“There is a moment in the McKinney, Texas pool party video that’s both horrifying and absurd: when Cpl. Eric Casebolt manhandles, violently restrains, then sits on top of an unarmed, 15-year-old, bikini-clad black girl as she cries for her mother.
The absurdity, of course, lies in how unnecessary and over-the-top Casebolt’s behavior is (earlier in the YouTube clip, he barrel rolls across a lawn for no reason in particular). But the horror emerges from the undertones of sexual violence in that instant. Casebolt pulls the girl by her hair, forces her face against the ground and presses his knee into her back — all while she pleads for him to stop. Here’s a grown man, forcing a young girl into submission against her will. The video acts as a prime example of the inherent reality of both physical and sexual harassment against black women and girls at the hands of cops.”
“The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission [in Australia] has placed advertisements in Darwin city backpacker hostels and job centres after a number of reports of females being propositioned.
“There was a report of a business man who was offering employment and accommodation [to female travellers] and then propositioning them for sex,” Sally Sievers, NT anti-discrimination commissioner, said.
A notice about the man was posted on a hostel noticeboard purportedly by another female traveller, describing the incident and the alleged perpetrator.”
“In Kenya, where rape and violence against women are rampant, a short educational program produced lasting improvements in teenage boys’ and young men’s attitudes toward women, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found. The boys and men in the study also were more likely to try to halt violence against women after participating in the program.”
“The Passport Department is currently drafting regulations that would see women travel without the permission of their guardians [in Saudi Arabia]. Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya, director general of the department in Riyadh, said the rules would be based on the reasons for travel, not age. The procedures to allow women to travel without permission include the interior, justice and social affairs ministries, and other bodies, he said. He added that the passport department complies with court decisions that allow women to travel abroad, or get passports issued and renewed without the approval of their parents or guardians. These were in line with laws in “advanced countries,” he said.”
“There are many contradictions in Argentina when it comes to gender equality. Women have equal rights under the law and there are more women than men enrolled in college. The country’s most powerful person is a woman — President Cristina Fernandez. But the macho culture of many Latin American countries is pervasive here as well….
Many men, from taxi drivers to construction workers to white collar workers, frequently whistle or say things when women walk by. ‘Lewd comments are just the tip of the iceberg that manifests itself in domestic violence,’ said opposition congresswoman Victoria Donda, who has put forward legislation making such verbal taunts a crime.
Under Donda’s bill, which includes funds to raise awareness about abuse in schools and workplaces, women could report sexual harassment in public places. A judge would then review the complaint, interview any witnesses, and decide whether a fine should be levied. The law is aimed at combatting aggressive sexual comments, not compliments about nice hair or clothes.”
“Police in Nepal have started self-defence lessons for women and girls in camps for people displaced by massive earthquakes earlier this year after concerns about a number of sexual assaults and an increase in reports of sexual harassment.”
“B.C. [Canadian] Transit Police assisted a young woman online Sunday night after she reportedly experienced sexual harassment on board the number 19 bus heading to Metrotown.
The 20-year-old woman was on the 19 bus when a man allegedly began verbally assaulting and threatening her. She later took to social networking site Reddit to ask whether or not she should report the man to police.
“I was sexually harassed on the 19 bus late last night heading East to Metrotown. Had an older black, skinny male tell me how he was ‘going to follow me home, find where I live, and give me the love I deserve.’ He then told me ‘I couldn’t escape him and he’d find me someday.’”
She then notes the bus driver had to physically restrain the man from following her off of the bus.
Transit Police were quick to comment on the women’s post, giving her a phone number and text number she could call to report the incident. A number of other commenters also mentioned the police authority as a resource.”
“Legislation that would make “upskirt” photographs illegal passed through the New Jersey Assembly’s judiciary committee on Thursday, reports CBS Philly. ‘They can take their cell phones and a camera and take pictures and it’s called upskirting because the pictures are taken underneath the ladies’ dress,’ said Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, who introduced the legislation. ‘It’s an invasion of someone’s privacy.’ … The measure reportedly makes upskirting a fourth-degree offense, and makes sharing the photos online a third-degree offense. The bill now heads for a vote in the full Assembly.”
Teenage girls share their street harassment experiences in this imMEDIAte Justice video.
