Welcome to Edition 108 of The Pixel Project’s VAW e-News Digest.
This month marks several developments in the cause of eliminating violence against women worldwide:
Spain has raised the age of consent for marriage, Ireland has forbidden abusers from contacting their victims online or by phone, and the United Kingdom has declared its first protection order for girls at risk of female genital mutilation.
Debate about the legal prostitution and its relationship to sex trafficking is rife as Amnesty International calls for the legalisation of the sex trade. The stance has been challenged by over 400 groups, including some celebrities.
Research in Brazil has shown that child marriage is seen by victims as a means of escaping from abuse. Meanwhile, contrary to popular opinion, research on advertising in the United States shows that sex and violence may not be effective in selling products.
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: Media’s portrayal of violence against women under spotlight
- CANADA: Ottawa pick-up artist controversy fuels conversation about street harassment
- FIJI: Gender inequality root of cause of violence against women
- INDIA: Slap scene deleted from ‘Drishyam’ film to avoid showing violence against women
- MEXICO: Femicides in Mexico’s Sinaloa state rise by over 110%
- MYANMAR: More debates for violence-against-women law
- PACIFIC ISLANDS: Ending violence against women toolkit first of its kind in the Pacific
- UNITED STATES: Research shows that sex and violence don’t sell products as well as people think
Domestic Violence
- WORLD: Editorial – how random acts of kindness could transform support for battered women
- AUSTRALASIA: National Rugby League has a domestic violence problem
- CHINA: Police in central China trained to intervene in domestic violence
- IRELAND: New domestic abuse law will ban online and phone contact
- MALAYSIA: Domestic violence against women a crime, not a family matter, says Women’s Aid Organization
- SOUTH AFRICA: Police need training in domestic violence cases
- TURKEY: Domestic violence in Turkey reaches boiling point
- UNITED KINGDOM: Top cop backs new domestic abuse law
- UNITED STATES: A new documentary tells the story of women who were imprisoned for killing their abusers
Rape and Sexual Assault
- WORLD: UN official resigns under scrutiny for Central African Republic sexual abuse allegations
- CANADA: Sex abuse case highlights vulnerability of workers on visas
- COLOMBIA: Nobel Prize winners demand better healthcare for victims of sexual violence in Colombia
- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Pain, stigma and little justice for victims of sexual violence
- GERMANY: German justice minister announces harsher punishments against sexual assault
- MOROCCO: Sexual violence is on the rise
- NEW ZEALAND: Rally against sexual violence in Kaikohe
- INDIA: Mapping Sexual Violence – an initiative to fight violence against women in India
- UNITED STATES: Feds launch sexual violence investigation at University of Tennessee
Human/Sex Trafficking
- WORLD: Over 400 women’s groups and advocates sign letter protesting Amnesty International’s position on prostitution
- WORLD: Sold into slavery – the plight of African women migrating to Europe
- EUROPE and ERITREA: Smuggled migrants subjected to sexual violence
- CHINA: Macau’s sex trade dealt a losing hand
- INDIA: Inside Sonagachi, Asia’s largest red-light district
- IRELAND: Sex traffickers sentenced for exploitation of over 250 women in sophisticated operation
- MALAYSIA: Outcry as Malaysia’s human trafficking record brings praise from the US
- THAILAND: What led Thailand to arrest 72 on human trafficking charges?
Female Genital Mutilation
- EGYPT: Can we really eliminate FGM in Egypt by 2030?
- GHANA: Cross-border FGM should stop
- IRELAND: Airport security simulate ‘trafficking’ arrival in anti-FGM campaign
- KENYA: Kenyan FGM cutter calls horrific practice of female circumcision as ‘Christmas’
- NIGERIA: Female genital mutilation – practitioners promise to stop in Osun
- SOMALIA: The United Kingdom probes reports of 50 girls taken to Somalia for FGM
- UNITED KINGDOM: Police obtain first female genital mutilation protection order
- UNITED STATES: Underground in America – female genital mutilation
Forced Marriage and Honour Killing
- BRAZIL: Child marriage accepted to escape abuse at home – researchers
- CANADA: Canada gives UN $ 20 million to fight child marriage
- INDONESIA: Indonesia swims against the tide on child marriage
- INDIA: Women’s body seeks separate law to try honour killing cases
- KENYA: Rescuing child brides in Kenya from the clutches of evil
- SAUDI ARABIA: Six cases of forced marriage this year
- SPAIN: Spain has made it illegal for 14-year olds to get married
- UNITED KINGDOM: First national remembrance day for honour killings
Activism
- WORLD: Victimology symposium to be held – speaking for those the sex trade silenced
- AUSTRALIA: Cash grant for innovative projects against domestic violence
- CANADA: #chalkforchange draws attention to missing, murdered women
- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Mobile courts tackle sexual violence in DRC
- INDIA: The Red Brigade: Rape survivors fight sexual violence in India
- SOUTH AFRICA: Marie Claire editor defends #MCinhershoes campaign
- UNITED KINGDOM: Spending at day at Karma Nirvana, a helpline advising terrified girls being pushed into forced marriage
- UNITED STATES: Gucci and Twitter host #Chimehack2 to help end violence against women