Search Results for: sex assault

Saudi Arabia was elected chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) by “acclamation” on Wednesday after an unopposed bid for leadership with no dissent, despite outcry from human rights organizations ahead of the vote. Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdulaziz Alwasil will assume the position. The CSW is dedicated to promoting gender [...]

Independent French reparations agency, Instance Nationale Indépendate de Reconnaissance et de Réparation (INIRR), reported that it has provided financial reparations to over 500 victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy or leaders in the Catholic Church in 2023. INIRR’s 2023 report revealed that over 60 percent of victims are men, averaging an age of 61 years [...]

The plight of women’s rights in various countries reflects a complex interplay of legal, cultural and societal norms that significantly disenfranchise women and girls, threatening their human rights and dignity. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Nigeria present challenging environments where women’s rights [...]

The Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec on Friday announced that their cardinal, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, would be stepping down “temporarily…until the situation is clarified” after being named as an alleged perpetrator in the recently approved class action suit, Gaétan Bégin and Pierre Bolduc v. The Roman Catholic Archiepiscopal Corporation of Quebec and The Roman Catholic Archbishop of [...]

A dedicated advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda was stabbed Wednesday and is in critical condition in hospital. The brutal assault comes as attacks on LGBTQ+ people in the country have surged following the implementation of a harsh anti-homosexuality law. Steven Kabuye, a champion for LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda, posted the video to his X [...]

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) announced on Wednesday that “strong measures” have been taken against 8 UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over “serious misconduct.” UN Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, stated in his daily press briefing on Thursday that the peacekeepers involved in the case were [...]

Sexual assault in the US Armed Forces is a very real and prescient issue for all service members. In April 2023, the US Department of Defense (DoD) reported that in 2022 there had been “a roughly 1% increase in overall reports of sexual assaults” with all the service branches having seen an increase in reported [...]

Attorney General of Mississippi Lynn Fitch announced on Monday that six Rankin County police officers pleaded guilty to the torture and abuse of two Black men. The announcement follows the officers’ guilty plea to federal charges earlier this month. In all, the officers pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, home invasion, obstruction of justice [...]

Pakistan’s transgender community finds itself embroiled in an ongoing struggle for inclusion, facing a recent setback with a verdict from the Federal Shariat Court (FSC). Transgender activists in Pakistan have appealed the judgement of the Federal Shariat Court (“FSC”), which adjudicates based on the tenets of Islam, to the Supreme Court (“SC”). As many as [...]

Japan’s national legislature passed groundbreaking revisions to its sex crimes laws Friday. The House of Councillors, the upper house of Japan’s National Diet, voted in favor of changes to Chapter 22 of Japan’s Penal Code. Chapter 22 concerns crimes of obscenity, forcible sexual intercourse, and bigamy. The changes include increasing the age of consent from [...]