Lisbon
A leading politician is among dozens of prominent people accused in a child sex scandal that has rocked the Portuguese establishment. Paulo Pedroso, spokesman for the Socialist Party, has been charged with 15 counts of child abuse. A TV celebrity has also been arrested, and prosecutors say other politicians and business leaders may soon be charged. The abuse allegations began earlier this year, when former inmates of the Casa Pia home for troubled children came forward with tales of a sex ring that had been operating for years. A janitor at the home allegedly provided boys and girls, many of them disabled, to rich men on weekends. The mounting physical evidence has appalled the country. “This is a sorrow borne by all of society,” said the Lisbon daily Jornal de Noticias. “Portugal is weeping, silently and deeply.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why some people remember dreams and others don'tUnder The Radar Age, attitude and weather all play a part in dream recall
-
The Week contest: Hotel sealPuzzles and Quizzes
-
New FBI Director Kash Patel could profit heavily from foreign interestsThe Explainer Patel holds more than $1 million in Chinese fashion company Shein
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
US election: who the billionaires are backingThe Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
-
US election: where things stand with one week to goThe Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala HarrisThe Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockadeSpeed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
