Pope expresses ‘sorrow and shame’ over child abuse

The Pope apologised again for the Catholic Church’s handling of child abuse in a meeting with victims yesterday.

The Pope spent 40 minutes yesterday with five people who had been abused by Catholic priests as children.

The Pope spoke of his “sorrow and shame” suffered by victims and prayed with them.

A spokesperson for the Pope said: “He was moved by what they had to say and expressed his deep sorrow and shame over what victims and their families had suffered.

“As he has done on other occasions, he prayed that all the victims of abuse might experience healing and reconciliation, and be able to overcome their past and present distress with serenity and hope for the future.”

Bishop Eddie Long to Address Sex Abuse Claims

Bishop Eddie Long, the prominent Atlanta pastor accused of sexually abusing three former members of his congregation, said he will wait until Sunday services to speak publicly about the charges against him.

The news comes one day after the 57-year-old pastor "categorically" denied claims that he coerced two men - 20-year-old Maurice Robinson and 21-year-old Anthony Flagg - into a sexual relationship when they were teenagers

"Bishop Eddie Long adamantly denies the allegations," Long's attorney Craig Gillenand said in a statement Wednesday. "It's unfortunate the two young men have chosen to take this course of action."

The two filed separate civil lawsuits Wednesday saying Long showered them with cars, clothes, jewelry, and electronics, took them on trips in private jets, and put them up in luxury hotels.

'Daughters of Cambodia' Leave Sex Trade for Christ

In Cambodia, 90 percent of prostitutes are sold into the sex industry by their parents. Many of the girls say they feel obligated to stay because their families depend on them for support.

British missionary Ruth Elliott is determined to provide a way out for the victims of sex trafficking. For six years, Elliott has been working to set the girl's free through her "Daughters of Cambodia" ministry.

"They live in the pit of hell. It's the truth," she said, explaining the victims' situation. "And they experience horrendous trauma when they come out."

Elliott said she feels God called her for this difficult work when she was only 14 years old.

Victim of India Violence Rescued from Trafficking Ring

Nearly two years after large-scale anti-Christian violence broke out in India’s Kandhamal district, Orissa state, a team working against human trafficking on Aug. 9 rescued a 16-year-old Christian girl – one of at least 60 people sold into slavery after being displaced by the 2008 attacks.

The recovery in Delhi of the girl represented the cracking of a network that has trafficked Christian girls and women from Orissa to the national capital, sources said.

“Human trafficking agents operating in the tribal belt of Orissa have targeted the Christian girls who are displaced by the Kandhamal communal violence – we have been receiving complaints of missing girls from Kandhamal after the violence broke out in 2008,” said attorney Lansinglu Rongmei, one of the rescue team members. “Roughly 60 girls are estimated missing and have been trafficked to different states.”

Not Forsaken: Reaching Sex Slaves in Mid-America

Kristy Childs of Kansas City, Mo. has painful memories of her childhood.

"I was born in a smaller town in Missouri and left home, started running away. Very abusive stepfather," she told CBN News.

That abuse forced Childs to leave home when she was only 12 years old. She started working on the streets.

"I started hitchhiking and my prostitution started there with the truck drivers," she explained. "I was doing what I had to do to survive."

Australia Legalising NT brothels a green light to harm and trafficking of women

The Northern Territory Government should not be beguiled by sex industry lobbies with benign sounding names into legalising brothels in the Top End, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) said today.

Responding to a call from the NT Sex Workers Outreach Program for brothels to be opened, ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said this has been a clear policy failure in other jurisdictions and that, instead, the NT Government should look at better ways of protecting women – such as the successful ‘Swedish model’ of managing prostitution.

Christians Wary of Human Trafficking ahead of World Cup- Child sex for hire and kidnap near 2 stadiums.

Table Mountain seen in background at the, Cape Town Stadium that will host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Cape Town, South Africa, Monday, March 22, 2010. Around fifty thousand people attended an event at the Cape Town Stadium as part of a security test in preparation of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

With the South African World Cup less than two weeks away, there is continued concern that the event will be used for human trafficking.

It has been estimated that between 40,000 to 100,000 people may be trafficked during the World Cup.

In January, Time magazine reported on a three-week investigation into human trafficking. Finding a lucrative trade in child sex near two stadiums, one trafficker said, "I’m really looking forward to doing more business during the World Cup." Children can earn $45 to $600 a night for their captors.