The University of Southern California announced on Thursday that it will pay more than $1.1 billion to the former patients of a campus gynecologist accused of preying sexually on hundreds of patients, marking what university officials called “the end of a painful and ugly chapter in the history of our university.”

The staggering sum — a combination of three sets of settlements with thousands of alleged victims of Dr. George Tyndall — sets a record for collegiate sex abuse payouts, compensating a generation of young USC women.

The USC claims — which arose from only one of several scandals to engulf the university in recent years — reflected a 2018 federal class action settled earlier for $215 million, a second group of several dozen cases in which the amount of the settlement was not made public and a third settlement for $852 million with about 700 plaintiffs, which the university said was reached with the aid of a private mediator and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.

“It’s a bittersweet victory,” said Ja’Mesha Morgan, who was among the plaintiffs in the settlement announced Thursday, adding that she was a law student at USC when she was abused by Tyndall in 2016.

“On one hand, it really exemplifies the gravity of what Tyndall’s survivors had to experience, and really set in stone our truth as to what occurred,” said Morgan, now a 27-year-old lawyer. “But it’s also a really grueling reminder of the price tag USC was willing to put on our safety and our mental health.”

John C. Manly, who represented the third group of plaintiffs, said that “the reason USC paid this money was that there was culpability — they knew early on, in the early ’90s and all the way through his tenure that this was happening.”

This week’s settlement, which he said would be distributed among the plaintiffs in awards ranging from about $250,000 to several million dollars, will provide by far the largest per-victim payout, he said. But combined, the outcome of the litigation sends a message, he added: “If you’re an institution of higher education, you will pay if you do this.”

The total settlement is huge by any measure and is an abject admission that the university failed its female students over many years, experts said. Such large settlements are seismic in the academic world, which has been reeling from sexual abuse and harassment claims against students, professors and now, on a grand scale, a campus gynecologist.

The settlement at USC is twice the size of the half-billion dollars won by victims of Larry Nassar, the Michigan State University physician who sexually abused young women under the guise of medical treatment. It dwarfs other payments, like those in the sex abuse scandal at Pennsylvania State University. And it is larger than many of the settlements that followed the child sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.

“It is by far the largest sexual settlement ever,” said Brett Sokolow, president of the Association of Title IX Administrators, which deals with sexual harassment and abuse on campus.

“It’s a recognition of suffering, and it’s a pretty stunning mea culpa,” Sokolow said. “When you’re talking about this quantum of money, it’s an admission of liability.” He continued, “An admission that there were hundreds of cases where the university had knowledge or without much diligence could have known what was going on, and failed to put an end to it.”

Over many years, the complaints against Tyndall ranged from the merely inappropriate — like remarking on how nice a woman’s skin appeared — to overtly sexual comments, to abusive physical acts that were deeply traumatizing to the women he treated. One woman, who spoke to The New York Times in 2018, said she was still haunted by her encounters with Tyndall, saying it had affected her sex life through adulthood. Some women reported that during appointments, he showed off photographs he had of the genitals of other women.

Allison Rowland, 54 — who said she was a graduate student at USC in 1993 or 1994 when Tyndall called her in for a “painful and strange” examination that culminated in a display of Polaroid close-ups of the bodies of other patients — said that the university’s earlier settlement offers were “pitiful” amounts of money aimed at “making us go away cheap.”

She said she hopes the eye-popping size of this week’s payout will cause “their risk managers and their attorneys” to look back at older complaints “about the weird men — and they are all men — they have on staff and get serious.”

In a letter to students and alumni, the president of the university, Carol L. Folt said, “These events have been devastating for our entire community.”

Folt also said the university would fund the settlement over two years through a combination of “litigation reserves, insurance proceeds, deferred capital spending, sale of nonessential assets, and careful management of nonessential expenses.” She added that no philanthropic gifts, endowment funds or tuition would be redirected to pay the costs.

USC’s general counsel, Beong-Soo Kim, said that resolving the litigation “has been a top priority” for the university.

Revelations that Tyndall had abused students for years were first made public in 2018 in an exhaustive report published by the Los Angeles Times, for which the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.

While the allegations of misconduct were first brought to the university’s attention in the 1990s, USC did not immediately report him to the state medical board, and he was not suspended from his job until 2016. After an investigation that led to the first briefing on the allegations for senior leaders of the university, Tyndall was arrested in 2019 outside his apartment in Los Angeles and prosecutors charged him with 29 counts of sexual assault involving 16 women. Through his lawyers, he has continued to deny wrongdoing. He has pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of criminal sexual misconduct and is free on bond.

After the university set up a hotline and website to receive complaints, more misconduct allegations from students poured in. After the scandal became public in 2018, the university sent emails to more than 350,000 people associated with the university, including students and alumni, with directions on how to report complaints.

The scandal, which forced the university’s president at the time, C.L. Max Nikias, to resign under pressure, erupted a year after USC had been embroiled in another scandal, when the popular dean of the medical school was fired after being accused of using drugs and partying with prostitutes.

Even after Nikias was forced out, scandals, big and small, continued to engulf the university, once regarded as a party school for Los Angeles’ elite before it was transformed into a top-tier university with an endowment to rival Harvard’s and a faculty that included several Nobel laureates.

There was the dean of the business school who was forced out over his handling of workplace misconduct claims. And then 2019, USC was ensnared in a wide-scale college admissions scandal, one that involved universities across the country, in which wealthy parents were accused of paying thousands of dollars — bribes to be more succinct — to get their children, many of whom underperformed academically, into colleges with athletic scholarships. Four USC athletics officials were charged in federal court with taking bribes, and some parents went to prison.

In late 2018, USC settled a federal lawsuit stemming from the allegations against Tyndall for $215 million, although it was clear then that the university’s legal problems were not over, as nearly 500 women, at that time, were suing the university. The settlement announced Thursday compensated the more than 700 women who had filed cases in Los Angeles Superior Court, the university said.

“The behavior that was discovered shocks the conscience of the university to its core,” Rick Caruso, chair of the university’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “Our institution fell short by not doing everything it could to protect those who matter most — our students, and I am sorry for the pain this caused the very people we were obligated to protect.”

The University of Southern California announced on Thursday that it will pay more than $1.1 billion to the former patients of a campus gynecologist accused of preying sexually on hundreds of patients, marking what university officials called “the end of a painful and ugly chapter in the history of our university.

The University of Southern California announced on Thursday that it will pay more than $1.1 billion to the former patients of a campus gynecologist accused of preying sexually on hundreds of patients, marking what university officials called “the end of a painful and ugly chapter in the history of our university.” The staggering sum — a combination of three sets of settlements with thousands of alleged victims of Dr. George Tyndall — sets a record for collegiate sex abuse payouts, compensating a generation of young USC women. The USC claims — which arose from only one of several scandals to engulf the university in recent years — reflected a 2018 federal class action settled earlier for $215 million, a second group of several dozen cases in which the amount of the settlement was not made public and a third settlement for $852 million with about 700 plaintiffs, which the university said was reached with the aid of a private mediator and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. “It’s a bittersweet victory,” said Ja’Mesha Morgan, who was among the plaintiffs in the settlement announced Thursday, adding that she was a law student at USC when she was abused by Tyndall in 2016. “On one hand, it really exemplifies the gravity of what Tyndall’s survivors had to experience, and really set in stone our truth as to what occurred,” said Morgan, now a 27-year-old lawyer. “But it’s also a really grueling reminder of the price tag USC was willing to put on our safety and our mental health.” John C. Manly, who represented the third group of plaintiffs, said that “the reason USC paid this money was that there was culpability — they knew early on, in the early ’90s and all the way through his tenure that this was happening.” This week’s settlement, which he said would be distributed among the plaintiffs in awards ranging from about $250,000 to several million dollars, will provide by far the largest per-victim payout, he said. But combined, the outcome of the litigation sends a message, he added: “If you’re an institution of higher education, you will pay if you do this.” The total settlement is huge by any measure and is an abject admission that the university failed its female students over many years, experts said. Such large settlements are seismic in the academic world, which has been reeling from sexual abuse and harassment claims against students, professors and now, on a grand scale, a campus gynecologist. The settlement at USC is twice the size of the half-billion dollars won by victims of Larry Nassar, the Michigan State University physician who sexually abused young women under the guise of medical treatment. It dwarfs other payments, like those in the sex abuse scandal at Pennsylvania State University. And it is larger than many of the settlements that followed the child sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. “It is by far the largest sexual settlement ever,” said Brett Sokolow, president of the Association of Title IX Administrators, which deals with sexual harassment and abuse on campus. “It’s a recognition of suffering, and it’s a pretty stunning mea culpa,” Sokolow said. “When you’re talking about this quantum of money, it’s an admission of liability.” He continued, “An admission that there were hundreds of cases where the university had knowledge or without much diligence could have known what was going on, and failed to put an end to it.” Over many years, the complaints against Tyndall ranged from the merely inappropriate — like remarking on how nice a woman’s skin appeared — to overtly sexual comments, to abusive physical acts that were deeply traumatizing to the women he treated. One woman, who spoke to The New York Times in 2018, said she was still haunted by her encounters with Tyndall, saying it had affected her sex life through adulthood. Some women reported that during appointments, he showed off photographs he had of the genitals of other women. Allison Rowland, 54 — who said she was a graduate student at USC in 1993 or 1994 when Tyndall called her in for a “painful and strange” examination that culminated in a display of Polaroid close-ups of the bodies of other patients — said that the university’s earlier settlement offers were “pitiful” amounts of money aimed at “making us go away cheap.” She said she hopes the eye-popping size of this week’s payout will cause “their risk managers and their attorneys” to look back at older complaints “about the weird men — and they are all men — they have on staff and get serious.” In a letter to students and alumni, the president of the university, Carol L. Folt said, “These events have been devastating for our entire community.” Folt also said the university would fund the settlement over two years through a combination of “litigation reserves, insurance proceeds, deferred capital spending, sale of nonessential assets, and careful management of nonessential expenses.” She added that no philanthropic gifts, endowment funds or tuition would be redirected to pay the costs. USC’s general counsel, Beong-Soo Kim, said that resolving the litigation “has been a top priority” for the university. Revelations that Tyndall had abused students for years were first made public in 2018 in an exhaustive report published by the Los Angeles Times, for which the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. While the allegations of misconduct were first brought to the university’s attention in the 1990s, USC did not immediately report him to the state medical board, and he was not suspended from his job until 2016. After an investigation that led to the first briefing on the allegations for senior leaders of the university, Tyndall was arrested in 2019 outside his apartment in Los Angeles and prosecutors charged him with 29 counts of sexual assault involving 16 women. Through his lawyers, he has continued to deny wrongdoing. He has pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of criminal sexual misconduct and is free on bond. After the university set up a hotline and website to receive complaints, more misconduct allegations from students poured in. After the scandal became public in 2018, the university sent emails to more than 350,000 people associated with the university, including students and alumni, with directions on how to report complaints. The scandal, which forced the university’s president at the time, C.L. Max Nikias, to resign under pressure, erupted a year after USC had been embroiled in another scandal, when the popular dean of the medical school was fired after being accused of using drugs and partying with prostitutes. Even after Nikias was forced out, scandals, big and small, continued to engulf the university, once regarded as a party school for Los Angeles’ elite before it was transformed into a top-tier university with an endowment to rival Harvard’s and a faculty that included several Nobel laureates. There was the dean of the business school who was forced out over his handling of workplace misconduct claims. And then 2019, USC was ensnared in a wide-scale college admissions scandal, one that involved universities across the country, in which wealthy parents were accused of paying thousands of dollars — bribes to be more succinct — to get their children, many of whom underperformed academically, into colleges with athletic scholarships. Four USC athletics officials were charged in federal court with taking bribes, and some parents went to prison. In late 2018, USC settled a federal lawsuit stemming from the allegations against Tyndall for $215 million, although it was clear then that the university’s legal problems were not over, as nearly 500 women, at that time, were suing the university. The settlement announced Thursday compensated the more than 700 women who had filed cases in Los Angeles Superior Court, the university said. “The behavior that was discovered shocks the conscience of the university to its core,” Rick Caruso, chair of the university’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “Our institution fell short by not doing everything it could to protect those who matter most — our students, and I am sorry for the pain this caused the very people we were obligated to protect.”

