Posts Tagged ‘Abuse’

6 principles for government response to Royal Commission

Monday, May 13th, 2019
royal commission

The government has agreed on six principles to guide how its agencies and the Crown respond to the Royal Commission into historical abuse in state care and in the care of faith-based institutions. The Minister for State Services, Chris Hipkins, said setting out the principles was an important step in rebuilding trust between the government Read more

Changes to scope of Royal Commission require further clarification

Thursday, November 15th, 2018
royal commission

A lack of clarity surrounding key terms of the Historical Abuse in State Care Royal Commission is raising serous concerns around the Commission’s scope. The terms causing concern are “faith-based institutions” and “in care”. The confusion emerged after the Government announced the Royal Commission will look into both state and faith-based institutions. On Tuesday commission Read more

Sinead O’Connor converts to Islam, changes her name

Monday, October 29th, 2018

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor (51) has converted to Islam and has changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt. She announced her conversion via her Twitter account. Davitt’s new name means “one who bears witness” in Arabic. Shuhada’ comes from the Arabic word Shahada. Shahada is the Islamic declaration of faith in which Muslims state (or bear Read more

Church now facing its own #MeToo moment

Monday, June 25th, 2018

The Catholic Church is experiencing its own #MeToo moment, following allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up coming to light in countries throughout the world. Australian archbishop Mark Coleridge says the Church is facing the same challenge that has brought a reckoning to those who used their authority to abuse or silence victims. Read more

No papal apology for Canadian First Nations People

Thursday, April 5th, 2018

Survivors of a Canadian system that forced generations of indigenous children into mainly Catholic-run boarding schools won’t be getting an apology from Pope Francis. The Canadian Council of Bishops (CCB) said last week “after carefully considering the request” for an apology, Francis “felt that he could not personally respond”. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed Read more

5 mistakes to never make with an abuser

Thursday, March 8th, 2018
abuser

Abuse is about having power over someone. An abuser typically wants to feel superior, to control and dominate. To them, communication is not about understanding. It’s a win-lose game. They use verbal abuse and/or violence to accomplish this. They’re frequently self-centered, impatient, unreasonable, insensitive, unforgiving, lack empathy, and are often jealous, suspicious, and withholding. Their Read more

Anglican Church – abuse revelations

Thursday, February 15th, 2018

The Church of England is facing two years of revelations about sexual abuse and attempts to cover it up, the Anglican Church ruling general synod has been told. Read more

Why the seal of the confessional will remain

Monday, August 21st, 2017

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published a 2000-page three volume Criminal Justice Report. One of its recommendations is that the states and territories “create a criminal offence of failure to report targeted at child sexual abuse in an institutional context”. If such an offence were created, those of us who Read more

Historical abuse of children in state care: why an inquiry is needed

Monday, March 20th, 2017

Every time Anne Tolley and Bill English talk about the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children, or oppose an inquiry into the historical abuse of children in state care, it sticks like a knife in my guts. I am Ngāti Porou through my mother, and I’m Weira — Welsh — through my father. After spending 14 Read more

Marie Collins responds to Cardinal Müller’s allegations about abuse commission

Thursday, March 16th, 2017

Editor’s note: Marie Collins of Ireland is a clergy sexual abuse survivor who resigned March 1 from Pope Francis’ Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave an interview shortly following Collins’ resignation. Collins has written an open letter to Read more