AUSTRALIA

Need for alternative sentencing for child neglect in NSW

According to the Illawarra Mercury, NSW has the weakest child neglect penalties in Australia, and, according to a University of Wollongong legal academic, NSW is the only jurisdiction in the country where these offences carried a fine-only penalty. In Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and Northern Territory, offences relating to child neglect are dealt with through general criminal laws, with imprisonment the maximum penalty. The rest of the country, including NSW, prosecutes these offences under specific child protection legislation.

Victorian Court staffer fired after alleged Pell trial security breach

According to The Age, a County Court staff member has been fired after they were allegedly caught looking up sensitive information about Cardinal George Pell's upcoming trial. The staff member reportedly accessed the information through the court's computer system and was fired just hours after the court was alerted to the security breach. Cardinal Pell was committed to stand trial on multiple historic sexual assault charges a fortnight ago and his case returns to the County Court of Victoria this week in front of Chief Judge Peter Kidd where a trial date is expected to be set.

Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson found guilty of covering up child sexual abuse

The ABC News has reported that the most senior Catholic to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse — Adelaide's Archbishop Philip Wilson — has been found guilty by a New South Wales court, in a landmark ruling. The 67-year-old was accused of covering up abuse by priest Jim Fletcher in the NSW Hunter region in the 1970s. One of the victims has said, "I think this will now open the doors for other jurisdictions to start looking at trying to prosecute people who deliberately looked after their institution and, literally, threw children to the wolves.”

Action Must Be Taken to Stop Bullying of Students with Disability

In a recent article in Pro Bono Australia, bullying of students with disability, including abuse and violence at school has been revealed as not unusual. According to the article, last year 56 per cent of students with a disability had experienced bullying in the previous 12 months. That is more than twice the rate of bullying it is estimated the general population of school aged children experiences. The Held Back Report by the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission examined the experiences of students with a disability in Victorian schools in 2012. It stated that bullying was a significant and widespread problem for students with a disability, with six out of 10 reporting they had been bullied because of their disability.

NT teacher tried to put student's hand on his 'private area', court hears

According to the ABC News, a student hit her former primary school teacher when he grabbed her hand and put it on his "private area", a Darwin court has heard. The man pleaded not guilty to eight counts of indecent dealings with four girls aged between 10 and 12, and one of aggravated assault.

Student pleads guilty after fight at Busselton Senior High School

ABC News has reported that a 15-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to assaulting a fellow regional West Australian high school student in an incident that went viral after being filmed on a mobile phone. During his appearance in the Busselton Children's Court, the court heard the boy approached the victim in the high school's gym and punched him in the face in March. In that incident, a 14-year-old student allegedly punched Busselton Senior High School's associate principal David Gault as well. The accused student also appeared in the Busselton's Children's Court charged with assault and trespassing on school grounds. The boy was granted bail in order to seek legal advice before his next court appearance in June.

Adelaide Eastern suburbs high school teacher to face indecent assault charge involving a minor

According to the ABC News, parents of students at an Adelaide eastern suburbs high school have been notified about a teacher who was arrested and charged with child sex offences last week. The school's principal emailed parents about the arrest which took place on Thursday. An Education Department spokesperson has confirmed that a "teaching employee" was arrested and charged with making a child amenable to sexual activity and aggravated indecent assault. The principal's letter said the teacher had been bailed under conditions that prevented them from engaging in any child-related work or volunteering.

INTERNATIONAL

All Chilean bishops quit over child abuse scandal

According to Yahoo7News, thirty-four Chilean bishops announced their resignation last Friday over a child sex abuse scandal within the Church in Chile that has come to haunt the reign of Pope Francis. Several members of the Chilean church hierarchy are accused by victims of ignoring and covering up child abuse by Chilean paedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s. It was also found that senior Church officials had destroyed proof in cases of sex abuse and that certain members of the clergy who had displayed immoral behaviour had been transferred to other dioceses after attempts to "minimise" the gravity of their actions.

New Zealand Education Council reveals the number of teachers disciplined for sexual misconduct

According to StuffNZ, in response to an Official Information Act request, the Education Council in New Zealand provided documents that revealed 81 teachers between 2015 to 2017 were found to have behaved in a sexually inappropriate way. Of that number, 35 teachers were found to have molested children. The 46 remaining teachers were found to have been sexually inappropriate without touching. From 2015 to 2017, the Education Council served 196 disciplinary outcomes to teachers for sexual misconduct.

Texas school shooting leaves 10 people dead, most of them students

The ABC News reported on a Texas school shooting where a 17-year-old student armed with a shotgun and pistol opened fire in a Texas high school, killing nine fellow students and a teacher, authorities say, in an attack similar to the massacre at a Florida high school in February. The shooter was denied bail after he was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault on a public servant.

Canadian Child protection laws to get first update since 2011

CBC News reported that the Newfoundland and Labrador government provided details of Bill 14, An Act Respecting Children, Youth and Families. The Act would replace the current Children and Youth Care and Protection Act, which came into effect in 2011, and places an increased emphasis on addressing the needs of Indigenous children and youth, as well as older youth. There are six main areas where changes are being put into place, government said, including Improving information sharing, including to Indigenous governments and organisations; enhancing the focus on keeping families intact; expanding permanent options for children and youth in foster care, whether that's with their families or origin or elsewhere; strengthening service delivery for Indigenous youth and children, and their families; identifying and supporting youth needing protection; and developing a licensing regime for out-of-home care placements.