Gender-based violence

Most gays in Europe still afraid to show sexuality

Agence France-PresseMay 17, 2013 06:15

Two-thirds of Europe's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are still afraid to show their sexuality in public and a quarter have been victims of physical or verbal attacks, an EU report said Friday, the International Day Against Homophobia. "Fear, isolation and discrimination are everyday phenomena for the LGBT community in Europe," the director of the European Union's Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Morten Kjaerum, wrote in the report.

Obama: sex assaults in military harm national security

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 18:01

President Barack Obama warned Thursday that a spate of sexual assaults in the military endangered US national security and vowed to do everything possible to fix the problem. Obama promised to act as he met Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the highest ranking US military officer Army General Martin Dempsey, and the civilian and military bosses of each branch of the US military. The president said that the US military's strength lay in trust, teamwork and discipline.

Pentagon pledges action after latest sex assault charge

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 17:15

The US military vowed Wednesday to address a wave of sexual assault cases after a soldier who worked in a rape prevention program was accused of forcing a subordinate into prostitution. The latest revelation marked the second time in a week that a member of the military assigned to work in its sexual assault prevention program had been placed under investigation for alleged sexual crimes.

Russian man tortured to death for 'being gay'

Agence France-PresseMay 12, 2013 07:15

A 23-year-old man has been tortured to death in Russia in an apparent homophobic attack, investigators said Sunday, amid growing fears by rights groups that anti-gay sentiments are on the rise in the country. The victim's battered and naked body was found in the courtyard of an apartment building in the southern city of Volgograd on Friday morning, said a spokeswoman for regional investigators. The young man had suffered numerous injuries, including to the genitalia, and had been sodomised with several beer bottles.

Pentagon report shows big jump in sex crimes in military

Thomson ReutersMay 11, 2013 17:08

By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration expressed outrage about a recent high-profile Air Force groping scandal on Tuesday as the Pentagon released a study estimating that the number of sex crimes involving military personnel soared 37 percent last year.

Most sexual assault victims lack confidence in cops, courts, Justice survey says

The Canadian PressMay 5, 2013 16:30

HALIFAX - A majority of sexual assault victims have little to no confidence in the police, the courts or the criminal justice system, according to a new government survey that echoes what advocates have been saying for years. The responses in the Justice Canada survey indicate that two-thirds of the men and women who took part had no faith in the justice system, the process of filing a complaint against their abuser and the prospect of seeing a conviction.

Short skirts a no-no in conservative India

Agence France-PresseMay 2, 2013 09:45

Women attending the Asian Development Bank's annual meeting in New Delhi have been advised to avoid wearing short skirts since they could lead to sexual harassment, according to a website notice Thursday. The Manila-based ADB, whose board of governors is meeting this weekend in the Indian capital to discuss the global economy, advised delegates from nearly 70 countries to dress modestly in the sexually conservative nation.

Sexual violence widespread in India: U.N. human rights official

Kyodo News InternationalMay 1, 2013 12:00

Sexual violence and harassment is widespread in India and perpetuated in public places, in the family and in the workplace, a U.N. human rights official said Wednesday after undertaking a U.N.-commissioned study on violence against women in India. Rashida Manjoo, the U.N. special rapporteur on violence against women, said the Indian government's "inability and/or unwillingness" to acknowledge and address the core structural causes of violence against women is the main reason for the failure to prevent such incidents.

India sex crime laws not tough enough: UN rapportuer

Agence France-PresseMay 1, 2013 10:45

India's new sex crime laws do not go far enough to protect women or tackle gender inequality, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women said on Wednesday. The legislation was passed following the fatal gang rape of a student on a Delhi bus in mid-December that sparked nationwide demonstrations over the lack of safety for women. New measures passed by Indian lawmakers in March increased punishments for sex offenders to include the death penalty if a victim dies, and broadened the definition of sexual assault.

Indian police arrest second man over girl's rape

Agence France-PresseApril 22, 2013 06:16

Indian police arrested a second man Monday over the kidnap and rape of a five-year-old girl in New Delhi, but officers faced protests and a hail of criticism over their insensitive handling of the case. After a weekend of demonstrations in the capital, crowds again vented their anger over the levels of sexual violence which first came to the boil in December after the gang-rape of a student on a bus. Doctors meanwhile said the five-year-old victim of the latest shocking case was in a stable condition and was able to talk to her parents.