USC agrees to pay $1.1 billion to patients of gynecologist accused of abuse

The former head of one of the largest homeless shelter networks in New York was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors working with his organization.

The arrest of the executive, Victor Rivera, the former president and founder of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, came less than two months after a New York Times investigation found that he had engaged in a long pattern of sexual abuse and financial impropriety that stretched back almost a decade. Rivera was fired by the nonprofit last month, following The Times report.

The organization is one of dozens of nonprofit groups that operate the city’s $2 billion system to shelter the homeless, whose numbers have reached record levels.

Rivera, 61, laundered some of the money through entities he controlled, including a consulting company owned by one of his relatives, and used it to pay down his mortgage, according to prosecutors.

At the same time, Rivera faces another criminal inquiry that began in response to The Times’ report: The Bronx district attorney’s office opened an investigation after 10 women, including homeless women staying in Rivera’s shelters, accused him of sexual assault or harassment. Two women said he had coerced them into performing oral sex.

The Times investigation found Rivera had used the nonprofit for his personal financial gain. He mingled the nonprofit’s finances with for-profit housing companies he owned, steered lucrative contracts to friends and provided jobs to several members of his family, the investigation found.

“Victor Rivera sought to leverage his position as the CEO of a nonprofit into a very much for-profit situation for himself,” the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Audrey Strauss, said in a statement. Federal prosecutors conducted the investigation jointly with the city Department of Investigation.

At an initial court appearance Wednesday, Rivera pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, honest services wire fraud and money laundering and was released on bond.

The former head of one of the largest homeless shelter networks in New York was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors working with his organization.

The former head of one of the largest homeless shelter networks in New York was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors working with his organization. The arrest of the executive, Victor Rivera, the former president and founder of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, came less than two months after a New York Times investigation found that he had engaged in a long pattern of sexual abuse and financial impropriety that stretched back almost a decade. Rivera was fired by the nonprofit last month, following The Times report. The organization is one of dozens of nonprofit groups that operate the city’s $2 billion system to shelter the homeless, whose numbers have reached record levels. Rivera, 61, laundered some of the money through entities he controlled, including a consulting company owned by one of his relatives, and used it to pay down his mortgage, according to prosecutors. At the same time, Rivera faces another criminal inquiry that began in response to The Times’ report: The Bronx district attorney’s office opened an investigation after 10 women, including homeless women staying in Rivera’s shelters, accused him of sexual assault or harassment. Two women said he had coerced them into performing oral sex. The Times investigation found Rivera had used the nonprofit for his personal financial gain. He mingled the nonprofit’s finances with for-profit housing companies he owned, steered lucrative contracts to friends and provided jobs to several members of his family, the investigation found. “Victor Rivera sought to leverage his position as the CEO of a nonprofit into a very much for-profit situation for himself,” the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Audrey Strauss, said in a statement. Federal prosecutors conducted the investigation jointly with the city Department of Investigation. At an initial court appearance Wednesday, Rivera pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, honest services wire fraud and money laundering and was released on bond.

Housing boss who was accused of sexual abuse now faces bribery charges

When Brad Onishi heard that the man accused of a rampage at three Atlanta-area spas told detectives that he had carried out the attacks as a way to eliminate his own temptations, the claim sounded painfully familiar.

Onishi, who grew up in a strict evangelical community in Southern California that emphasized sexual purity, had spent his teenage years tearing out any advertisements in surfing magazines that featured women in bikinis. He had traded his online passwords with friends to hold himself accountable.

“We had a militant vigilance: Don’t let anything in the house that will tempt you sexually,” Onishi, now an associate professor of religious studies at Skidmore College, recalled.

The evangelical culture he was raised in, he said, “teaches women to hate their bodies, as the source of temptation, and it teaches men to hate their minds, which lead them into lust and sexual immorality.”

Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in the massacres that left eight people dead, told police this past week that he had a “sexual addiction,” and he had been a customer at two of the spas that he targeted. He was so intent on avoiding pornography that he blocked several websites on his computer and had sought help at a Christian rehab clinic. A former roommate said that Long agonized over the possibility of “falling out of God’s grace.”

When Long, 21, was arrested Tuesday on his way to Florida, police said, he told officers he had planned to carry out another attack on a business connected to the pornography industry.

Many people saw clear signs of misogyny and racism in the attacks, in which six of the victims were women of Asian descent.

But Long’s characterization of his motivations was also very recognizable to observers of evangelicalism and some evangelicals themselves. He seemed to have had a fixation on sexual temptation, one that can lead to despair among people who believe they are failing to follow the ideal of refraining from sex and even lust outside heterosexual marriage.

Combating pornography and improper sexual desire is an enduring theme within contemporary conservative evangelicalism. In churches, men partner in “accountability groups” to hold each other responsible for avoiding sexual temptation and other moral dangers. Others use “accountability software” like Covenant Eyes, which monitors screen activity and sends reports about pornography usage to a designated “ally.” Countless books promise spiritual and practical strategies for breaking free of the habit.

Historically, some evangelical leaders have also drawn a direct line between pornography and violence. James Dobson, the influential founder of Focus on the Family, recorded a video interview with Ted Bundy the day before the serial killer’s execution in 1989. Bundy’s message was that an “addiction” to pornography fueled his crimes.

“What a tragedy!” Dobson wrote later, referring to Bundy’s violence. “There is a possibility, at least, that it would not have occurred if that 13-year-old boy had never stumbled onto pornographic magazines in a garbage dump.”

In recent decades, many conservative evangelical leaders and their churches have begun to speak more frankly about sex.

“It’s very openly talked about that God created sexuality, it’s something not to be ashamed of, and that God made it for his purposes,” said Anson McMahon, a pastor in Buford, Georgia, who was a guest speaker at several summer trips for young people in the early 2000s at the Baptist church later attended by Long.

But if conversations around sexual issues have become more frank, the message that sex is reserved for straight married couples has remained unchanged.

Many Christians trace their condemnation of pornography back to Jesus.

“I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” he is quoted saying in the Gospel of Matthew.

For Protestants in particular, whose faith prioritizes correct internal beliefs and spiritual attitudes, that passage has contributed to a worldview in which inappropriate sexual thoughts are just as sinful as wrong actions.

The problem with pornography, in this view, is how it affects the person’s mind and heart.

“Masturbation in and of itself, the act is a biological act,” said Heath Lambert, lead pastor of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, and author of a book for evangelical men struggling with pornography use. “What’s wrong is lust. What’s wrong is what happens in my heart.”

The attacks at the spas violated all church teachings, Lambert said, and he thought the obvious root of the violence was the pornography that the accused gunman “was using and trying to get away from.”

White evangelicals do not use pornography more than other demographics, said Samuel Perry, a sociologist at the University of Oklahoma who has researched the role of pornography in the lives of conservative Protestants. In fact, white evangelicals who regularly attend church look at pornography less than the general population.

But they report significantly more anguish around the practice. Almost 30% of white evangelicals say they feel depressed after using pornography, compared with 8.6% of white liberal Protestants and 19% of white Catholics, according to a survey that Perry co-conducted in February as part of the Public Discourse and Ethics Survey. White evangelicals are also significantly more likely to report that they are “addicted” to pornography.

Perry described a phenomenon in some parts of evangelical culture that he called “sexual exceptionalism,” in which sexual sins are implied to be more serious than other categories.

“So many men boil down how they’re doing spiritually to how often they have looked at porn recently,” Perry said, reflecting on his research in evangelical settings. “Not whether they’d grown in their love toward others, given generously of their time or spent time connecting with God, but if they masturbated.”

For some with experience in evangelical youth culture, Long’s fixation on sexual temptation was a reminder of a damaging approach to teaching young people how to address sexuality.

“It presents a very demeaning view of manhood,” said Rachael Denhollander, an evangelical advocate for sexual abuse victims. “Every time you teach a woman in the presence of a young man that it’s her responsibility to keep a man from lusting and that she has the power to keep him from sexual perversion by what she wears and what she does, what he hears is that it’s her fault.”

Jeff Chu, a writer in Michigan, attended an evangelical junior high and high school that, like many similar schools, enforced strict rules for the lengths of girls’ skirts, with the goal of encouraging modesty.

“It was so rarely about the men controlling their own desires and so often about women not being temptresses,” Chu recalled. “So many of us who haven’t fit within the norms of that culture, whether it’s women or queer people, we’re always seen as the problem.”

And while police said that Long claimed he was not racially motivated, some saw a connection between strict sexual beliefs and violence against Asian women in particular.

