On March 5, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Shannon Lee Goessling, Trump’s pick to head the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Department of Justice. Women’s rights and anti-violence activists have raised serious concerns over the nominee’s anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-racial justice history, noting that combating intimate partner violence requires an intersectional perspective that understands the vulnerability of respective communities.
Violence Against Native American Women
Savanna’s Act, a bill that calls for the standardization of protocols for law enforcement agencies and for updating data for federal databases relevant to missing or murdered Native American women, was re-introduced to the floor on Monday by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. Savanna’s Act is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a pregnant Spirit Lake […]
Pope Admits Reports of Clerics Sexually Abusing Nuns
During a trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis admitted that some clerics were sexually abusing nuns, stating that the sexual abuse of nuns has been an ongoing problem that the church is working on and that many clerics have been suspended. In two weeks, Pope Francis will be hosting a gathering of bishops and […]
Four Women Are Killed Everyday in Brazil
Since the beginning of 2019, on average, four women per day have been killed in Brazil and 126 women have been killed so far this year, causing increased pressure on the government to crack down on femicide cases. There have been an additional 64 attempted murders recorded. The high rate of women being killed is […]
New Brazilian Gun Laws May Pose Risk to Domestic Violence Victims
New Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has signed a decree to loosen gun laws throughout the country, despite public safety experts concern, a decree that makes it easier for Brazilians to have guns in their homes, as well as waives old standing safety checks such as federal police approval. In addition, Bolsonaro increased the validity period […]
Afghan Women Athletes Report Assault
Women athletes on the Afghanistan national football team have come out with serious allegations of sexual and physical assault against leaders of the Football Federation of Afghanistan (AFF), an affiliate of FIFA, including its president Keramuudin Karim.
Child Sex-Trafficking Survivor Cyntoia Brown To Be Released From Prison
On Monday morning Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam granted executive clemency to 30-year-old Cyntoia Brown—a survivor of child sex trafficking who was convicted in 2004 of first degree murder after killing a 43-year-old man who had purchased her for sex. Brown, who at 16-years-old was sentenced to life in prison, is now scheduled to be released on August 7, 2019.
Judge Allows Alleged Baylor Rapist to Serve no Time
Former Baylor University fraternity president, Jacob Anderson, will not serve jail time or be put on the sex offender registry even though he allegedly raped a fellow Baylor student in 2016 at his fraternity’s, Phi Delta Theta, party. Anderson was initially charged with four counts of sexual assault but will only have to pay a […]
Tennessee Supreme Court: Cyntoia Brown Must Serve 51 Years Before Eligible for Parole
On Thursday, the Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Cyntoia Brown–a sex-trafficking victim who at 16 was sentenced to life in prison for killing a 43-year-old Nashville man who bought her for sex–will have to serve at least 51 years in prison before being eligible for release.
US Border Patrol Agent Indicted on Capital Murder Charge
Juan David Ortiz, A US border patrol agent, was indicted on capital murder charge for killing four women and kidnapping one woman. Ortiz was also indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of unlawful restraint with reckless exposure to serious bodily injury, and evading arrest. His charges make him […]
Russian Official Calls for New Laws to Combat Domestic Violence, Regrets Decriminalization
Today, Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova admitted that she regrets Russia’s decision to decriminalize domestic abuse last year and called for new laws to protect women and children from domestic violence. Moskalkova stated today that she “believes that decriminalization was a mistake and we need to adopt a law to combat domestic abuse.” She […]
UN Report Finds Majority of Female Homicide Victims are Killed by Partners or Family
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report this week that found that more than half of all female homicides were caused by intimate partners or relatives, depicting the home as one of the most dangerous places for women. The report also found that legal efforts to decrease these homicides and protect […]
Democratic Women’s Working Group and Representatives Condemn New Title IX Rules
Yesterday, the Democratic Women’s Working Group (DWWG), along with Representatives Jackie Speier, Lois Frankel, Brenda Lawrence, and Annie Kuster and 77 House members, sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, urging her to retract her recently proposed rules for Title IX. In the letter, the representatives denounce the proposed rules, calling the rules a […]
Transwoman who Died in ICE Custody was Physically Abused, Autopsy Reports
An autopsy report released this week states that the body of Roxsana Hernandez Rodriguez, a transgender migrant in ICE custody, shows signs of “physical assault and abuse.” Hernandez Rodriguez died in ICE custody in May and the autopsy shows she had “deep bruises” and “contusions” from “blows and/or kicks and possible strikes with a blunt […]
Teen Suspended After Reporting Sexual Assault in Georgia
A lawsuit against Gwinnet County Public School Officials was filed in federal court in Atlanta on behalf of a teen who was suspended after reporting a sexual assault in 2015. The teen, who the lawsuit identifies as “Jane Doe,” accuses school officials of violating her rights under Title IX. According to Jane Doe’s lawyers, a […]
Puerto Rican Police Pepper Spray Puerto Ricans Protesting Violence Against Women
On Friday, Colectiva Feminista en Construcción, in collaboration with other Puerto Rican Feminist groups, organized a sit-in (un plantón) in front of La Fortaleza, Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s residence, to protest the killing of a woman by her husband, a police officer. During the protests, the Puerto Rican police peppered sprayed the protestors and videos surfaced […]
Judge Rules US Ban on Female Genital Mutilation Unconstitutional
This week a judge ruled that the U.S. federal female genital mutilation law is unconstitutional, dismissing charges against a Michigan doctor accused of performing female genital mutilation on at least nine young girls between the ages of 8 and 13. Dr. Jumana Nagarwala was charged with performing female genital mutilation at least nine times from […]
Facebook under Scrutiny for Allowing Child Bride Auction
Facebook is currently under scrutiny for allowing a child bride auction of a 16-year- old South Sudanese child girl on its platform. The online auction held on Facebook asked people to bid on the minor’s dowry for her hand in marriage. According to Plan International, five men bid on the 16-year-old girl, including high-ranking South […]
Protests Erupt across Ireland after Underwear is used as Evidence of Consent
Women across Ireland are protesting how rape trials conduct after a recent trial used a woman’s underwear as evidence of consent, leading to a man being acquitted of rape. Protesters this week in Ireland, and abroad, are using the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent and sharing photos of women’s underwear. A social media movement began when people started […]
Harsh Anti-Abortion Laws in El Salvador Criminalize Survivors
On Monday, a criminal trial against Imelda Cortez, a 20-year-old woman charged with attempted murder after she gave birth to her abuser’s baby in El Salvador, began. Cortez has been in custody since April 2017 and may face up to 20 years in jail because doctors believe she attempted an abortion. The court ruling is […]