sexual assault

Opposition members of parliament in New Zealand say rates of sexual assault and violence in the island nation are shockingly high, and they’ve staged walk-outs to draw attention to the issue.

When a New Delhi woman was gang-raped and later died from her injuries in 2012, the Indian media called her Nirbhaya, or “fearless one,” both because they couldn’t name her legally, and because of the brutality that she went through. Thousands took to the streets: not just women, but men as well. Actor Ankur Vikal has gone even further. He relives the gang-rape story on stage.

The tactics of ISIS are horrible. They involve murder, mutilation and torture. Now we’re learning that they also use systematic rape as a way to hold power and even fund its operations.

Nicaraguan lawmakers passed Law 779 three years ago to protect victims of domestic violence — to international praise. But women say the law since has been watered down, and special courts don’t have the resources to investigate complaints. Advocates fear women who seek justice could end up worse off, but they vow to fight for the law’s original intent.

Angeline Jackson was sexually assaulted at gunpoint in 2009, and says she received little sympathy from the police because she’s a lesbian. But now Jackson is an activist who’s trying to help other lesbian and bisexual Jamaicans find safety and support.