With his announcement of Labor’s new refugee policy, PM Kevin Rudd has ensured that instead of doing away with ‘old politics’, his party continues to insist on fighting the coalition on its own turf. For the last decade, at least, the ALP has allowed the Liberal-Nationals to dominate the political discourse, dictate the agenda,…
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A young Norwegian woman, Marte Deborah Dalelv, who was sentenced to 16 months jail after reporting an alleged rape at a business meeting in Dubai, has been pardoned overnight. Ms Dalelv, 24, reported the alleged rape to police on March 6 only to be charged with sex outside of marriage, consumption of alcohol, and…
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Women have been raped and assaulted during this week’s protests in Tahrir Square — a reality that is in stark contrast to images of women fiercely demonstrating alongside men during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Egypt’s Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment/Assault, a crisis hotline for sexual assault victims, has reported over 100 incidents of sexual violence against…
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The Steubenville rape case of August 2012 was given international attention and exposed many of the darker elements of America’s – and the world’s – reaction to and further creation of rape culture. The well–documented incident involved sixteen-year-old students and budding football stars Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays, and the repeated rape and sexual…
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On 21 September 2012, a young woman finished her work week and joined her colleagues for Friday night drinks at a nearby bar. Sound like a familiar story? That’s probably because many of us were doing the exact same thing. An ordinary woman, with an ordinary job, living an ordinary life; so why does everybody…
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An image originating from China’s version of Twitter of what appears to be a woman wearing hairy leg tights, which are intended to protect women from perverts, hit the internet by storm this week. Described as ‘super sexy, summertime anti-pervert full-leg-of-hair stockings, essential for all young girls going out’, it’s not actually clear whether this…
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A World Health Organisation study has shown that thirty percent of women worldwide are victims of domestic violence. The report also found that forty percent of women killed worldwide were slain by an intimate partner. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, called it ‘a global health problem of epidemic proportions.’…
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If no means no and yes means yes, then what about all the tricky little nuances of intimacy that aren’t vocalised? With little discussion on how to communicate consent in wider Australian society, people are attending consent workshops to learn how to say yes, no, maybe and use other methods to assert themselves in their…
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**Trigger warning: discussion of rape and sexual violence** The communal grief, horror and condemnation following the brutal rape and murder of Jill Meagher helps us feel as one; a united front against the brutal reality ofviolence against women still so prevalent in our society. We feel overcome with sadness and hopelessness but nonetheless, we are…
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The rape and murder of Jill Meagher has shocked the Australian people. Now, as the trial against the accused, Adrian Bayley, unfolds and with sentencing set for today, it has become apparent that not only was Bayley known to police, but he held a significant criminal history. This history includes charges of rape, attempted rape,…
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Last week, former British television presenter, Nick Ross, sparked controversy when an excerpt of his upcoming book, Crime, was published in the Daily Mail. In the piece, heavily edited from a chapter focusing on crime and sex, Ross argues that ‘it has become sacrilege to suggest that there can be any gradation’ when it comes…
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*Trigger Warning: this article contains discussion of rape, sexual violence and anti-feminist backlash that may be disturbing and/or upsetting for some readers. In spite of the resurgence of feminist activism against rape and sexual violence, it seems like every day we hear of new atrocities: the Steubenville rape, the Cleveland kidnappings, a young aspiring Tasmanian…
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Man ‘tricks’ girlfriend into taking ‘abortion pills’ A Florida man, John Weldon, has been charged with first-degree murder after giving his partner a labour-inducing drug that terminated her pregnancy. The woman, Remee Lee, believed she was taking a pill for a bacterial infection, prescribed by the father of the accused man, a fertility doctor. It…
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Following the brutal torture and rape of a five year old girl in New Delhi barely a week ago, three six year old girls have been attacked, one murdered, in separate incidences in India. The body of one girl, found bleeding last Thursday in the eastern state of Jharkhand, had been bound by…
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