“Purity culture teaches young men to view young women who do not try to maintain modesty as sinister forces,” Onishi said. “It’s hard not to think about the fact that Asian women have been sexualized and set up to be viewed through the lens of an exotic other who is sexually desirable.”

Despite evangelicalism’s preoccupations with individual sexual morality, its leaders’ failures are so numerous as to have become cliché. In the most recent high-profile example, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries announced last month that its eponymous founder had a pattern of groping and exposing himself to massage therapists, among other sexual misconduct. Zacharias, who died in 2020, owned two day spas in the Atlanta area.

Long sought treatment for what he described to police as a “sex addiction” at HopeQuest, an evangelical treatment center in Acworth, Georgia, the city where one of the attacks took place. The center advertises its treatment of “sex addiction” and “pornography addiction” in addition to drugs, alcohol and gambling. The center lists indications for sex addiction including “‘crossing lines’ of personal beliefs or values in his/her behaviors, which results in extreme emotional distress and feelings of guilt and shame.”

The language of addiction is used often in evangelical circles to describe someone who uses pornography or engages in other sexual behaviors that violate their own values, but does not necessarily rise to the level of clinical addiction, Perry said.

“Sex addiction” is not an established psychiatric diagnosis, and there is a debate in the mental health community about how to define and treat compulsive sexual behavior.

“There’s no evidence-based treatment for sex addiction,” said Joshua Grubbs, an assistant professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University and a clinical psychologist.

Evangelical sex addiction treatment tends to emphasize total abstinence from any sexual behavior outside heterosexual marriage.

“They don’t take into account that humans are creatures with a drive for sex,” Grubbs said.

Long and his family were active members at Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. In the church’s youth group for high school students, Long was “one of those core young men involved in everything we did,” said Brett Cottrell, a former youth and missions pastor at the church.

In November, an associate pastor at the church, Luke Folsom, preached a sermon on the “battle” against sin. He quoted a verse from the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus tells his followers that it may be worth gouging out an eye if it causes them to sin.

He continued, addressing the use of pornography directly.

“Cut it out by getting rid of your smartphone, getting rid of internet connection, anything and everything that would allow you to do it,” he said. “Your soul is at stake.”

Lust, he added, is “a heart problem, not just an eye problem.”

The church, which declined a request for an interview with its leaders, issued a statement Friday that condemned the violence at the Atlanta-area spas as well as the suspect’s “stated reasons for carrying out this wicked plan.”

The church also emphasized that the gunman alone was to blame for his actions.

“The women that he solicited for sexual acts are not responsible for his perverse sexual desires nor do they bear any blame in these murders,” the church stated. “These actions are the result of a sinful heart and depraved mind.”

When Brad Onishi heard that the man accused of a rampage at three Atlanta-area spas told detectives that he had carried out the attacks as a way to eliminate his own temptations, the claim sounded painfully familiar.

When Brad Onishi heard that the man accused of a rampage at three Atlanta-area spas told detectives that he had carried out the attacks as a way to eliminate his own temptations, the claim sounded painfully familiar. Onishi, who grew up in a strict evangelical community in Southern California that emphasized sexual purity, had spent his teenage years tearing out any advertisements in surfing magazines that featured women in bikinis. He had traded his online passwords with friends to hold himself accountable. “We had a militant vigilance: Don’t let anything in the house that will tempt you sexually,” Onishi, now an associate professor of religious studies at Skidmore College, recalled. The evangelical culture he was raised in, he said, “teaches women to hate their bodies, as the source of temptation, and it teaches men to hate their minds, which lead them into lust and sexual immorality.” Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in the massacres that left eight people dead, told police this past week that he had a “sexual addiction,” and he had been a customer at two of the spas that he targeted. He was so intent on avoiding pornography that he blocked several websites on his computer and had sought help at a Christian rehab clinic. A former roommate said that Long agonized over the possibility of “falling out of God’s grace.” When Long, 21, was arrested Tuesday on his way to Florida, police said, he told officers he had planned to carry out another attack on a business connected to the pornography industry. Many people saw clear signs of misogyny and racism in the attacks, in which six of the victims were women of Asian descent. But Long’s characterization of his motivations was also very recognizable to observers of evangelicalism and some evangelicals themselves. He seemed to have had a fixation on sexual temptation, one that can lead to despair among people who believe they are failing to follow the ideal of refraining from sex and even lust outside heterosexual marriage. Combating pornography and improper sexual desire is an enduring theme within contemporary conservative evangelicalism. In churches, men partner in “accountability groups” to hold each other responsible for avoiding sexual temptation and other moral dangers. Others use “accountability software” like Covenant Eyes, which monitors screen activity and sends reports about pornography usage to a designated “ally.” Countless books promise spiritual and practical strategies for breaking free of the habit. Historically, some evangelical leaders have also drawn a direct line between pornography and violence. James Dobson, the influential founder of Focus on the Family, recorded a video interview with Ted Bundy the day before the serial killer’s execution in 1989. Bundy’s message was that an “addiction” to pornography fueled his crimes. “What a tragedy!” Dobson wrote later, referring to Bundy’s violence. “There is a possibility, at least, that it would not have occurred if that 13-year-old boy had never stumbled onto pornographic magazines in a garbage dump.” In recent decades, many conservative evangelical leaders and their churches have begun to speak more frankly about sex. “It’s very openly talked about that God created sexuality, it’s something not to be ashamed of, and that God made it for his purposes,” said Anson McMahon, a pastor in Buford, Georgia, who was a guest speaker at several summer trips for young people in the early 2000s at the Baptist church later attended by Long. But if conversations around sexual issues have become more frank, the message that sex is reserved for straight married couples has remained unchanged. Many Christians trace their condemnation of pornography back to Jesus. “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” he is quoted saying in the Gospel of Matthew. For Protestants in particular, whose faith prioritizes correct internal beliefs and spiritual attitudes, that passage has contributed to a worldview in which inappropriate sexual thoughts are just as sinful as wrong actions. The problem with pornography, in this view, is how it affects the person’s mind and heart. “Masturbation in and of itself, the act is a biological act,” said Heath Lambert, lead pastor of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, and author of a book for evangelical men struggling with pornography use. “What’s wrong is lust. What’s wrong is what happens in my heart.” The attacks at the spas violated all church teachings, Lambert said, and he thought the obvious root of the violence was the pornography that the accused gunman “was using and trying to get away from.” White evangelicals do not use pornography more than other demographics, said Samuel Perry, a sociologist at the University of Oklahoma who has researched the role of pornography in the lives of conservative Protestants. In fact, white evangelicals who regularly attend church look at pornography less than the general population. But they report significantly more anguish around the practice. Almost 30% of white evangelicals say they feel depressed after using pornography, compared with 8.6% of white liberal Protestants and 19% of white Catholics, according to a survey that Perry co-conducted in February as part of the Public Discourse and Ethics Survey. White evangelicals are also significantly more likely to report that they are “addicted” to pornography. Perry described a phenomenon in some parts of evangelical culture that he called “sexual exceptionalism,” in which sexual sins are implied to be more serious than other categories. “So many men boil down how they’re doing spiritually to how often they have looked at porn recently,” Perry said, reflecting on his research in evangelical settings. “Not whether they’d grown in their love toward others, given generously of their time or spent time connecting with God, but if they masturbated.” For some with experience in evangelical youth culture, Long’s fixation on sexual temptation was a reminder of a damaging approach to teaching young people how to address sexuality. “It presents a very demeaning view of manhood,” said Rachael Denhollander, an evangelical advocate for sexual abuse victims. “Every time you teach a woman in the presence of a young man that it’s her responsibility to keep a man from lusting and that she has the power to keep him from sexual perversion by what she wears and what she does, what he hears is that it’s her fault.” Jeff Chu, a writer in Michigan, attended an evangelical junior high and high school that, like many similar schools, enforced strict rules for the lengths of girls’ skirts, with the goal of encouraging modesty. “It was so rarely about the men controlling their own desires and so often about women not being temptresses,” Chu recalled. “So many of us who haven’t fit within the norms of that culture, whether it’s women or queer people, we’re always seen as the problem.” And while police said that Long claimed he was not racially motivated, some saw a connection between strict sexual beliefs and violence against Asian women in particular. “Purity culture teaches young men to view young women who do not try to maintain modesty as sinister forces,” Onishi said. “It’s hard not to think about the fact that Asian women have been sexualized and set up to be viewed through the lens of an exotic other who is sexually desirable.” Despite evangelicalism’s preoccupations with individual sexual morality, its leaders’ failures are so numerous as to have become cliché. In the most recent high-profile example, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries announced last month that its eponymous founder had a pattern of groping and exposing himself to massage therapists, among other sexual misconduct. Zacharias, who died in 2020, owned two day spas in the Atlanta area. Long sought treatment for what he described to police as a “sex addiction” at HopeQuest, an evangelical treatment center in Acworth, Georgia, the city where one of the attacks took place. The center advertises its treatment of “sex addiction” and “pornography addiction” in addition to drugs, alcohol and gambling. The center lists indications for sex addiction including “‘crossing lines’ of personal beliefs or values in his/her behaviors, which results in extreme emotional distress and feelings of guilt and shame.” The language of addiction is used often in evangelical circles to describe someone who uses pornography or engages in other sexual behaviors that violate their own values, but does not necessarily rise to the level of clinical addiction, Perry said. “Sex addiction” is not an established psychiatric diagnosis, and there is a debate in the mental health community about how to define and treat compulsive sexual behavior. “There’s no evidence-based treatment for sex addiction,” said Joshua Grubbs, an assistant professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University and a clinical psychologist. Evangelical sex addiction treatment tends to emphasize total abstinence from any sexual behavior outside heterosexual marriage. “They don’t take into account that humans are creatures with a drive for sex,” Grubbs said. Long and his family were active members at Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. In the church’s youth group for high school students, Long was “one of those core young men involved in everything we did,” said Brett Cottrell, a former youth and missions pastor at the church. In November, an associate pastor at the church, Luke Folsom, preached a sermon on the “battle” against sin. He quoted a verse from the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus tells his followers that it may be worth gouging out an eye if it causes them to sin. He continued, addressing the use of pornography directly. “Cut it out by getting rid of your smartphone, getting rid of internet connection, anything and everything that would allow you to do it,” he said. “Your soul is at stake.” Lust, he added, is “a heart problem, not just an eye problem.” The church, which declined a request for an interview with its leaders, issued a statement Friday that condemned the violence at the Atlanta-area spas as well as the suspect’s “stated reasons for carrying out this wicked plan.” The church also emphasized that the gunman alone was to blame for his actions. “The women that he solicited for sexual acts are not responsible for his perverse sexual desires nor do they bear any blame in these murders,” the church stated. “These actions are the result of a sinful heart and depraved mind.”

