandatory reporting of child abuse allegations during hearings on religious settings. Read More »
Jehovah's Witnesses restructure mustn’t impede abuse payouts, says NSS
Posted: Wed, 15 Jul 2020
The NSS has urged regulators to ensure the restructuring of JW charities doesn't obstruct abuse victims from claiming compensation. Read More »
End religious groups’ self-regulation on safeguarding, inquiry told
Posted: Tue, 17 Mar 2020
A lawyer representing child abuse victims has called for an end to religious groups' self-regulation on safeguarding at the Independent Inquiry on Child Sexual Abuse.
Richard Scorer of Slater & Gordon – who is also a National Secular Society vice-president... Read More »
NSS raises Italy’s response to child abuse in Catholic Church at UN
Posted: Thu, 12 Mar 2020
The NSS has urged the UN Human Rights Council to strengthen recommendations designed to tackle child abuse in Italy's Catholic Church. Read More »
NSS raises Vatican’s defiance of abuse inquiry with Foreign Office
Posted: Fri, 27 Sep 2019
The NSS has urged the government to hold the Vatican accountable over its continued failure to cooperate with a child abuse inquiry. Read More »
NSS urges UN to pressurise Vatican on overdue child rights reports
Posted: Wed, 18 Sep 2019
The NSS has urged a UN council to pressurise the Vatican to submit long-overdue reports outlining its response to child sexual abuse. Read More »
Domestic abuse campaigners given formal role at IICSA inquiry
Posted: Thu, 25 Jul 2019
Campaigners against domestic abuse within minority religious communities will be give formal roles in hearings at a child abuse inquiry. Read More »
