Catholic Church, Boy Scouts hit with dozens of sex abuse suits under new N.J. law extending victims’ rights to sue

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Dozens of new allegations of sexual abuse against priests and scoutmasters have surfaced after New Jersey opened a two-year window granting victims a second chance to pursue court claims that had been barred by time limits.

New lawsuits filed Sunday and Monday include allegations against six priests in the Camden Diocese as well as previously undisclosed claims involving the now-defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of Newark. read more »

Massive spike in sex crimes on board cruise ships as attacks soar 67% over the summer

THE SUN

Cruise liners saw a huge rise in sex crimes allegations over summer, with reports of assault and harassment soaring 67 percent on last year.

Figures released annually by the US Department of Transportation show that between July 1 and September 30 a total of 35 assaults were reported. read more »

Pennsylvania Reforms Childhood Sex Abuse Laws In Response To Clergy Scandal

NPR

Pennsylvania overhauled its child sexual abuse laws Tuesday, as Governor Tom Wolf signed three bills meant to protect sexual assault survivors. The reforms incorporate recommendations made by a grand jury after hundreds of cases of clergy abuse were uncovered in 2018.

Decades of alleged misconduct and cover-ups were outlined in the grand jury's report, implicating more than 300 priests in a statewide sex scandal. Nearly every instance of abuse was too old to be prosecuted, a fault legislators said the new bills will repair. read more »

'Prince Andrew can't slink away from this now' – the TV triumph of Virginia Giuffre

THE GUARDIAN

Calm, thorough and deeply plausible, Virginia Giuffre’s BBC interview was everything Prince Andrew’s wasn’t – and it made the severity of the accusations against him look undeniable. read more »