Welcome to the 105th edition of The Pixel Project’s VAW e-News Digest!
This fortnight, the world witnessed several horrifying tragedies: the earthquake in Nepal has displaced millions of women and girls who are now at risk of sex traffickers, the abandonment of thousands of refugees in Southeast Asian waters, as well as the discovery of a mass grave of human trafficking victims in Songkhla, Thailand. In this edition, we have highlighted several stories that address the state of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, involving (among other countries) Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.
Statistics have revealed that 92% of married women in Egypt have undergone female genital mutilation. On a positive note, Nigeria has made the historic move of outlawing female genital mutilation.
Reddit now has an anti-harassment policy that allows victims of online harassment to make reports. The development is timely following increasing concern over domestic violence that occurs in virtual spaces and the growing prevalence of online violence against women by online misogynist movements such as Gamergate.
Every contribution matters. If you have any news you’d like to share about violence against women, please email The Pixel Project at info@thepixelproject.net. If you prefer to receive up-to-the-minute news concerning violence against women, follow us on Twitter . It’s time to stop violence against women together.
Best regards,
The Pixel Project Team
General Violence Against Women
- AUSTRALIA: Editorial – the disturbing backlash on speaking up on violence against women
- BRAZIL: Brazil’s tough laws on violence against women stymied by social norms
- CANADA: UN slams Canada over violence against indigenous women
- EGYPT: Egypt’s police adopt new strategy to combat violence against women
- EUROPE: Council of Europe group to form expert group to combat violence against women (trigger warning: illustration)
- SUDAN: UN human rights expert makes first official visit to Sudan in over a decade
- TURKEY: Lifting the veil on violence against women in Turkey
- UNITED KINDOM: Jessica Raine speaks up about violence against women on TV
Domestic Violence
- AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan failing to help abused women
- AUSTRALIA: Brave mother’s campaign to reform domestic violence legislation across Australia
- JAPAN: Japanese domestic violence campaign uses coasters that transform into women with bruised faces when a beer glass is placed on them
- MALAYSIA: Islam allows husband to berate wives but only with a ‘touch’, says scholar
- RUSSIA: Domestic violence in Russia – optimism as country faces up to the ‘silent crisis’
- SOUTH AFRICA: Editorial – South Africa needs strong feminist movement to combat patriarcy
- UNITED KINGDOM: Actress pens play tackling domestic violence
- UNITED STATES: Digital domestic violence can often lead to frightening results
Rape and Sexual Assault
- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: More than 100 women raped in brutal mass attack on town in Congo
- FRANCE: Prosecutor: UN slowed probe of claims that French troops sexually abused children in Central Africa
- KENYA: ‘I will not be silenced’ – fight for justice that gave Kenyan rape victims a voice
- INDIA: A comic book about a rape victim turned superhero is spreading awareness about rape in India
- IRAN: #Iran_Ignite trends after woman ‘jumps to death to escape rape’
- IRAQ (KURDISTAN): UN pledges support for Yezidi victims of sexual violence
- MALAYSIA: Police threatened to rape me and sell video, says May Day 1 rally protester
- PARAGUAY: Paraguay says rape victim, 10, shouldn’t have an abortion
Sex and Human Trafficking
- AUSTRALIA and THE PHILIPPINES: 61-year old Australian arrested for human trafficking in the Philippines
- ITALY: Nuns intercede for victims of sex trafficking in Italy
- MALAYSIA and THAILAND: Malaysians behind Songkhla human trafficking camp, says Tenaganita
- MEXICO: 35 women rescued in sex trafficking ring in southern Mexico
- MYANMAR: Rohingya migrants from Myanmar, shunned by Malaysia , are spotted adrift the Andaman Sea
- NEPAL: Women and children in Nepal at risk of sex trafficking after earthquake, campaigners warn
- SOUTHEAST ASIA: ‘Boat people’ in Southeast Asia, 1979 and 2015
- THAILAND: Chiang Mai sex trafficking ring smashed
- UNITED STATES: Sex trafficking bill clears house floor
Female Genital Mutilation
- WORLD: Mutilated flags serve as a graphic reminder that female genital mutilation happens everywhere
- EGPYT: Shocking figures reveal 92% of women have suffered female genital mutilation
- NIGERIA: Senate passes bill criminalizing FGM, violence
- SOMALIA: Somali women’s rights, anti-FGM campaigner wins international award
- SOMALIA and the UNITED STATES – Minnesota Somalis see chance to lead fight against female genital cutting
- TANZANIA: Men join women’s rights bandwagon in Tarime, in ongoing campaign against FGM, child marriages and teen pregnancies
- UGANDA: Men and boys essential in eliminating FGM
- UNITED KINGDOM: Female genital mutilation increase in England ‘only tip of the iceberg’
Honour Killing and Forced Marriage
- CANADA: Canada wants to make forced marriage a crime
- GHANA: Over 700 million sub-Saharan girls under 18 forced into early marriage
- GHANA: Assembly members call for support to fight forced marriages
- INDIA: India couple lynched in ‘honour killing’ in Bihar
- LIBYA: Families forced to marry off girls as young as 12 to ISIS for protection as clinics see a growing number of STDs and miscarriages
- MALAYSIA: Teen pregnancies, child marriage behind high maternal deaths in Malaysia, say activists
- PAKISTAN: Accidental death of woman turns out to be honour killing
- PAKISTAN and the UNITED STATES: New York cab driver jailed over Pakistan murders
- THE NETHERLANDS: Deputy PM kicks off campaign against forced marriage
- UNITED KINGDOM: Song glorifying ‘honour killing’ pulled from BBC Asian Network after Mirror call
Activism
- WORLD: Reddit targets bullying, sexism ad doxing with new anti-harassment policy
- WORLD: New app offers ‘panic button’ for activists in danger
- BRAZIL: Brazil Congress recognizes femicide
- CHINA: Editorial – China’s feminist awakening (by Xiao Meili, one of the activists who were arrested)
- INDIA: Jodhpur girl moves petition to annul child marriage
- THE PHILIPPINES: Ending violence against women with ‘The Vagina Monologues’
- UNITED KINGDOM: Review of ‘Rites’ – drama tells real-life stories of FGM
- UNITED STATES: Steelers’ Gay Williams on losing his mother to domestic violence – “I started seeing evil”