Rape conviction rates rise 75 per cent in Sweden after change in the law
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Rape conviction rates in Sweden have risen 75 per cent in two years following a major change in the law, spurring calls on Monday for other countries to revamp their legislation. Sweden changed the legal definition of rape in 2018 to sex without consent. Unlike in many countries, prosecutors do not […]
Congolese rape survivors re-enact trauma in new film
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Rape survivors in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will take their stories to the screen in a film premiering in the United States this weekend, written and acted by the women themselves. The movie SEMA, meaning “speak out” in Swahili, is a fictional story about two rape survivors. Based on personal […]
Women protest against sexual violence in Malawi
Lilongwe, MalawiThomson Reuters Foundation Dozens of women took to the streets of Malawi’s capital on Monday to protest against sexual violence after a series of alleged police assaults on women last year. About 90 protesters, most of them women, marched through Lilongwe in silence to mark She Decides Day – a global movement launched in […]
“It could’ve been me”: India women demand safety as recent rapes prompt hundreds of petitions
Mumbai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Aila Bandagi Kandlakunta’s first reaction to the gang rape and murder of a female veterinarian last month in India’s IT hub of Hyderabad that sparked massive protests across the country was that of many Indian women: “It has happened again”. After being “disturbed” for days, the 24-year-old this week started an […]
Nobel laureate seeks backing for new fund to aid women raped in war
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, called on world leaders meeting in New York this week to back an international fund to help female victims of sexual violence during armed conflict. Mukwege has devoted the past 20 years to helping women raped by armed rebels, treating […]
WOW!: LOW-COST DNA KITS COULD DECREASE RATE OF UNREPORTED, UNPROSECUTED RAPES IN KENYA
ERIC J LYMAN, of Religion News Service, reports on how a Kenyan activist and a Canadian criminologist are working on an initiative, backed by churches and religious organisations, that they hope will change the way rape is treated in the developing world…
Rape convictions in England and Wales slump to decade low
London Thomson Reuters Foundation The number of rape convictions in England and Wales has fallen to a decade low despite increasing reports to police, according to data released on Thursday, prompting criticism that rape is being “effectively decriminalised”. There were 1,925 convictions in 2018-19, a 27 per cent drop from the previous year, according to […]
Sudan urged to ensure justice for raped women protesters
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Sudanese women were a driving force during months of protests that ousted veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir, but the sexual violence they endured risks being forgotten with the signing of a power-sharing deal, women’s rights activists said this week. Action must be taken to address scores of rapes committed during a deadly […]
With flowers and personal stories, Japan sexual abuse survivors seek reform
LondonReuters Sexual abuse victims and their supporters rallied in nine cities around Japan this week to protest against recent court acquittals of alleged rapists and urge reform of the nation’s anti-rape law. Holding flowers and placards with slogans such as “#MeToo, #WithYou”, sexual abuse survivors on Tuesday evening recounted their experiences to show the need […]
South Sudan “superhero” wins award for work with children born of rape
Thomson Reuters Foundation Children born of rape in South Sudan’s civil war must be integrated into their families and communities to ensure lasting peace in the country, aid worker Christine Ngbaazande said on Monday as she won a prestigious award. Sometimes looked on as enemies, such children are often rejected not only by their communities […]