sexual abuse

He Blew the Whistle on Catholic Church Abuse in 1985. Why Didn't Anyone Listen?

by Ben Proudfoot

Reporter Jason Berry reflects on the difficulties of exposing abuse and the Catholic hierarchy's coverup in the 1980s. 

The History the Japanese Government Is Trying to Erase

by Chelsea Szendi Schieder

  An academic involved in the recent "comfort women" controversy while teaching in Japan warns "In failing to teach what the wartime state did, the Japanese government only emboldens the forces of misogyny and racism and cultivates new generations of violence."

Can Historians Be Traumatized by History? (Content Warning)

by James Robins

"If the historian—the very person supposed to process the past on behalf of everyone else—struggles with trauma, then it is little surprise that societies as a whole struggle to face the violence of how they were formed and how they prevailed."

Journal Delays Print Publication of Harvard Law Professor’s Controversial ‘Comfort Women’ Article Amid Outcry

"Against the historical consensus, Ramseyer claims in his paper, entitled “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War," that comfort women were not coerced and instead voluntarily entered into contracts with Japanese brothels."

Why Do Women Change Their Stories Of Sexual Assault? Holocaust Testimonies May Provide Clues

by Allison Sarah Reeves Somogyi

Despite the horrific frequency of sexual abuse of women during the Holocaust and during World War II, stigmas attached to victims encouraged survivors to self-censor in their testimonies. The historical record may help to understand the behavior of victims today.

Kathleen Sprows Cummings says the Catholic Church needs wholesale radical transformation

by Kathleen Sprows Cummings

In an op ed in the NYT she says she can nom longer advocate piecemeal reforms.

Edward Heath, former British PM, subject of inquiries into child abuse claims

It has been confirmed that British police are examining claims of child sexual abuse against a former prime minister, Edward Heath.