Sexual anguish of Atlanta suspect is familiar thorn for evangelicals

The French National Assembly adopted legislation Monday that characterizes sex between adults and minors under 15 as rape, a move made after years of debate and rounds of sexual abuse scandals gradually pushed lawmakers to bring the French criminal code closer to that of most other Western countries.

“Children are off-limits,” France’s justice minister, Eric Dupont-Moretti, told the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, ahead of Monday's vote. Under the bill, a sexual relationship with a minor under 15 would be punishable by 20 years in prison, unless the age gap between the consensual partners were small.

The bill, which also includes a provision that would make incest a specific crime, will go to the Senate this month and is expected to get final approval in April. The incest ban would also apply to sexual relationships between children under 18 and their stepparents.

That lawmakers agreed on setting an age of consent only three years after having voted against a similar law largely reflects the impact of a series of recent sexual abuse scandals.

A reckoning on child abuse has taken place over the past year, amid the fall from grace of a writer who for decades openly engaged in and promoted pedophilia with the support of powerful friends and amid accusations of incest against a prominent French intellectual that surfaced in January.

Fresh allegations of sexual abuse against powerful figures in politics, the arts and the media that fueled new #MeToo movements have also increased pressure on the French government to take action.

“There has been a real shift in the public opinion and an awareness that there is a problem with these sexual violence cases,” said Pierre Verdrager, a sociologist who has studied pedophilia. He added that France had become highly aware of these issues.

Feminists have also contributed to this change in attitude, Verdrager said, and raised public awareness by speaking out against sexual abuse in the arts and papering Paris with posters denouncing domestic and sexual violence.

French law already prohibited sex between an adult and a minor under the age of 15, but it was not automatically considered rape. Further circumstances, such as the use of coercion, threats or violence, were necessary to characterize such sexual relationships as rape.

“Questioning minors to know if they were consenting even if they were 10 or 11 years old is really a French exception,” Verdrager said. “I think that’s what the legislature wants to get rid of.”

France in 2018 toughened laws against sex crimes and extended the statute of limitations for rape against a minor to 30 years from 20 years, but lawmakers had stopped short of setting an age of sexual consent, citing legal complications.

Some lawmakers, after warnings from France’s Constitutional Council, were worried that setting an age of consent would automatically criminalize sexual relationships between a minor under the age of consent and a person only a few years older. The council reviews legislation to ensure it complies with the French Constitution.

In response, the new bill includes a “Romeo and Juliet” clause that would allow for sexual relationships between a child under 15 and an adult up to five years older. This clause would not apply in rape or assault cases.

“I do not want to put a kid aged 18 on trial because he had a consenting relationship with a girl of 14 1/2,” Dupond-Moretti said.

Alexandra Louis, a French lawmaker who supports the bill, said the provisions that had been added to bill, such as the "Romeo and Juliet" clause, gave her hope that the measure would be approved by the Constitutional Council.

About 300 amendments were discussed, but the bill eventually passed unanimously and in one day. Louis said the bill had “reached a consensus” and marked “a historic breakthrough.”

The legislation also extends beyond 30 years the statute of limitations for rape of a minor in cases where the adult has raped others, and introduces jail sentences of 10 years and a fine of 150,000 euros, or about $180,000, for anyone convicted of inciting children under the age of 15, via the internet, to commit sexual acts.

“Our task is huge,” Dupont-Moretti said. “It’s about changing the law to finally, completely and totally protect our children.”

The French National Assembly adopted legislation Monday that characterizes sex between adults and minors under 15 as rape, a move made after years of debate and rounds of sexual abuse scandals gradually pushed lawmakers to bring the French criminal code closer to that of most other Western countries.

The French National Assembly adopted legislation Monday that characterizes sex between adults and minors under 15 as rape, a move made after years of debate and rounds of sexual abuse scandals gradually pushed lawmakers to bring the French criminal code closer to that of most other Western countries. “Children are off-limits,” France’s justice minister, Eric Dupont-Moretti, told the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, ahead of Monday's vote. Under the bill, a sexual relationship with a minor under 15 would be punishable by 20 years in prison, unless the age gap between the consensual partners were small. The bill, which also includes a provision that would make incest a specific crime, will go to the Senate this month and is expected to get final approval in April. The incest ban would also apply to sexual relationships between children under 18 and their stepparents. That lawmakers agreed on setting an age of consent only three years after having voted against a similar law largely reflects the impact of a series of recent sexual abuse scandals. A reckoning on child abuse has taken place over the past year, amid the fall from grace of a writer who for decades openly engaged in and promoted pedophilia with the support of powerful friends and amid accusations of incest against a prominent French intellectual that surfaced in January. Fresh allegations of sexual abuse against powerful figures in politics, the arts and the media that fueled new #MeToo movements have also increased pressure on the French government to take action. “There has been a real shift in the public opinion and an awareness that there is a problem with these sexual violence cases,” said Pierre Verdrager, a sociologist who has studied pedophilia. He added that France had become highly aware of these issues. Feminists have also contributed to this change in attitude, Verdrager said, and raised public awareness by speaking out against sexual abuse in the arts and papering Paris with posters denouncing domestic and sexual violence. French law already prohibited sex between an adult and a minor under the age of 15, but it was not automatically considered rape. Further circumstances, such as the use of coercion, threats or violence, were necessary to characterize such sexual relationships as rape. “Questioning minors to know if they were consenting even if they were 10 or 11 years old is really a French exception,” Verdrager said. “I think that’s what the legislature wants to get rid of.” France in 2018 toughened laws against sex crimes and extended the statute of limitations for rape against a minor to 30 years from 20 years, but lawmakers had stopped short of setting an age of sexual consent, citing legal complications. Some lawmakers, after warnings from France’s Constitutional Council, were worried that setting an age of consent would automatically criminalize sexual relationships between a minor under the age of consent and a person only a few years older. The council reviews legislation to ensure it complies with the French Constitution. In response, the new bill includes a “Romeo and Juliet” clause that would allow for sexual relationships between a child under 15 and an adult up to five years older. This clause would not apply in rape or assault cases. “I do not want to put a kid aged 18 on trial because he had a consenting relationship with a girl of 14 1/2,” Dupond-Moretti said. Alexandra Louis, a French lawmaker who supports the bill, said the provisions that had been added to bill, such as the "Romeo and Juliet" clause, gave her hope that the measure would be approved by the Constitutional Council. About 300 amendments were discussed, but the bill eventually passed unanimously and in one day. Louis said the bill had “reached a consensus” and marked “a historic breakthrough.” The legislation also extends beyond 30 years the statute of limitations for rape of a minor in cases where the adult has raped others, and introduces jail sentences of 10 years and a fine of 150,000 euros, or about $180,000, for anyone convicted of inciting children under the age of 15, via the internet, to commit sexual acts. “Our task is huge,” Dupont-Moretti said. “It’s about changing the law to finally, completely and totally protect our children.”

Adult sex with minors to be considered rape under landmark French bill

In a shocking and eye-opening survey, a survey from UN Women UK has revealed that virtually all young women in the UK have faced sexual harassment at least once.

This survey dealt with the age group of 18-24, out of which 97 per cent of young women said they have been sexually harassed and 80 per cent of women of all ages said they have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces in the UK.

Talking about how this is a grave situation that is worsening with every passing day, Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK said, "this is a human rights crisis. It’s just not enough for us to keep saying ‘this is too difficult a problem for us to solve’ – it needs addressing now."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-in-three-women-have-already-suffered-physical-violence-world-health-organization-369207">One in three women have already suffered physical violence: World Health Organization</a>

These findings were a result of a YouGov survey conducted with more than 1,000 female participants. The survey was shown exclusively to the media house Guardian, which revealed the horrifyingly decreased lack of faith of women in the UK authorities.

Barnett also highlighted how women are having to change their behaviour to make sure they are safe. "We are looking at a situation where younger women are constantly modifying their behaviour in an attempt to avoid being objectified or attacked, and older women are reporting serious concerns about personal safety if they ever leave the house in the dark – even during the daytime in winter," Barnett said.

In the YouGov survey, 96 per cent of women said they did not even report the incidents, of which 45 per cent said they didn't report as they felt it would not change anything.

Also watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-international-womens-day-368982" hreflang="en">Gravitas: International Women's Day</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-international-womens-day-368982/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Also, women who had been groped, followed or manipulated into sexual activity said they felt the crime was not serious enough to be reported, the UN Women UK said.

The organisation has also collected stories of nearly 400 women where they described their experiences and their diminishing trust in public spaces. As a part of the UN Women UK's Safe Spaces Now project, the organisation has sent an open letter to leaders urging better and safer designed public spaces, along with increased protection and facilities.&nbsp;

"We've collected stories and ideas from over 1,000 women and girls, and now we’re taking those demands to the owners and administrators of public spaces, asking them to implement our solutions now, in time for the UK’s end to lockdown," the statement on their website reads.

In a shocking and eye-opening survey, a survey from UN Women UK has revealed that virtually all young women in the UK have faced sexual harassment at least once.

In a shocking and eye-opening survey, a survey from UN Women UK has revealed that virtually all young women in the UK have faced sexual harassment at least once. This survey dealt with the age group of 18-24, out of which 97 per cent of young women said they have been sexually harassed and 80 per cent of women of all ages said they have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces in the UK. Talking about how this is a grave situation that is worsening with every passing day, Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK said, "this is a human rights crisis. It’s just not enough for us to keep saying ‘this is too difficult a problem for us to solve’ – it needs addressing now." Also read | One in three women have already suffered physical violence: World Health Organization These findings were a result of a YouGov survey conducted with more than 1,000 female participants. The survey was shown exclusively to the media house Guardian, which revealed the horrifyingly decreased lack of faith of women in the UK authorities. Barnett also highlighted how women are having to change their behaviour to make sure they are safe. "We are looking at a situation where younger women are constantly modifying their behaviour in an attempt to avoid being objectified or attacked, and older women are reporting serious concerns about personal safety if they ever leave the house in the dark – even during the daytime in winter," Barnett said. In the YouGov survey, 96 per cent of women said they did not even report the incidents, of which 45 per cent said they didn't report as they felt it would not change anything. Also watch | Gravitas: International Women's Day Also, women who had been groped, followed or manipulated into sexual activity said they felt the crime was not serious enough to be reported, the UN Women UK said. The organisation has also collected stories of nearly 400 women where they described their experiences and their diminishing trust in public spaces. As a part of the UN Women UK's Safe Spaces Now project, the organisation has sent an open letter to leaders urging better and safer designed public spaces, along with increased protection and facilities. "We've collected stories and ideas from over 1,000 women and girls, and now we’re taking those demands to the owners and administrators of public spaces, asking them to implement our solutions now, in time for the UK’s end to lockdown," the statement on their website reads.

