A step in the right direction for Libya this week: the creation of a law acknowledging and compensating the women raped in the 2011 uprising which removed Muammar Gaddafi from power. Hundreds of women may have been raped during the eight-month conflict (exact numbers have not been confirmed) according to the International Criminal Court, which…
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Last week, the Obama administration released a report and launched a new initiative to combat, and hopefully end rape and sexual assault on college campuses in the US. The President has requested that those schools that receive federal funding are held accountable for accurate reporting. Obama said, “’sexual assault is an affront to our basic…
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**Trigger Warning: Discussion of sexual and emotional abuse** Between the ages of 13 to about 16, I used to watch Law and Order SVU religiously every Thursday night. Recently, on holiday in Italy, I indulged in watching SVU while eating smallgoods and drinking wine with my best friend. I saw an episode in which a…
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It’s the kind of thing nightmares are made of: a group of young men who go around raping women just for fun. They call themselves the ‘Roast Busters.’ They seek out girls as young as 13, fill them with alcohol and take advantage of them. Then, they post their exploits on Facebook for all to…
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Texas judge rules new abortion restrictions unconstitutional. Despite Wendy Davis’ 11-hour filibuster blocking a super restrictive anti-abortion law in Texas, the law passed in July, banning abortions after 20 weeks and requiring doctors to perform abortions at special facilities. But the good news is that this week a judge ruled that the new regulations are…
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When a poem begins with the line: ‘To the man on the bus I overheard in conversation tell a woman, presumably a friend, “You are too ugly to be raped”’ you cannot simply close your ears and move onto the next thing on your agenda. I was shocked to hear that someone actually said that…
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What do you think of this: American Apparel ‘Period Power’ T shirt? American Apparel has collaborated with artist, Petra Collins, and produced this T-shirt featuring a graphic illustration of a woman masturbating while her vagina oozes blood. Collins is known for her work that explores feminine sexuality and teen girl culture, with half the proceeds…
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A video satirising the culture of rape and victim-blaming in India has garnered more than 2.2 million views on YouTube since September 19. In the video, which is produced by a group of comedians, Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin and television host Juhi Pandey explain why women must take the blame for the rising number…
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‘India: The Story You Never Wanted to Hear’ was posted by Michaela Cross (using the username RoseChasm) on CNN iReport, and describes the sexual harassment she experienced when studying abroad in India. Since it was first posted on the website (on the 18th of this month) it has received over a million page views and…
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Feminists ‘storm wikipedia’ to end gender imbalance Feminist organisation FemTechNet has designed a project that addresses the gender-imbalance on Wikipedia. 87% of the site’s editors are men, and various pages have been affected as a result of the imbalance. Police accused of filming women naked in cell Eleven US women and a man who were…
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Women ordered to stop praying in park Two Muslim women in Dublin have alleged that they were told by a warden to stop praying in their local park. The warden apparently told the women to stop because ‘they could break their backs and sue the park’. The two women are seeking legal advice. Woman gang-raped…
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‘Daily feminist news’ collects news stories from around the world and brings them to you, Lip reader. If you have any stories to add, let us know in the comments below. Liberal candidate Kevin Baker pulls out of election after sexist website surfaces Kevin Baker announced he would not run in the election after…
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Shifting the blame from perpetrator to victim in cases of sexual assault is so deeply ingrained in our society that it is difficult at times to maintain the energy to confront those perpetuating victim-blaming myths. I’ve had to challenge close friends and family members who have sworn they’re ‘not victim blaming’ but why the hell…
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Elaine Riddick’s uterus was removed without her consent when she was 14 years old. Doctors sterilised Riddick following the caesarean birth of her son, who was conceived of rape. It was 1968 and the decision to sterilise was authorised by the North Carolina Eugenics Board. Riddick’s story is just one of an estimated 7,600…
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