United Nations Committee Will Question Vatican on Child Sexual Violence/ Links to Live Stream/Twitter hastag #HolySeeConfess

On Jan. 16, 2013 Thursday, the Vatican will be questioned  by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child  about its record on child sexual violence.   This is the first time the Vatican has been called by  an international body to account for its handling of the crisis  of sexual violence throughout the  Catholic Church. CCR will be there with our clients, the   Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).  Directly after the hearing, SNAP leaders and CCR experts  will host alivestream report-back to update survivors,  advocates,  and supporters. Tune in on Thursday, January 16, at 8pm CET (2pm EST). You can follow the global conversation about this historic hearing  via the Twitter hashtag #HolySeeConfess.   You can also ask questions before or during the report-back by  tweeting to the hashtag or  emailing your questions to askCCR@ccrjustice.org.   We will answer as many as possible during the livestream. Throughout the world, children and vulnerable adults have been and  continue to be subjected to widespread and systemic rape and  sexual violence by priests and others associated with the  Roman Catholic Church.  The Vatican’s policies and practices enable this violence.   In February 2013, SNAP and CCR submitted reports to the  Committee on the Rights of the Child, detailing how the  Holy See has violated the core principles of the  Convention on the Rights of the Child. You can also watch the hearing live in its entirety.   From 10am-12pm CET (4am-6am EST), the Vatican  will be reviewed  on its compliance with the Convention on Rights of the  Child.  From 3pm-6pm CET (9am-12pm EST), the Vatican  will be reviewed  on its compliance with the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children,  Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography.   Both broadcasts will be in English.   For more information on our efforts to hold the  Vatican accountable see our webpage and factsheet.