Almost all young women have been sexually harassed in UK: UN Women

US President Joe Biden on Monday will order a review of changes the previous administration made to on rules on how colleges should handle sexual assault allegations and formally establish a White House Gender Policy Council, officials said.&nbsp;

A Biden executive order he will sign later on Monday will direct the US Education Department to review all its existing regulations, orders, guidance, and 'policies for consistency with the administration’s policy to guarantee education free from sexual violence', according to a White House fact sheet provided Sunday night.&nbsp;

In 2017, the Trump administration reversed Obama-era guidelines that had spelt out measures, schools should follow to try to prevent sexual assaults on campuses. Trump's Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, argued the Obama guidelines resulted in too many students being falsely charged and the accused being treated unfairly.&nbsp;

In May 2020, DeVos unveiled final regulations on how colleges should deal with sexual misconduct allegations on campuses. She said the rules would require 'schools to act in meaningful ways to support survivors of sexual misconduct, without sacrificing important safeguards to ensure a fair and transparent process'.&nbsp;

Biden's order directs a review of the 2020 regulation 'to determine whether the regulation and agency action are consistent with the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration', the fact sheet said.&nbsp;

A second executive order will formally establish a White House council gender equality council, officials said.&nbsp;

The council is part of 'a government-wide focus on uplifting the rights of women and girls in the United States and around the world', according to a White House fact sheet.&nbsp;

Jennifer Klein, chief strategy and policy officer at anti-sexual harassment activist group Time's Up, is cochairing the council with Julissa Reynoso, a lawyer, who previously served as a diplomat and deputy assistant secretary of state during the Obama administration.&nbsp;

As a candidate, Biden pledged to narrow the wage gap between men and women, invest in women-owned businesses and fight against workplace discrimination. His vice president, Kamala Harris, is the first woman to occupy the position.&nbsp;

The council will work with other parts of the administration to address 'barriers to women’s participation in the labour force, decreasing wage and wealth gaps, and addressing the caregiving needs of American families and supporting care workers', the fact sheet said.&nbsp;

As of January, women accounted for slightly more than half of the 10 million jobs lost during the coronavirus crisis, even though they typically make up a little less than half the workforce.&nbsp;

More than 2.5 million women left the labour force between February 2020 and January of this year, compared to 1.8 million men.&nbsp;

Biden will direct the council to submit a 'government-wide strategy to address gender in policies, programs and budgets' and an annual report on progress, the White House said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden on Monday will order a review of changes the previous administration made to on rules on how colleges should handle sexual assault allegations and formally establish a White House Gender Policy Council, officials said.

US President Joe Biden on Monday will order a review of changes the previous administration made to on rules on how colleges should handle sexual assault allegations and formally establish a White House Gender Policy Council, officials said. A Biden executive order he will sign later on Monday will direct the US Education Department to review all its existing regulations, orders, guidance, and 'policies for consistency with the administration’s policy to guarantee education free from sexual violence', according to a White House fact sheet provided Sunday night. In 2017, the Trump administration reversed Obama-era guidelines that had spelt out measures, schools should follow to try to prevent sexual assaults on campuses. Trump's Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, argued the Obama guidelines resulted in too many students being falsely charged and the accused being treated unfairly. In May 2020, DeVos unveiled final regulations on how colleges should deal with sexual misconduct allegations on campuses. She said the rules would require 'schools to act in meaningful ways to support survivors of sexual misconduct, without sacrificing important safeguards to ensure a fair and transparent process'. Biden's order directs a review of the 2020 regulation 'to determine whether the regulation and agency action are consistent with the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration', the fact sheet said. A second executive order will formally establish a White House council gender equality council, officials said. The council is part of 'a government-wide focus on uplifting the rights of women and girls in the United States and around the world', according to a White House fact sheet. Jennifer Klein, chief strategy and policy officer at anti-sexual harassment activist group Time's Up, is cochairing the council with Julissa Reynoso, a lawyer, who previously served as a diplomat and deputy assistant secretary of state during the Obama administration. As a candidate, Biden pledged to narrow the wage gap between men and women, invest in women-owned businesses and fight against workplace discrimination. His vice president, Kamala Harris, is the first woman to occupy the position. The council will work with other parts of the administration to address 'barriers to women’s participation in the labour force, decreasing wage and wealth gaps, and addressing the caregiving needs of American families and supporting care workers', the fact sheet said. As of January, women accounted for slightly more than half of the 10 million jobs lost during the coronavirus crisis, even though they typically make up a little less than half the workforce. More than 2.5 million women left the labour force between February 2020 and January of this year, compared to 1.8 million men. Biden will direct the council to submit a 'government-wide strategy to address gender in policies, programs and budgets' and an annual report on progress, the White House said. (With inputs from agencies)

White House orders review of campus sexual misconduct rules changed by Trump 

More than three years after the massive social media-led #MeToo movement on sexual misconduct, which started in Hollywood and swept all walks of life across the world, much remains to be done in addressing the problem.

Are women's complaints of sexual harassment at workplace being addressed?

An index created by Equileap, a women's workplace equality organisation, showed that most big firms are failing to address sexual harassment at work.

Despite the #MeToo campaign that began in October, 2017 that sparked a wider debate around harassment, pay and representation, 51% of companies assessed for the index did not publish an anti-sexual harassment policy last year, said Equileap. However, this is an improvement on 58% recorded in 2019.

The data was drawn from 3,702 firms in 23 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Australia.

 
Workplace harassment has been one of the reasons that keeps women from achieving their careers.

According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency in the US, 60% women in the country reported sexual harassment.

Data from Hong Kong City University found 80% of women in China having reported harrasent at some stage of their career.

The situation in India

A ComplyKaro Services analysis of annual reports from BSE 100 companies revealed a 14% rise in sexual harassment complaints in financial year 2019-20 alone.

In India, 95 per cent of women working in the informal sector finds it difficult to access legal mechanisms to report sexual harassment at the workplace.

And because the #MeToo was a social-media led movement, it had little effect in remote and rural areas of the country.

More than three years after the massive social media-led #MeToo movement on sexual misconduct, which started in Hollywood and swept all walks of life across the world, much remains to be done in addressing the problem.

More than three years after the massive social media-led #MeToo movement on sexual misconduct, which started in Hollywood and swept all walks of life across the world, much remains to be done in addressing the problem. Are women's complaints of sexual harassment at workplace being addressed? An index created by Equileap, a women's workplace equality organisation, showed that most big firms are failing to address sexual harassment at work. Despite the #MeToo campaign that began in October, 2017 that sparked a wider debate around harassment, pay and representation, 51% of companies assessed for the index did not publish an anti-sexual harassment policy last year, said Equileap. However, this is an improvement on 58% recorded in 2019. The data was drawn from 3,702 firms in 23 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Australia. Workplace harassment has been one of the reasons that keeps women from achieving their careers. According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency in the US, 60% women in the country reported sexual harassment. Data from Hong Kong City University found 80% of women in China having reported harrasent at some stage of their career. The situation in India A ComplyKaro Services analysis of annual reports from BSE 100 companies revealed a 14% rise in sexual harassment complaints in financial year 2019-20 alone. In India, 95 per cent of women working in the informal sector finds it difficult to access legal mechanisms to report sexual harassment at the workplace. And because the #MeToo was a social-media led movement, it had little effect in remote and rural areas of the country.

International Women's Day: Sexual harassment policies in global companies leave much to be desired

In a surprising statement, Australia's attorney-general has denied all allegation against him and called it a 'trial by media' in the historic rape case that shook the country after a letter was sent to the prime minister detailing the assault.

Calling it a 'whispering campaign', Christian Porter said he is not aware of any specific allegations against him in this case, and claimed that none of the events mentioned in the letter are true.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-pm-scott-morrison-informed-about-historical-rape-allegation-against-cabinet-minister-366569">Australian PM Scott Morrison informed about historical rape allegation against cabinet minister</a>

"Prior to last Friday’s story in the ABC, no one in law enforcement, or the law or politics or the media ever [put] any specific allegations to me at all," he said. "I was aware, over the last few months of a whispering campaign. Had the accusation ever been put to me before they were printed, I would have at least been able to say, the only thing that I can say, likely the only thing that I’m ever going to be able to say. And that’s the truth. And that is that nothing in the allegations that have been printed ever happened. Even now, the only information I have about the allegations, is what has been circulating online and in certain media outlets."

Till now, the name of the accused was not being disclosed. However, days after the mystery has been continuing and as a former prime minister had urged current Prime Minister Scott Morrison to reveal the identity of the senior cabinet minister, Porter has outed himself in front of the media.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/owes-it-to-country-australias-former-pm-asks-rape-accused-minister-to-come-forward-367334">'Owes it to country': Australia's former PM asks rape accused minister to come forward</a>

Porter has been accused of raping a then-16-year-old girl, before entering the Australian parliament.&nbsp;The matter came to light when friends of the recently-deceased victim sent a letter detailing the allegations to Prime Minister&nbsp;Morrison and a few other authorities.&nbsp;

"There will be considerable damage to community perceptions of justice... and the parliament when this story becomes public if it is simultaneously revealed that senior people (like yourselves) were aware of the accusation but had done nothing...," it read.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-prime-minister-scott-morrison-says-cabinet-minister-absolutely-rejects-rape-allegation-367101">Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says cabinet minister ‘absolutely rejects’ rape allegation</a>

"Failing to take parliamentary action because the NSW Police cannot take criminal action [due to the complainant's death] would seem like willful blindness."

Now, after outing himself, Porter has called the last few weeks to be a media trial while releasing his statement, where he also teared up.

