A London, Ont., woman who is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a Roman Catholic priest is now heading a new organization aimed at delivering speedier justice for victims. This month, Irene Deschenes helped found Outrage Canada, a national non-religious advocacy group with a mandate to hold the church accountable for sexual abuse by the clergy. The group proposes the federal government set up a national reporting centre to gather and investigate reports of clergy abuse. Deschenes said the current system re-victimizes people who file abuse allegations with the church.  "Right now, for folks their...

Several hundred former Boy Scouts are at risk of losing out on millions of dollars in sex abuse compensation due to paperwork errors made when voting on the organization’s $2.46 billion bankruptcy settlement.

- Bills expanding the amount of time victims would have to sue their perpetrators and eliminate the statute of limitations for more criminal sexual conduct offenses were not put up for a vote last week during a marathon House session, even though they were on the agenda. - In the past, the bills have had bipartisan support, as have many of the other bills known as “Nassar bills” born from efforts to address the rights of victims of sexual violence after about 200 women and girls testified in court against former Team USA gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry...

Kanakuk Kamps alleges its insurance company discouraged camp leadership from disclosing information about sex abuser to families A Branson-area Christian summer camp accused of covering up years of sexual abuse of its students is suing its insurance company, claiming it threatened to deny coverage if information about abuse were made public. Kanakuk Kamps filed a cross claim last month against ACE American Insurance Co. as part of a 2022 lawsuit filed by a former camper who says his family was tricked into signing a “fraudulent” settlement agreement after he was sexually abused by a camp director. The insurance company “threatened...

- Boys Town Police Chief William Clark, who declined to be interviewed for this article, refused to provide police incident reports detailing the 12 reports of rape on campus, even with the names of minors redacted. Contacted by certified mail after he failed to respond to messages, Clark cited a section of Nebraska law that gives law enforcement discretion to withhold investigatory reports. - Like other homes for troubled kids, Boys Town had rules and lots of them, she said. No cell phones, no social media, no calls home for longer than a half hour, no holding hands or kissing...

In keeping with nationwide trends, the Kentucky legislature extended the time period in which child sex abuse survivors can bring civil lawsuits and allowed that their lawsuits can be asserted not only against perpetrators, but also against institutions that fail to protect children. Under these new laws, Samantha Killary pursued her lawsuit for childhood sexual abuse against a Louisville police officer and also against Louisville Metro for “employing and empowering” him. The case is now pending before the Kentucky Supreme Court, with arguments about the validity of the new laws. Into this case, the Southern Baptist Convention...

A brief filed earlier this year by lawyers for the Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Lifeway, an SBC publisher, argues that a Kentucky law that changed the statute of limitations for making civil claims over abuse—and allowing survivors to sue third parties such as churches or police—should not be applied retroactively.

- For two decades, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ most prominent government and elected officials — as well as their pet charities, educational institutions and causes — were paid millions of dollars by Jeffrey Epstein in the form of salaries, campaign contributions and consultant fees. - Now, the same USVI government that turned a blind eye to Epstein’s crimes is filing lawsuits and reaping tens of millions of dollars from companies and individuals it claims enabled the serial sex trafficker.

“I want my two-year-old to grow up loving the outdoors, but I also want him to be safe. ‘Scouts Honor,’ a powerful new Netflix documentary about the horrific history of child sex abuse in the Boy Scouts of America, left me feeling angry, sickened, and permanently doubtful that the organization should be part of his life.”