Violence Against Women In Mali Continues With Impunity

In Mali, more than 300 victims, only a handful of perpetrators receive sentences, and very minimal ones at that. Irin examines the problem:
“At least 300 women are victims of sexual violence every year in Bamako, according to local police records, but the actual figure is much higher said the president of the Bamako-based non-profit, Women […]

Femicide At Ft. Bragg Continues Unabated

Last week, the Associated Press reported on murder of Christina E. Smith, a Ft. Bragg soldier, the 3rd such murder in 4 months.  The other women murdered were Spc. Megan Touma and Holey Wimunc.
As horrific as this latest murder spree is, it is only the latest in a continuing epidemic of femicide in the military, […]

Amnesty: Rape And Recruitment Of Child Soldiers On The Rise In The DRC

Press Release from Amnesty International:
“For every two children released, five are taken and forced to be child soldiers, said Amnesty International, in a new report released today on the ongoing conflict in the province of North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Many of those recruited had already been reunited with their families after having […]

For 2nd Year In A Row, Nevada # 1 In Number Of Women Murdered By Men

A hearty congrats to the state of Nevada for this dubious honor.  Might want to think about canceling that trip to Vegas…
“For the second year in a row, Nevada, with a rate of 3.27 per 100,000, ranked […]

Action Being Taken Against Domestic Violence In China

Information about violence against women in China is generally sparse at best, here is a rare report:
“The Chinese government has ordered police to respond at the scene to all complaints of domestic violence in a new regulation to protect the rights of women.
The regulation, issued by seven ministries, including the ministries of […]

Domestic Violence–The Numbers Tell The Horrendous Truth (updated for clarification)

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  I’m not particularly a fan of the term “domestic violence”–there really isn’t anything domestic about this violence that goes on behind closed doors. In other countries and cultures this violence manifests itself in many different ways.  But whether you call it bride burning, or honor killing, rape or murder, […]

Election-Related Violence Against Women In Zimbabwe

From IRIN:
“During the bitterly contested Zimbabwe elections between President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the country’s rural areas became effective no-go areas. There were numerous reports of politically motivated killings and widespread rapes, allegedly by members of Zimbabwe’s national army, veterans of the country’s liberation war and members […]

From The VP Candidate Who Understands The Importance Of Rape Kits

From the Office Of Sen. Joe Biden:

Senate Passes BIDEN’s Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act
September 25, 2008
Today, the Senate passed Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s (D-DE) Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2008, legislation designed to help eliminate the nationwide backlog of rape evidence kits and bolster DNA testing of criminals and crime scene evidence.  The original law […]

Maternal Health And Violence Against Women–Unmet And Non-Existent Goals

According to a new report from UNICEF:
“Over 500,000 women die unnecessarily every year due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth, with 99 per cent of those deaths occurring in developing countries, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Progress for Children: a report card on maternal mortality” shows that […]

Rape–The Perpetual Weapon Of War Against Women In Afghanistan (2 Stories)

From The Independent (UK):
“The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, has pardoned three men who had been found guilty of gang raping a woman in the northern province of Samangan.
The woman, Sara, and her family found out about the pardon only when they saw the rapists back in their village”
“Everyone was […]