"Before last Friday, all I can say is that I had heard, think about November last year a rumour being spread by a small number of people that I had somehow offended against someone decades ago in a way that was never specified to me," Porter said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/woman-raped-in-australian-parliament-pm-apologises-363974">Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises</a>

He has also claimed that he has not been directly contacted by the authorities or the media for a comment or response on any allegations.

"No-one put anything in any detail to me seeking a response. None of the senior politicians or ex-politicians that have known about these allegations and rumours put them to me," he said. "No journalist has put the detail of the allegations to me in a way that would allow seeking a response, not ever. All I know about the allegations is what I have read in the media."

He has, however, admitted to remembering the victim and said, "I remember her as a bright, happy person. I don’t dispute anything that her friends would say about how they recollect to."

In a surprising statement, Australia's attorney-general has denied all allegation against him and called it a 'trial by media' in the historic rape case that shook the country after a letter was sent to the prime minister detailing the assault.

In a surprising statement, Australia's attorney-general has denied all allegation against him and called it a 'trial by media' in the historic rape case that shook the country after a letter was sent to the prime minister detailing the assault. Calling it a 'whispering campaign', Christian Porter said he is not aware of any specific allegations against him in this case, and claimed that none of the events mentioned in the letter are true. Also read | Australian PM Scott Morrison informed about historical rape allegation against cabinet minister "Prior to last Friday’s story in the ABC, no one in law enforcement, or the law or politics or the media ever [put] any specific allegations to me at all," he said. "I was aware, over the last few months of a whispering campaign. Had the accusation ever been put to me before they were printed, I would have at least been able to say, the only thing that I can say, likely the only thing that I’m ever going to be able to say. And that’s the truth. And that is that nothing in the allegations that have been printed ever happened. Even now, the only information I have about the allegations, is what has been circulating online and in certain media outlets." Till now, the name of the accused was not being disclosed. However, days after the mystery has been continuing and as a former prime minister had urged current Prime Minister Scott Morrison to reveal the identity of the senior cabinet minister, Porter has outed himself in front of the media. Also read | 'Owes it to country': Australia's former PM asks rape accused minister to come forward Porter has been accused of raping a then-16-year-old girl, before entering the Australian parliament. The matter came to light when friends of the recently-deceased victim sent a letter detailing the allegations to Prime Minister Morrison and a few other authorities. "There will be considerable damage to community perceptions of justice... and the parliament when this story becomes public if it is simultaneously revealed that senior people (like yourselves) were aware of the accusation but had done nothing...," it read. Also read | Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says cabinet minister ‘absolutely rejects’ rape allegation "Failing to take parliamentary action because the NSW Police cannot take criminal action [due to the complainant's death] would seem like willful blindness." Now, after outing himself, Porter has called the last few weeks to be a media trial while releasing his statement, where he also teared up. "Before last Friday, all I can say is that I had heard, think about November last year a rumour being spread by a small number of people that I had somehow offended against someone decades ago in a way that was never specified to me," Porter said. Also read| Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises He has also claimed that he has not been directly contacted by the authorities or the media for a comment or response on any allegations. "No-one put anything in any detail to me seeking a response. None of the senior politicians or ex-politicians that have known about these allegations and rumours put them to me," he said. "No journalist has put the detail of the allegations to me in a way that would allow seeking a response, not ever. All I know about the allegations is what I have read in the media." He has, however, admitted to remembering the victim and said, "I remember her as a bright, happy person. I don’t dispute anything that her friends would say about how they recollect to."

Trial by media? Australia's attorney general denies rape allegations in emotional speech

After Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison reported that the cabinet minister accused of rape has rejected the accusation, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged the accused to come forward and make a public statement.

Turnbull has said the accused cabinet minister "owes it to his colleagues and the country" to make a public statement about the allegations of raping a teenage girl in 1988.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-prime-minister-scott-morrison-says-cabinet-minister-absolutely-rejects-rape-allegation-367101">Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says cabinet minister ‘absolutely rejects’ rape allegation</a>

He also said the current situation is "not tenable" and it is "vitally important" for the unnamed minister to come forward and explain what he knows about the deceased woman he has been accused of raping.

"I think what the minister should do is what Kerry Packer did in 1985 when he was the subject of accusations … he should out himself and he should provide a comprehensive statement of what he knows about the allegations," he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-pm-scott-morrison-informed-about-historical-rape-allegation-against-cabinet-minister-366569">Australian PM Scott Morrison informed about historical rape allegation against cabinet minister</a>

Bringing in the topic of Scott Morrison publically answering on the accused's behalf, Turnbull said, "If he’s vigorously denied [the allegations] to the prime minister, he should vigorously deny them to the public".

Morrison has claimed that he spoke to the accused minister on the same day when the letter, detailing the allegation, was brought forward by the friends of the victim. He also reported speaking to the commissioner of the Australian federal police the same evening.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/woman-raped-in-australian-parliament-pm-apologises-363974">Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises</a>

Turnbull, however, has said it is not a good example that Morrison has "outsourced" this responsibility of finding who was the person in the ministry to the Australian federal police.

He also urged Morrison to ask the accused, unnamed minister to "speak up".

The letter in question had accused a senior cabinet member of raping a then-teenager girl in 1988.&nbsp;In the letter, the author has urged Morrison to take urgent action to investigate the alleged rape, which took place in 1988 — before the accused entered the Australian parliament.

After Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison reported that the cabinet minister accused of rape has rejected the accusation, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged the accused to come forward and make a public statement.

After Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison reported that the cabinet minister accused of rape has rejected the accusation, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged the accused to come forward and make a public statement. Turnbull has said the accused cabinet minister "owes it to his colleagues and the country" to make a public statement about the allegations of raping a teenage girl in 1988. Also read | Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says cabinet minister ‘absolutely rejects’ rape allegation He also said the current situation is "not tenable" and it is "vitally important" for the unnamed minister to come forward and explain what he knows about the deceased woman he has been accused of raping. "I think what the minister should do is what Kerry Packer did in 1985 when he was the subject of accusations … he should out himself and he should provide a comprehensive statement of what he knows about the allegations," he said. Also read | Australian PM Scott Morrison informed about historical rape allegation against cabinet minister Bringing in the topic of Scott Morrison publically answering on the accused's behalf, Turnbull said, "If he’s vigorously denied [the allegations] to the prime minister, he should vigorously deny them to the public". Morrison has claimed that he spoke to the accused minister on the same day when the letter, detailing the allegation, was brought forward by the friends of the victim. He also reported speaking to the commissioner of the Australian federal police the same evening. Also read| Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises Turnbull, however, has said it is not a good example that Morrison has "outsourced" this responsibility of finding who was the person in the ministry to the Australian federal police. He also urged Morrison to ask the accused, unnamed minister to "speak up". The letter in question had accused a senior cabinet member of raping a then-teenager girl in 1988. In the letter, the author has urged Morrison to take urgent action to investigate the alleged rape, which took place in 1988 — before the accused entered the Australian parliament.

'Owes it to country': Australia's former PM asks rape accused minister to come forward

The poor treatment of women in the Australian parliament has recently been highlighted after a woman accused a government official of raping her, which was followed by a few other accusations from different women.

Following the accusations against the man, three police agencies have been informed of a letter sent to the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, about an allegation against a federal cabinet minister's inappropriate behaviour against his female colleagues.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/another-allegation-made-against-man-accused-of-rape-in-australia-parliament-365316">Another allegation made against man accused of rape in Australia Parliament</a>

In the letter, the author has urged Morrison to take urgent action to investigate the alleged rape, which took place in 1988 — before the accused entered the Australian parliament.

The matter has also been brought to the notice of the Australian Federal Police.

"This morning I received information regarding a disturbing and a very serious allegation of a criminal nature against a senior member of the government," Greens Senator Hanson-Young, who was also a recipient of the letter, told Four Corners in a statement.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/woman-raped-in-australian-parliament-pm-apologises-363974">Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises</a>

"Following the advice given to the Prime Minister by the AFP Commissioner this week, I have spoken with the Police Commissioner today, who is now taking steps in relation to this information," Hanson-Young added.

The letter urged the Prime Minister to set up an independent parliamentary investigation into this matter, similar to one formed against former Justice, Dyson Heydon.

"When news of [the complainant's alleged] rape becomes widely known to the public (as it most likely will), legitimate questions will be asked as to who knew what, when they knew and what they did," the correspondent wrote.

This has come after Brittany Higgins, had accused a &nbsp;government official of sexually assaulting her in the office of then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australian-pm-apologises-to-women-who-alleged-rape-in-parliament-364056">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australian-pm-apologises-to-women-who-alleged-rape-in-parliament-364056/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Higgins' accusations were followed by at least two more women coming ahead with similar accusations against the same man.

These cases were not officially reported to the Australian police, fearing they might have to choose between justice and their "dream job".

"There will be considerable damage to community perceptions of justice... and the parliament when this story becomes public if it is simultaneously revealed that senior people (like yourselves) were aware of the accusation but had done nothing...," it read.

"Failing to take parliamentary action because the NSW Police cannot take criminal action [due to the complainant's death] would seem like wilful blindness."

Following Higgins' case, the Australian police and government officials had urged women to come forward and report such cases to the police by filing an official complaint, so that the officers can follow protocols and serve justice.

"As per the AFP Commissioner's instruction, any complaints or allegations of this nature made to anybody — whether they're parliamentarians or journalists — should be referred to the AFP," a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

The poor treatment of women in the Australian parliament has recently been highlighted after a woman accused a government official of raping her, which was followed by a few other accusations from different women.

