Poland to launch paedophilia inquiry to identify cases of negligence

The Polish government plans to set up an independentcommission to inquire into cases of paedophilia and their handling byinstitutions, including the church, according to a statement releasedTuesday.A bill on the matter was approved by the cabinet, but still requiresparliamentary approval and the president's signature.The seven-strong commission would be charged with identifying casesof negligence in combating paedophilia and alerting law enforcementin cases they believe the law has been broken. Investigations will cover state institutions, churches, NGOs as wellas educational, sport, healthcare and cultural institutions, thestatement said.Poland's government has acknowledged the lack of a comprehensivesystem of combatting sex crimes and shortcomings in the handling ofpaedophilia inquiries in the past.The new commission will be independent from state authorities.Members of the commission will be selected by parliament, the primeminister, the president and the state children's ombudsman.Candidates are to be submitted by expert bodies, including nationalchambers of physicians, psychologists, attorneys, prosecutors as wellas NGOs. The Polish debate on paedophilia resurfaced in May, following thepublication of a YouTube documentary in which victims talked aboutsexual abuse at the hands of priests and accused the church ofcovering up the crimes.Since then, the government has presented an amendment to the penalcode that, among others, introduced stricter penalties for crimes ofpaedophilia.