International

New Congo Rape Statistics Inspire Competitive Headlines, Not Much Else

by Cara May 12, 2011

A new study about the ongoing rape epidemic in the Congo has some rather terrifying statistics to offer. According to USA Today, 420,000 women are raped in the DRC every year. Or, if you ask the Boston Globe, 1,152 women are raped every day. The Guardian reports that 48 women are raped every hour. And [...]

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Afghanistan Women’s Shelters Threatened With Closure

by Cara February 21, 2011

The Afghan government has drafted new rules which would severely harm women who are the victims of domestic violence and greatly impede their ability to leave their abusers. Local women’s shelters run by Afghan women would be turned over to the control of the government and subjected to new misogynistic rules. Women for Afghan Women [...]

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One Year Later, Sexual Violence Remains an Epidemic in Haiti’s Camps

by Cara January 13, 2011

Trigger Warning for descriptions/discussions of sexual violence Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. In the wake of this milestone, much reporting has appeared on the current status of the earthquake recovery, and how it is sorely lagging behind everyone’s hopes, as well as what the expectations would be [...]

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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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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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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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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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Australian Women Report Sexual Abuse in Victoria Psychiatric Wards

by Cara October 4, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of violence against women with disabilities, and discussions of sexual violence particularly within the context of psychiatric units. Last week, news broke in the Australian state of Victoria that women who are patients in psychiatric wards are being routinely sexually harassed and assaulted by men who are patients in those same [...]

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Rape is Not a “Timely Reminder”

by Cara September 21, 2010

Trigger Warning for rape apologism, brief descriptions of sexual violence. This morning I was reading about a rape that was recently committed in Perth, Australia, by an assailant who accosted a nanny answering the front door at her employer’s home. The details of the attack itself are, of course, horrible and distressing. That the assailant [...]

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Three Gang Rapists Convicted After One Shows Video of Assault to Victim

by Cara September 14, 2010

Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions of sexual assault and discussions of victim re-traumatization. In a somewhat unusual case out of the UK, three men have just been convicted on various sexual assault charges after gang raping an unconscious woman — an unconscious woman who only became aware of the attack after one of the attackers, [...]

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