One in three women endure physical or sexual violence: WHO
GenevaReuters Nearly one in three women worldwide is subjected to physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, pervasive criminal behaviour that has increased during the pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. The UN agency urged governments to prevent violence, improve services for victims and tackle economic inequalities that often leave women and girls […]
Kenyan women win damages for sexual violence during 2007-08 poll violence
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Four rape survivors won four million shillings ($US35,906) each on Thursday, as Kenya’s High Court ruled the government failed to investigate sexual violence cases after a disputed 2007 poll. The landmark ruling came after eight survivors – backed by human rights groups – filed a lawsuit in 2013 seeking accountability from […]
Central African Republic seeks justice for rural victims of sexual violence
Bangui, Central African RepublicThomson Reuters Foundation Restoring court operations in rural parts of the war-torn Central African Republic is vital to tackling sexual violence and ensuring victims can seek justice, a top government official said, as the coronavirus pandemic fuels gender-based abuse. Rape has been widely used as a weapon of war in the country […]
Nobel winner unveils code to protect survivors of sexual violence in war
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A new code of conduct for investigating sexual violence in conflict was unveiled on Friday, developed by Britain’s Foreign Office and Nadia Murad, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Its creators said they hoped it would […]
In lockdown Bolivia, calls from abused girls flood hotline
Bogota, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation Since the coronavirus lockdown began in Bolivia, Brisa De Angulo’s charity for sexually abused children has received hundreds of telephone calls from girls trapped in homes with their abusers, but one desperate plea stands out. A 10-year-old pregnant girl, gang-raped by two cousins in her home, had gone into labor. She […]
Bangladesh minister urges women to work, pledges to tackle sexual violence
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh needs more women in the workforce if it is to grow, its women’s minister said on Thursday, urging them to train for a trade and pledging to tackle high levels of sexual violence that make it harder for them to go out to work. Fazilatun Nessa said much of Bangladesh’s […]
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 […]
“Pervasive” digital sexual violence against women skyrockets in Singapore
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation From online stalking to revenge porn, cases of digital sexual violence have spiked sharply in Singapore, women’s rights campaigners warned on Monday as they called for reforms to clamp down on the emerging form of crime. The tech-savvy nation has seen several high-profile cases this year, including a university student […]
New Indonesian parliament urged to tackle sexual violence “emergency”
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Lawmakers sworn into Indonesia’s parliament this week are being urged to push through a sexual violence bill to protect women from abuse that rights groups say has reached “emergency” levels. Sexual violence is prevalent in the South-East Asian country of 260 million. Tens of thousands of people in recent weeks […]
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 […]