Tag: sexual abuse

Top Hollywood women launch anti-harassment initiative

by Brian Knowlton Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — More than 300 top women in Hollywood — from Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence to Emma Thompson and Cate Blanchett — unveiled an initiative Monday to tackle pervasive sexual harassment in workplaces, calling special attention to their “sisters” in less than glamorous blue-collar jobs. The initiative, dubbed Time’s Up, caps a year in which the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal touched off a deluge of […]

Hayek details harrowing ordeal by ‘monster’ Weinstein

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A-lister Salma Hayek on Wednesday joined the scores of actresses to accuse Harvey Weinstein, alleging that the fallen Hollywood mogul sexually harassed her, subjected her to escalating rage and once threatened to kill her. “For years, he was my monster,” the Mexican-born star wrote in an essay published in The New York Times, detailing the torturous production of the 2002 movie “Frida” that eventually earned Hayek an Oscar nomination […]

Weinstein accuser seeks to set legal precedent with sex trafficking law

NEW YORK CITY, New York (Reuters) — An aspiring British actress sued Harvey Weinstein in New York federal court on Monday (November 27) accusing the movie producer of sex trafficking by inviting her to a hotel room in France and sexually assaulting her. The civil lawsuit filed by 31-year-old Kadian Noble in U.S. District Court in New York accused Weinstein of violating a U.S. federal sex trafficking law in Cannes, France. Noble’s lawyer is attempting […]

Filipino ex-priest faces US extradition on sex charges

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — A Filipino ex-priest is facing extradition to the US for allegedly sexually abusing minors there in the 1990s, authorities said Wednesday. Fernando Sayasaya, 53, was tracked down by police in a province outside Manila on Sunday nearly two decades after he fled the US and went into hiding in the Philippines. He was accused of molesting two boys in the state of North Dakota where he worked for the Catholic church, […]

Weinstein had ‘army of spies’ to thwart complaints: report

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Harvey Weinstein hired journalists and highly trained ex-spies and military personnel who used fake identities to try to stop accusers from going public with sexual misconduct claims against him, The New Yorker reported Monday. The news came as the Television Academy, which hands out Emmy Awards, was said to have expelled Weinstein “for life,” following a similar move by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives […]

Sexual abuse stories from around the world pour out on social media

by Cyril Julien Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Celebrities and everyday people continued flooding social media with personal accounts of sexual assault and harassment Monday, responding to calls to break the culture of silence around such abuse. The massive global response was triggered by the allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who is accused of rape and abuse dating back decades. People shared stories and offered support under multiple hashtags, including #MeToo in […]

Models, actresses, employees: the women speaking out against Harvey Weinstein

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A stream of actress, models and ex-employees have come out, many anonymously, to accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and abuse dating as far back as the 1990s. The first to speak out The scandal unfurled with the testimonies of eight women published in the New York Times on October 5. The women who spoke out were anonymous ex-employees of the director, known for his work on films […]

Cardinal Pell back in Australia to face abuse charges

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell arrived back in Australia on Monday ahead of a court appearance later this month over historical sex abuse charges. The 76-year-old, a top advisor to Pope Francis, touched down in Sydney and was met by security before being whisked away in a waiting car. He has been ordered to face a Melbourne court on July 26 for a preliminary hearing on multiple sexual assault charges […]

Malacanang hits Catholic bishops for “reign of terror” pastoral letter against Duterte govt

  (Eagle News) – Malacañang hit officials of the Catholic Church on Sunday for claiming that there was a supposed “reign of terror” in many places under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, saying these Catholic leaders seem to be “out of touch” with the sentiments of their own people. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella particularly put to task the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for issuing a pastoral letter that raised concerns on […]

Church ‘mucked up’ with pedophile priests: Vatican finance chief

by Martin Parry SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) —  Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell admitted Monday the Catholic Church “mucked up” in dealing with paedophile priests and vowed he would not “defend the indefensible” before an Australian inquiry. Pell gave evidence from a hotel in Rome via video-link to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney rather than appear in person as he has a heart condition. The inquiry is currently […]