sexual assault

Actress Catherine Deneuve poses at the 70th Cannes Film Festival.

Deneuve sends a dated message of empowerment

The legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve is denouncing the #MeToo movement and defending sexual freedom. The World's Sarah Birnbaum says she's stuck in a feminism of the 1960s.

Deneuve sends a dated message of empowerment
Actor Kevin Spacey at the premiere of Netflix's television series "House of Cards" at Alice Tully Hall in the Lincoln Center

Netflix dumps Kevin Spacey, police home in on Harvey Weinstein

Netflix dumps Kevin Spacey, police home in on Harvey Weinstein
Protesters stand outside of the courthouse before an Ontario judge found former Canadian radio host Jian Ghomeshi not guilty on four sexual assault charges and one count of choking.

What's behind the 'not guilty' verdict in the Jian Ghomeshi sex assault trial?

What's behind the 'not guilty' verdict in the Jian Ghomeshi sex assault trial?
peyton manning

Callie Crossley: The NFL has an 'UnSuper' record on sexual assault

Callie Crossley: The NFL has an 'UnSuper' record on sexual assault
Asha Devi and her husband Badrinath Singh in their apartment in New Delhi. Three years after her daughter's gang rape and murder, Asha says attitudes about rape victims are starting to change in India. “Earlier, families who experienced this would hide it

The pain of their daughter's gang rape and murder turned them into activists

The pain of their daughter's gang rape and murder turned them into activists
Graph of violence against women

New Zealand has a dark secret, female politicians say

Opposition members of parliament in New Zealand say rates of sexual assault and violence in the island nation are shockingly high, and they've staged walk-outs to draw attention to the issue.

New Zealand has a dark secret, female politicians say
Ankur Vikal (L) and Priyankka Bose in "Nirbhaya."

This actor plays not one rapist but many — to help end gender violence

When a New Delhi woman was gang-raped and later died from her injuries in 2012, the Indian media called her Nirbhaya, or "fearless one," both because they couldn't name her legally, and because of the brutality that she went through. Thousands took to the streets: not just women, but men as well. Actor Ankur Vikal has gone even further. He relives the gang-rape story on stage.

This actor plays not one rapist but many — to help end gender violence
169_nicaragua

The promise of justice is receding, Nicaraguan women say

Nicaraguan lawmakers passed Law 779 three years ago to protect victims of domestic violence — to international praise. But women say the law since has been watered down, and special courts don't have the resources to investigate complaints. Advocates fear women who seek justice could end up worse off, but they vow to fight for the law's original intent.

The promise of justice is receding, Nicaraguan women say
ISIS protesters

ISIS uses rape and sexual violence against women to consolidate its power

The tactics of ISIS are horrible. They involve murder, mutilation and torture. Now we're learning that they also use systematic rape as a way to hold power and even fund its operations.

ISIS uses rape and sexual violence against women to consolidate its power
 Angeline Jackson is an advocate for LGBT rights in Jamaica.

It took Obama for her triumph to be commemorated in Jamaica

Angeline Jackson was sexually assaulted at gunpoint in 2009, and says she received little sympathy from the police because she's a lesbian. But now Jackson is an activist who's trying to help other lesbian and bisexual Jamaicans find safety and support.

It took Obama for her triumph to be commemorated in Jamaica
Jamaicans take part in a demonstration against the rape of three children and two women in Kingston in 2012.

Caribbean rape culture is back on display

Politicians and officials across the Caribbean have come under fire in recent weeks for statements that seem to downplay rape and blame victims. But there's evidence that women may no longer be willing to tolerate such comments.

Caribbean rape culture is back on display
Many students attended a demonstration demanding laws that make India safer for women and children.

Two years after New Delhi's brutal gang rape, many say not enough has changed

It’s been two years since a young female student was gang raped on a bus in India, later dying from her injuries. The attack outraged people across the country and sparked a nationwide conversation about the prevalence of sexual violence against women. But has enough changed?

Two years after New Delhi's brutal gang rape, many say not enough has changed
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) speaks about pending legislation regarding sexual assaults in the military in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 4, 2013.

This senator says the Pentagon is still a 'complete failure' on protecting sexual assault victims

A new Pentagon report say there's progress on reporting sexual assaults in the military. But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, whose proposed reforms were rejected earlier this year, says commanders have been "a complete failure" in protecting those who report crimes — and plans a new push to pass her bill.

This senator says the Pentagon is still a 'complete failure' on protecting sexual assault victims
Footage of two Indian sisters defending themselves from harrassment was filmed on a phone by a fellow passenger.

Indian sisters revive the country's debate over women's safety by fending off male attackers on camera

In India, footage of two women defending themselves from a group of men sexually assaulting them on a public bus has gone viral. The video has renewed a national debate in India on sexual assault and the safety of women in public spaces.

Indian sisters revive the country's debate over women's safety by fending off male attackers on camera
Bill Cosby attends the American Comedy Awards in New York on April 26, 2014. Jian Ghomeshi attends the Canada for Haiti telethon at the CBC studios in Toronto on January 22, 2010. Rolf Harris arrives for sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in London on Ju

Bill Cosby is unlikely to face rape charges in court, but that wouldn't be the case in other countries

Allegations against Bill Cosby dating from decades ago have stirred a debate in the US over whether legal statutes of limitations should apply to sexual assault cases. Some countries, like Canada and the UK, don't have deadlines for prosecuting such cases, which has allowed prosecutors to open high-profile "historic cases" of assault with some success.

Bill Cosby is unlikely to face rape charges in court, but that wouldn't be the case in other countries