The poor treatment of women in the Australian parliament has recently been highlighted after a woman accused a government official of raping her, which was followed by a few other accusations from different women. Following the accusations against the man, three police agencies have been informed of a letter sent to the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, about an allegation against a federal cabinet minister's inappropriate behaviour against his female colleagues. Also read| Another allegation made against man accused of rape in Australia Parliament In the letter, the author has urged Morrison to take urgent action to investigate the alleged rape, which took place in 1988 — before the accused entered the Australian parliament. The matter has also been brought to the notice of the Australian Federal Police. "This morning I received information regarding a disturbing and a very serious allegation of a criminal nature against a senior member of the government," Greens Senator Hanson-Young, who was also a recipient of the letter, told Four Corners in a statement. Also read| Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises "Following the advice given to the Prime Minister by the AFP Commissioner this week, I have spoken with the Police Commissioner today, who is now taking steps in relation to this information," Hanson-Young added. The letter urged the Prime Minister to set up an independent parliamentary investigation into this matter, similar to one formed against former Justice, Dyson Heydon. "When news of [the complainant's alleged] rape becomes widely known to the public (as it most likely will), legitimate questions will be asked as to who knew what, when they knew and what they did," the correspondent wrote. This has come after Brittany Higgins, had accused a government official of sexually assaulting her in the office of then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019. WATCH| Higgins' accusations were followed by at least two more women coming ahead with similar accusations against the same man. These cases were not officially reported to the Australian police, fearing they might have to choose between justice and their "dream job". "There will be considerable damage to community perceptions of justice... and the parliament when this story becomes public if it is simultaneously revealed that senior people (like yourselves) were aware of the accusation but had done nothing...," it read. "Failing to take parliamentary action because the NSW Police cannot take criminal action [due to the complainant's death] would seem like wilful blindness." Following Higgins' case, the Australian police and government officials had urged women to come forward and report such cases to the police by filing an official complaint, so that the officers can follow protocols and serve justice. "As per the AFP Commissioner's instruction, any complaints or allegations of this nature made to anybody — whether they're parliamentarians or journalists — should be referred to the AFP," a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

Australian PM Scott Morrison informed about historical rape allegation against cabinet minister

After an explosive revelation about a sexual assault accusation in the Australian Parliament, another victim has come forward with allegations against the same staff member.

A few days ago an Australian citizen, Brittany Higgins, came forward and accused a government employee of raping her in the office of then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019.

Higgins had alleged that after a night out drinking with conservative Liberal Party colleagues, she was sexually assaulted by one of her male colleagues in Reyonolds' office.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/woman-raped-in-australian-parliament-pm-apologises-363974">Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises</a>

She also accused her seniors of not taking any appropriate action against this allegation when they were informed in 2019. On the contrary, Higgins claims, she was asked to attend a formal employment meeting in that very room.

This had prompted an apology from the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. "That should not have happened. And I do apologise," he told local reporters. "There should not be an environment where a young woman can find herself in such a vulnerable situation. That is not OK."

Now, after almost a week of this accusation, another victim has come forward and has accused the same man of sexually assaulting her — making this third allegation against the staffer.

These series of allegations have prompted a concerned response from the country's finance minister, Simon Birmingham who says he has spoken to the sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, about setting up an independent inquiry into the parliamentary culture.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australian-pm-apologises-to-women-who-alleged-rape-in-parliament-364056">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australian-pm-apologises-to-women-who-alleged-rape-in-parliament-364056/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Expressing that these allegations have weighed on him "very, very heavily", he said the lesson from these allegations is clear: that the work environment inside the parliament needs to change.

"Any workplace should be a safe workplace and the parliament should lead by example in terms of providing that safety," he told a local news channel.

He also raised concern about how "distressing" it was that Higgins was made to feel that she had to choose between her filing a police complaint and her "dream job" at the age of 24.

Birmingham is hoping to raise awareness about such instances and how to deal with different scenarios. "This is one of the significant tension points as to at what point the rights of individuals in making their decisions are respected versus the responsibility of others to try to pursue actions if they are not being pursued or undertaken by the individual," he said.

While Higgins has appreciated the apology from Morrison, she is still doubtful about the implementation of the said and desired change.

"The Prime Minister's announcement of an investigation into the culture in Parliament House is a welcomed first-step, though it is long overdue," she said.

After an explosive revelation about a sexual assault accusation in the Australian Parliament, another victim has come forward with allegations against the same staff member.

After an explosive revelation about a sexual assault accusation in the Australian Parliament, another victim has come forward with allegations against the same staff member. A few days ago an Australian citizen, Brittany Higgins, came forward and accused a government employee of raping her in the office of then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019. Higgins had alleged that after a night out drinking with conservative Liberal Party colleagues, she was sexually assaulted by one of her male colleagues in Reyonolds' office. Also read| Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises She also accused her seniors of not taking any appropriate action against this allegation when they were informed in 2019. On the contrary, Higgins claims, she was asked to attend a formal employment meeting in that very room. This had prompted an apology from the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. "That should not have happened. And I do apologise," he told local reporters. "There should not be an environment where a young woman can find herself in such a vulnerable situation. That is not OK." Now, after almost a week of this accusation, another victim has come forward and has accused the same man of sexually assaulting her — making this third allegation against the staffer. These series of allegations have prompted a concerned response from the country's finance minister, Simon Birmingham who says he has spoken to the sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, about setting up an independent inquiry into the parliamentary culture. WATCH| Expressing that these allegations have weighed on him "very, very heavily", he said the lesson from these allegations is clear: that the work environment inside the parliament needs to change. "Any workplace should be a safe workplace and the parliament should lead by example in terms of providing that safety," he told a local news channel. He also raised concern about how "distressing" it was that Higgins was made to feel that she had to choose between her filing a police complaint and her "dream job" at the age of 24. Birmingham is hoping to raise awareness about such instances and how to deal with different scenarios. "This is one of the significant tension points as to at what point the rights of individuals in making their decisions are respected versus the responsibility of others to try to pursue actions if they are not being pursued or undertaken by the individual," he said. While Higgins has appreciated the apology from Morrison, she is still doubtful about the implementation of the said and desired change. "The Prime Minister's announcement of an investigation into the culture in Parliament House is a welcomed first-step, though it is long overdue," she said.

Another allegation made against man accused of rape in Australia Parliament

The family of a 10-year-old Christian boy, who was sexually abused and sodomised by some locals in the Nankana Sahib area, is facing threats to either leave the area or embrace Islam.&nbsp;

While condemning the threats to the family of the victim, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) president Naveed Walter said, "Child abuse is a serious issue in Pakistan. Often the accused are known to the victims".&nbsp;

He further said that on an average about eight to 10 children are subjected to sexual abuse every day. Walter pointed out that social taboos, lack of awareness, culprit's easy access, absence of interaction between the guardians and their children and religious or personal conflicts are among several reasons for such incidents not being reported.&nbsp;

Last year, the Christian boy was reported to have been sexually abused and sodomised by some locals due to some religious conflict among the elders.&nbsp;

On September 26 last year, an FIR was filed but till now, no action has been taken by authorities. The family has informed the HRFP that since the incident, they are being pressurised to either leave the area or embrace Islam.&nbsp;

The family of a 10-year-old Christian boy, who was sexually abused and sodomised by some locals in the Nankana Sahib area, is facing threats to either leave the area or embrace Islam.

The family of a 10-year-old Christian boy, who was sexually abused and sodomised by some locals in the Nankana Sahib area, is facing threats to either leave the area or embrace Islam. While condemning the threats to the family of the victim, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) president Naveed Walter said, "Child abuse is a serious issue in Pakistan. Often the accused are known to the victims". He further said that on an average about eight to 10 children are subjected to sexual abuse every day. Walter pointed out that social taboos, lack of awareness, culprit's easy access, absence of interaction between the guardians and their children and religious or personal conflicts are among several reasons for such incidents not being reported. Last year, the Christian boy was reported to have been sexually abused and sodomised by some locals due to some religious conflict among the elders. On September 26 last year, an FIR was filed but till now, no action has been taken by authorities. The family has informed the HRFP that since the incident, they are being pressurised to either leave the area or embrace Islam.

Rights group condemn threats to sexually abused Pak Christian minor boy

Australia has yet another problem at hand, a rape scandal, and the Prime Minister has had to issue an apology.

The apology came after a former Australian government staffer has said she was raped in a government minister's office in the parliament. She also accused that she was not helped by her bosses even after coming forward.

This has prompted an apology from the Prime Minister. "That should not have happened. And I do apologise," he told local reporters. "There should not be an environment where a young woman can find herself in such a vulnerable situation. That is not OK."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/it-is-wrong-new-zealand-australia-clash-over-responsibility-of-terrorist-with-dual-nationality-363934">NZ-Australia clash over responsibility of terrorist with dual nationality</a>

Brittany Higgins had alleged that after a night out drinking with conservative Liberal Party colleagues, she was sexually assaulted by one of her male colleagues in the now-Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office. The incident which happened in 2019 was, as per Higgings, reported to her superior. However, she was then asked to attend a formal employment meeting in that very room.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-pm-scott-morrison-apologises-to-woman-who-was-raped-in-parliament-363982">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-pm-scott-morrison-apologises-to-woman-who-was-raped-in-parliament-363982/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

She says she was forced to choose between filing a police complaint and her "dream job" at the age of 24.

Higgins' accusation has highlighted the mistreatment of women in the country's political environment, which is believed to be on an alarming rise. Women in politics are also increasingly being subjected to bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-and-facebook-close-to-deals-with-australian-media-363691" hreflang="en">Google and Facebook 'close' to deals with Australian media</a>

While the government, at first, tried to claim they had provided full support to the victim, an official later admitted that the choice of room for the meeting was a huge mistake. Higgins, on the other hand, claims she felt like a "political problem" that needed to be solved and claimed her bosses were highly "uncomfortable" if she brought up the tragedy.

Along with an apology, the Prime Minister also ordered an investigation into such inhumane treatment of women in Parliament in the country.&nbsp;

This was appreciated by Higgins. "The Prime Minister's announcement of an investigation into the culture in Parliament House is a welcomed first-step, though it is long overdue," she said.

Australia has yet another problem at hand, a rape scandal, and the Prime Minister has had to issue an apology. The apology came after a former Australian government staffer has said she was raped in a government minister's office in the parliament.

Australia has yet another problem at hand, a rape scandal, and the Prime Minister has had to issue an apology. The apology came after a former Australian government staffer has said she was raped in a government minister's office in the parliament. She also accused that she was not helped by her bosses even after coming forward. This has prompted an apology from the Prime Minister. "That should not have happened. And I do apologise," he told local reporters. "There should not be an environment where a young woman can find herself in such a vulnerable situation. That is not OK." Also read| NZ-Australia clash over responsibility of terrorist with dual nationality Brittany Higgins had alleged that after a night out drinking with conservative Liberal Party colleagues, she was sexually assaulted by one of her male colleagues in the now-Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office. The incident which happened in 2019 was, as per Higgings, reported to her superior. However, she was then asked to attend a formal employment meeting in that very room. WATCH| She says she was forced to choose between filing a police complaint and her "dream job" at the age of 24. Higgins' accusation has highlighted the mistreatment of women in the country's political environment, which is believed to be on an alarming rise. Women in politics are also increasingly being subjected to bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct. Also read| Google and Facebook 'close' to deals with Australian media While the government, at first, tried to claim they had provided full support to the victim, an official later admitted that the choice of room for the meeting was a huge mistake. Higgins, on the other hand, claims she felt like a "political problem" that needed to be solved and claimed her bosses were highly "uncomfortable" if she brought up the tragedy. Along with an apology, the Prime Minister also ordered an investigation into such inhumane treatment of women in Parliament in the country. This was appreciated by Higgins. "The Prime Minister's announcement of an investigation into the culture in Parliament House is a welcomed first-step, though it is long overdue," she said.

