human rights

South African Teen Charged With “Underage Sex” After Recanting Rape Allegation

by Cara November 19, 2010

Trigger Warning for descriptions of sexual violence, victim-blaming, and rape apologism There were recently reports of a particularly horrific rape case out of South Africa, in which a 15-year-old Johannesburg girl alleged rape by two 16-year-old and 14-year-old classmates at Jules High School. The alleged rape was filmed by the two alleged perpetrators and a [...]

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Woman Jailed for Becoming Pregnant, Then Died From Lack of Medical Treatment

by Cara November 18, 2010

Trigger Warning for prison abuse, specifically denial of medical treatment, and reproductive rights violations. At the beginning of this year, a 27-year-old woman named Amy Lynn Gillespie died (h/t @DCdebbie). She was 18 weeks pregnant, and died in a hospital after being transferred there by Allegheny County Jail, which was currently detaining her. The problem [...]

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Rape Charges Are Dropped in Relation to Victim Who Threatened Suicide on Courthouse Roof

by Cara November 12, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of sexual violence, rape apologism, and suicide. Last week, I wrote about a Seattle case in which a 21-year-old woman threatened suicide from the top of a courthouse. The woman was scheduled to testify that day against the man who allegedly raped her for years as a child. The person expected [...]

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Victim Threatens Suicide After Plans For Alleged Rapist to Directly Question Her In Court

by Cara November 5, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of suicide, childhood sexual violence, domestic violence, and confronting one’s rapist. Yesterday, a truly terrifying even took place at a Seattle courthouse when the accuser in a rape case, who was set to testify that afternoon, made her way to the roof of the building, where she stayed and threatened to [...]

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U.S. Sex Worker Advocates Expose Human Rights Violations Before United Nations

by Cara November 4, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of human rights violations against sex workers, as well as sex trafficking and sexual violence. Tomorrow November 5, the United Nations will, for the first time under its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) system, review the human rights record of the United States. That’s a pretty big deal period, especially since the [...]

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Woman Faces Likely Deportation Because She Filed a Domestic Violence Report

by Cara November 2, 2010

Last year, a woman named Maria Bolanos called the police during a domestic dispute with her partner, hoping that they would protect her. Now, as a result of that phone call and the subsequent interaction with police, because she is an immigrant who is undocumented, it is probable that she will be deported soon. Last [...]

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Justice Department Report on Sexual Assault in Juvenile Detention Minimizes Violence

by Cara October 29, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of sexual violence against youth in juvenile detention. The Department of Justice has just released its Report on Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Correctional Facilities (pdf). While presenting an excellent opportunity to meaningfully engage with the widespread problem of sexual abuse in juvenile detention, as Just Detention notes in its response to [...]

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Report Shows HIV-Positive Women in Chile Forcibly Sterilized, Denied Medical Treatment

by Cara October 22, 2010

Trigger Warning for descriptions of forcible sterilization and denied medical treatment, as well as discussion of other forms of discrimination against HIV-positive people and references to sexual violence. A huge issue for women worldwide is the continued spread of HIV/AIDS. Globally, women make up about half of all people living with HIV or AIDS, and [...]

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Women’s Re-entry Court Program Provides Alternatives to Prison for Non-Violent Offenders

by Cara October 19, 2010

Today, the LA Times has a really interesting profile on the Second Chance Women’s Re-entry Court program, a rehabilitation program and alternative to incarceration for women who commit non-violent crimes. The program is one of the first in the nation to focus on women in the criminal justice system: Thirty miles east of Tynan’s courtroom, [...]

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Canadian Court Overturns Ruling that Rape Victim Must Remove Niqab to Testify

by Cara October 15, 2010

In Canada in 2007, a woman who has been identified in the press as N.S. accused her uncle and cousin of molesting her as a child. The case was taken to a preliminary hearing, where N.S., a Muslim woman, was ordered to remove her niqab — a face veil that leaves the eyes visible — [...]

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