Why it’s so hard for women to ‘just leave’ Kampala, Uganda | DANIEL G. SAUNDERS | “And so I stayed.” In a widely read blog post, Jennifer Willoughby wrote this phrase after each of the many reasons she gave for enduring what she described as her abusive marriage to former White House …
Read More »Rihanna hits Snapchat over beating ad, sending shares tumbling
New York, United States | AFP | Rihanna on Thursday denounced Snapchat after an advertisement made light of her beating by fellow pop star Chris Brown, sending the company’s share prices tumbling. The social media platform — which counts 187 million users, especially young people drawn to its quickly vanishing …
Read More »UN peacekeepers from Ghana recalled over sex with S. Sudan women
United Nations, United States | AFP | Forty-six UN peacekeepers from Ghana have been recalled from their base in northwestern South Sudan following allegations of sexual exploitation of women sheltering at the site, a UN spokesman said Monday. The 46 police were confined to barracks in Juba on Saturday after a …
Read More »S. Korea’s Moon supports #MeToo, urges ‘stern punishment’ for abusers
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Monday threw his support behind the #MeToo campaign spreading across the country, urging measures to combat the widespread abuse of women and punish offenders. The remarks came as a growing number of South Korean women accused prominent figures …
Read More »18 new sexual abuse claims against UN peacekeepers in DRC
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The United Nations said Wednesday it had registered 18 alleged cases of sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeepers and civilian personnel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year. Fourteen of the allegations involve paternity cases or complainants seeking “care for children …
Read More »Pope to send investigator to Chile over accused bishop
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis will send the Vatican’s top expert on sex abuse to Chile to hear from witnesses in the case of a Chilean bishop accused of covering for a paedophile priest, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The pope’s decision was taken on the basis of …
Read More »US university athletics director resigns over sex abuse scandal
Chicago, United States | AFP | The director of the athletics program at Michigan State University, where convicted child molester Larry Nassar practiced medicine, resigned Friday as pressure intensifies for answers over how abuse persisted for decades. The university’s president stepped down Wednesday evening, hours after Nassar was sentenced to …
Read More »Up to 175 years in jail for disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor
Lansing, United States | AFP | Disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually abusing scores of young girls under the guise of medical treatment. “I’ve just signed your death warrant,” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said as she handed down …
Read More »Pope offers apologies for comments on accused bishop
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Undefined | AFP | Pope Francis on Monday apologised to victims of sexual abuse after he caused outrage by appearing to support a controversial Chilean bishop. The pope acknowledged he had “hurt” people by suggesting there was no “proof” against Juan Barros, who is accused of covering …
Read More »Torture probe launched after 13 siblings held captive in US home
Perris, United States | AFP | Investigators sought to shed light Tuesday on how a California couple arrested on suspicion of torture were able to keep their 13 malnourished children — ages 2 to 29 – confined in their suburban home in grim conditions with no one noticing. Sheriff’s deputies …
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