Is there a right age of consent? A bill introduced in the French parliament would set the minimum age at 15 for consensual sex with an adult. The law here bans sex with a minor, but that carries a much lighter sentence than in Anglo-Saxon countries where it's automatically considered statutory rape. Why not here? Child sex abuse is an abuse of power, mighty adults imposing their will on minors. The issue's been brought to a head in France by some recent high-profile cases.

Some SOS Kinderdorf staff members allegedly knew about the sexual abuse and other violence but tried to cover up the accusations. The NGO came forward with some of its findings, and is investigating the issue.

German police say they are investigating more than 1,600 people from multiple countries on suspicion of possessing or sharing images of child sex abuse. Many of the suspects are themselves children.

"NeuralHash" technology makes it possible to detect child sex abuse images uploaded to the cloud. Privacy advocates fear technology invites political mission creep, especially in authoritarian states.

In this edition, hundreds of Gabonese peacekeepers are being withdrawn from CAR following the latest sex abuse allegations. Gabon says that the most recent accusation is exceptionally serious. Also, dozens of civic groups in Uganda have been suspended. Many human rights workers say it is part of a pattern of repression. And, South Africa’s largest rhino breeder is pushing to sell horns he trims legally off his animals to keep poachers at bay.

The World Health Organization again apologises to the victims who suffered rape and sexual abuse by workers sent to fight Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2018 to 2020.

Pope Francis expresses his personal shame and that of the Church at the sexual abuse of children by French Catholic clergy, and offers the victims his prayers, after the scale of the problem was laid bare in a devastating report. An independent commission revealed earlier this week that French Catholic clergy sexually abused around 216,000 minors over seven decades since 1950, calling the scandal a "massive phenomenon" that was covered up by a "veil of silence".

After a scathing report that revealed the abuse of over 330,000 children over 70 years, the church said it will sell its real estate assets or take loans to compensate the victims.

Climate Minister Robert Habeck wants to make Germany climate-neutral by 2045. The southern city of Freiburg is already close to achieving his vision.

Germany's crime rate has fallen for the fifth year in a row, down by nearly 5% in 2021 alone. Still, online crime and the distribution of images of child sex abuse are on the rise.

Nasson Joaquin Garcia, the head of the evangelical church La Luz del Mundo, pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from the abuse of three underage victims.

The head of a Mexico-based evangelical megachurch has been sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for sexually abusing three girls.