Worst may be coming in east Congo conflict, says UN rights head

Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The worst could be yet to come in east Congo’s escalating crisis, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday, warning that abuses including rape and sexual slavery may increase. He spoke at an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council called by Congo to investigate massive rights violations it […]
Congo’s displaced fear violence, rape if they return home

Lac Vert, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Widow Francine Nsengiyumva and her three children have little to eat and sleep on the hard ground, but like many others at a makeshift displacement centre in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo she is scared to return home. On Sunday, she and other women and children gathered outside […]
Brazilian congressional committee votes for bill to ban abortion
Brasilia, Brazil Reuters A committee in Brazil’s lower chamber of Congress approved a bill on Wednesday that would ban abortion in Brazil in all cases including those currently allowed such as fetal deformation, rape or when the mother’s health is in danger. The Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, where conservatives have a majority, voted 35 […]
Pelicot mass rape trial in France may spur changes to the law

Avignon, France Reuters France may introduce changes to its rape law to include consent for the first time, after a mass rape trial shook the country, challenging the limits of existing legislation and prompting some leading politicians to call for change. Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of men online […]
Essay: Women in India face daily threat of sexual violence – more needs to be done to break the cycle

Criminologist MADHUMITA PANDEY, in an article first published on The Conversation, says that while some cases make headlines, many don’t, and it’s the everyday threat of sexual violence towards women that needs more attention…
Protests spread over Indian doctor’s rape and murder

Kolkata, India Reuters Some Indian junior doctors remained off the job on Sunday as they demanded swift justice for a colleague who was raped and murdered, despite the end of a strike called by a big doctors’ association, while some other people held street protests. Doctors across the country have held protests, candlelight marches and […]
Protests escalate in India over gruesome rape of doctor

Mumbai, India Reuters Thousands of women marched across several Indian cities overnight and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for strict punishment for crimes against women, as outrage and protests against the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor escalated. Holding candles and posters that said “reclaim the night”, women held marches across cities, including the […]
“Alarming” rise in rape and abduction from Sudan war – aid agencies

Reuters The conflict between military factions in Sudan has caused a surge in cases of rape and the abduction of women and girls, some as young as 12, aid agencies and officials said. Teenage girls are being sexually assaulted and raped by armed combatants in “alarming numbers”, Save the Children said in a statement on […]
Truce reduces fighting in Sudan, but little relief for humanitarian crisis

Dubai, United Arab Emirates/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Khartoum was calmer on Saturday as a seven-day ceasefire appeared to reduce fighting between two rival military factions although it has not yet provided the promised humanitarian relief to millions trapped in the capital. A truce signed on Monday by the two fighting parties – Sudan’s army and a […]
After fleeing conflict, displaced women face rape in east Congo

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Four men with machetes were hard on their heels as a group of women raced through the dense forest surrounding east Congo’s city of Goma, desperate to reach a displacement camp they had left to collect firewood. One tripped on a stone and fell. She had no time to […]