Sexual Violence : A Global Pandemic/13th January to 19th January 2018
Sexual Violence: A Global Pandemic
Written by Nikunj Morarka
Policy and Legal Team
Sexual violence is a global pandemic. One in three women experiences sexual or physical violence – most likely from their intimate partner, according to a report from the World Health Organization. There is an urgent need to increase sensitization regarding sexual violence and the awareness of consent and sexual violence amongst persons at large. In this series, we examine sexual violence and related issues that have come up in the news, on a weekly basis, published every Saturday. This is an attempt to improve awareness regarding incidents of sexual violence and related matters, so that we, as a society can take steps towards collective action to reduce its incidence. It is an effort to ensure that we acknowledge the rampant sexual violence that exists, lest we forget.
This issue looks at 13th January to 19th January 2018.
Michael Douglas accused of sexual harassment
A former employee of Michael Douglas has accused him of sexual harassment, more than a week after Michael Douglas tried to pre-empt the allegations. Author and journalist Susan Braudy said Douglas’s alleged treatment left her feeling “humiliated”. Her claims include that he performed a sex act in front of her. Michael Douglas has denied the allegations again saying, “This is a complete lie, fabrication, no truth in it whatsoever.”
Dead Body of alleged Rapist found
Indian police say they have found the body of a teenage boy who was the main suspect in a rape and murder case in the northern state of Haryana. A manhunt was launched after the girl’s parents alleged he abducted her. A senior police official told the BBC that the boy’s body also had injuries.
Producers Guild releases anti-sexual harassment guidelines
The Producers Guild of America has issued its “Anti-Sexual Harassment Guidelines” to its 8,200 members. The guidelines, issued Friday on the day before the PGA’s awards show, are the initial recommendations from the PGA’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Task Force, which was created last October after the start of the massive sexual harassment scandal that engulfed Hollywood. The PGA’s board of directors ratified the guidelines unanimously this week. “Sexual harassment can no longer be tolerated in our industry or within the ranks of the Producers Guild membership,” said PGA presidents Gary Lucchesi and Lori McCreary. “We provide key leadership in creating and sustaining work environments built on mutual respect, so it is our obligation to change our culture and eradicate this abuse. While the PGA is a voluntary membership organization, the PGA’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Guidelines are sanctioned as best practices for our members.”
French icon slams accusers
Brigitte Bardot, A French Icon, claimed women tease producers to get a role and then invent harassment allegations to get attention. Her remarks came after movie star Catherine Deneuve apologised to sex abuse victims after a backlash over her support of a letter signed by 100 fellow French Women saying accusations since the Harvey Weinstein scandal have gone too far.
Female college student Assaulted
A female college student returning home in Gurgaon’s Farrukhnagar area was pulled into a car and raped by her two captors. The abduction happened during the daytime, at 2pm, and the two men drove into a nearby forested stretch, parked their car by the roadside and sexually assaulted the woman. The Farrukhnagar rape survivor told police that her attackers pushed her out of the car nude after raping her in the nearby Mushaidpur village. They gave her clothes back only when she agreed not to talk to anyone about the attack. An investigation is underway
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