VATICAN CITY
Think Progress
By Kumar Ramanathan, Guest Blogger on Jul 11, 2013
Pope Francis has created new laws criminalizing sexual abuse of children within the Vatican, in his first set of laws issued on Thursday. The legislation, which will take effect on September 1, only affects those who live or work in Vatican City.
The new laws create a broader definition of crimes against children, including sexual violence and sexual acts with children, the production and possession of child pornography, the sale of children, and child prostitution.
Under current Vatican criminal law, which is is primarily based on the 1889 Italian penal code, these acts are merely considered a violation of “good customs,” and carry a maximum punishment of 3 to 10 years. Under the new legislation, the crimes will be specifically and explicitly listed, and carry a slightly longer 5 to 10 year punishment with 12-year maximum if aggravating circumstances are involved, according to a Vatican spokesman.
The legislation comes two days after the United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) announced that it would be asking the Vatican to hand over internal documents on its treatment of predatory priests and abuse victims worldwide, as part of an investigation into the city state’s adherence to the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the Vatican is a signatory. The new laws will bring the Vatican closer to compliance with the Convention, although their scope is narrow and many more of the CRC’s questions remain answered. The CRC has requested a detailed report in reply to its questions before it convenes in January.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.