VAWnet News Blog

LOGAN — Animal abuse is not just a crime of violence against dogs, cats and other domestic animals; it’s also believed to be a key precursor activity to crimes of violence against humans — so much so that the FBI has begun collecting animal cruelty crime data for use in investigating such crimes as child abuse, sexual assault and homicide. “There’s a direct correlation between animal abuse and crimes against people,” said Nelson Ferry, program analyst for the FBI’s Clarksburg-based Crime Statistics Management Unit.

When Jasmine Khalfani was married in 1971, she said police didn't take accusations of domestic violence very seriously. "If you called them, the police wouldn't show up or they'd tell you to play nice," said Khalfani in a two-minute video available on the website of Cambridge domestic violence shelter Transition House. And so she left. She walked out, covered in bumps and bruises. But that's not the end of her story. Now, Khalfani is director of housing at Transition House, helping other women survive the same transition from an abusive situation.

Stereotypes and myths around sexual violence still hold currency among students, says Stephen Pihlaja Our research tried to get to grips with why sexual violence is so endemic on campuses. Perhaps uniquely, the data come from students, through students. We trained student leaders, using specialists in sexual violence from partner organisations and community practitioners, and then helped them gather data and stories from their peers. 

In a disturbing report, an NGO has found that nearly half of the children in slums from families with history of domestic violence become prone to drug abuse. The Madhya Pradesh women and child development (WCD) department didn’t rule out “such a possibility”. The study, conducted by Eva Welfare Organisation for over a period of two years in 15 slums here, recorded the pattern in the households of over 10,453 families. Domestic violence was recorded in 8,685 families. In most of the cases, the head of the family too was found involved in drug abuse.

WASHINGTON AND TORIT, SOUTH SUDAN —  Women rights activists in Imatong state say they are using 16 days of activism to talk directly to men about widespread sexual violence against women in South Sudan. They're also using the 16 days to advocate for more women to be appointed to local and state government positions, from which they can influence decisions and policies.

  A new study has shown that more than a quarter of Europeans believe there are justifications for rape, including drinking alcohol and style of dress. More than a quarter of Europeans said rape can be justified in certain situations, according to a Europe-wide study on gender-based violence conducted by the European Union.