Woman raped in Australian parliament, PM apologises

Salma Hayek is still dealing with the trauma that Harvey Weinstein gave her. Salma was one of several women in Hollywood who accused the producer of sexual misconduct back in 2017. 
 
In the recent interview with the Evening Standard, she shared her feelings and said, "The amazing thing is that I thought I had healed," she told the outlet.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/harvey-weinsteins-victims-to-be-given-17-million-payout-court-359386" hreflang="en">Harvey Weinstein’s victims to be given $17 million payout: Court</a>

"And then everything came out again and I realised I didn’t heal, I repressed and I coped, I adjusted, I went on, so there was a layer of healing because it didn’t stop me from growing. But it was very painful for a long time. I didn’t know there were so many other women affected and that it went so deep. It was very shocking. But the fact that we [took action] together made it really healing... I lived with that for long enough and I detach myself from it now."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/gwyneth-paltrow-to-uma-thurman-harvey-weinstein-and-his-bygone-glamorous-hollywood-life-282677" hreflang="en">Gwyneth Paltrow to Uma Thurman: Harvey Weinstein and his bygone glamorous Hollywood life</a> 
 
The actress, who got her Oscar nomination for the Weinstein-produced 'Frida' in 2003, alleging he sexually harassed her on the set of the biopic. Hayek said she first ran into issues with Weinstein during the 2002 production of the film.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/movie-producer-harvey-weinstein-surrenders-on-sex-assault-charges-139769" hreflang="en">Harvey Weinstein Timeline: Downfall of Hollywood producer from #MeToo to 23 years jail term</a> 
 
Hayek added: ''The fact that we [took action] together made it really healing. I lived with that for long enough and I detach myself from it now''.&nbsp; 
 
More than 80 women, including stars Judd, Rose McGowan and Gwyneth Paltrow, accused Weinstein of sexual assault.&nbsp; 
Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein&nbsp;is currently serving a 23-year prison for&nbsp;his conviction on third-degree rape and forcible sexual assault of two women.

Salma Hayek is still dealing with the trauma that Harvey Weinstein gave her. Salma was one of several women in Hollywood who accused the producer of sexual misconduct back in 2017.

Salma Hayek is still dealing with the trauma that Harvey Weinstein gave her. Salma was one of several women in Hollywood who accused the producer of sexual misconduct back in 2017. In the recent interview with the Evening Standard, she shared her feelings and said, "The amazing thing is that I thought I had healed," she told the outlet. Also read: Harvey Weinstein’s victims to be given $17 million payout: Court "And then everything came out again and I realised I didn’t heal, I repressed and I coped, I adjusted, I went on, so there was a layer of healing because it didn’t stop me from growing. But it was very painful for a long time. I didn’t know there were so many other women affected and that it went so deep. It was very shocking. But the fact that we [took action] together made it really healing... I lived with that for long enough and I detach myself from it now." Also read: Gwyneth Paltrow to Uma Thurman: Harvey Weinstein and his bygone glamorous Hollywood life The actress, who got her Oscar nomination for the Weinstein-produced 'Frida' in 2003, alleging he sexually harassed her on the set of the biopic. Hayek said she first ran into issues with Weinstein during the 2002 production of the film. Also read: Harvey Weinstein Timeline: Downfall of Hollywood producer from #MeToo to 23 years jail term Hayek added: ''The fact that we [took action] together made it really healing. I lived with that for long enough and I detach myself from it now''. More than 80 women, including stars Judd, Rose McGowan and Gwyneth Paltrow, accused Weinstein of sexual assault. Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison for his conviction on third-degree rape and forcible sexual assault of two women.

Salma Hayek reveals she is still suffering from trauma caused by Harvey Weinstein

Domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate all over the world in the lockdown during the pandemic year. The government of the UK has taken it upon themselves to provide help to victims of abuse by launching a special campaign.

As the country entered another lockdown, the UK ministers have launched a national scheme where abuse victims can visit any local pharmacy and ask for "Ani". Once the customer uses the code word, the staff present at the pharmacies will be alerted.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-rise-in-domestic-violence-cases-as-covid-19-lockdown-turns-into-captivity-for-many-women-290213">Global rise in domestic violence cases as Covid-19 lockdown turns into captivity for many women</a>

As soon as the customer/victim asks for "Ani", he/she will be given a chance to go to a private space to talk on an urgent basis and will then be given opportunities to reach out for help to the police and other&nbsp;domestic abuse helplines.

The code word "Ani" stands for "action needed immediately". As of now, the scheme has been brought into effect with immediate effect in&nbsp;2,300 Boots stores and in 255 independent pharmacies. More local pharmacies have been urged to sign up for this nation-wide run scheme.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-to-use-gps-tags-to-track-domestic-violence-abusers-experts-unsure-about-effectiveness-338495">&nbsp;France to use GPS tags to track domestic violence abusers. Experts unsure about effectiveness</a>

While this is a government-run scheme, British ministers are individually, too, urging local businesses and employers to provide better safeguarding and support to employees they suspect are being subjected to domestic or sexual abuse at home amid another lockdown.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No one should have to suffer domestic abuse in silence. From experience, I know that bosses &amp; colleagues can play a crucial role helping survivors access support. 
 
I've written to employers across the UK setting out simple steps they can take to do more👇<a href="https://t.co/U5gPqQ4N5a">https://t.co/U5gPqQ4N5a</a>
— Paul Scully MP (@scullyp) <a href="https://twitter.com/scullyp/status/1349692754843066368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Paul Scully, a Conservative MP, has written an open letter to employers urging the same. "As you may be aware, the first lockdown in March last year precipitated a surge in calls for domestic abuse services, with Refuge reporting an 80% increase in calls to their domestic abuse hotline," his letter read. "Troubling recent reports seem to indicate that this trend has continued in the current lockdown. In light of this, I would like to urge you to look at what more your organisation can do to help survivors of domestic abuse."

Scully also listed out various points for employers through which they can help their employees. The points included steps such as raising awareness about domestic abuse, promoting inclusiveness, extending support and free support etc.

Domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate all over the world in the lockdown during the pandemic year. The government of the UK has taken it upon themselves to provide help to victims of abuse by launching a special campaign.

Domestic abuse has increased at an alarming rate all over the world in the lockdown during the pandemic year. The government of the UK has taken it upon themselves to provide help to victims of abuse by launching a special campaign. As the country entered another lockdown, the UK ministers have launched a national scheme where abuse victims can visit any local pharmacy and ask for "Ani". Once the customer uses the code word, the staff present at the pharmacies will be alerted. Also read| Global rise in domestic violence cases as Covid-19 lockdown turns into captivity for many women As soon as the customer/victim asks for "Ani", he/she will be given a chance to go to a private space to talk on an urgent basis and will then be given opportunities to reach out for help to the police and other domestic abuse helplines. The code word "Ani" stands for "action needed immediately". As of now, the scheme has been brought into effect with immediate effect in 2,300 Boots stores and in 255 independent pharmacies. More local pharmacies have been urged to sign up for this nation-wide run scheme. Also read| France to use GPS tags to track domestic violence abusers. Experts unsure about effectiveness While this is a government-run scheme, British ministers are individually, too, urging local businesses and employers to provide better safeguarding and support to employees they suspect are being subjected to domestic or sexual abuse at home amid another lockdown. No one should have to suffer domestic abuse in silence. From experience, I know that bosses & colleagues can play a crucial role helping survivors access support. I've written to employers across the UK setting out simple steps they can take to do more👇https://t.co/U5gPqQ4N5a — Paul Scully MP (@scullyp) January 14, 2021 × Paul Scully, a Conservative MP, has written an open letter to employers urging the same. "As you may be aware, the first lockdown in March last year precipitated a surge in calls for domestic abuse services, with Refuge reporting an 80% increase in calls to their domestic abuse hotline," his letter read. "Troubling recent reports seem to indicate that this trend has continued in the current lockdown. In light of this, I would like to urge you to look at what more your organisation can do to help survivors of domestic abuse." Scully also listed out various points for employers through which they can help their employees. The points included steps such as raising awareness about domestic abuse, promoting inclusiveness, extending support and free support etc.

Ask for Ani: UK provides code word for domestic abuse survivors

A Court in Istanbul on Monday slapped cult leader Adnan Oktar with over 1,000 years in prison for 10 separate crimes, according to a judicial source.&nbsp;

Adnan Oktar is the head of a cult that is considered a criminal organization by prosecutors. The 64-year-old Oktar and dozens of his followers were arrested in simultaneous nationwide raids in 2018.&nbsp;

Oktar preached conservative views while women he called his "kittens" -- many of whom appeared to have had plastic surgery -- danced around him in the TV studio.

He was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud and attempted political and military espionage, the private NTV broadcaster reported.&nbsp;

Some 236 suspects have been on trial in the case, 78 of whom are under arrest, according to the official Anadolu news agency.

The hearings have featured lurid details and harrowing sex crime allegations.

Oktar told the presiding judge in December that he had close to 1,000 girlfriends.&nbsp;

"There is an overflowing of love in my heart for women. Love is a human quality. It is a quality of a Muslim," he said in another hearing in October.

He added on another occasion: "I am extraordinarily potent."

Oktar first came to public attention in the 1990s when he was the leader of a sect that was caught up in multiple sex scandals.

His online A9 television channel began broadcasting in 2011, drawing denunciations from Turkey's religious leaders.

One of the women at his trial, identified only as CC, told the court that Oktar had repeatedly sexually abused her and other women.

Some of the women he had raped were forced to take contraceptive pills, CC told the court.

Asked about 69,000 contraception pills found in his home by the police, Oktar said they were used to treat skin disorders and menstrual irregularities.

He also dismissed any link to a group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkish authorities accuse of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016.

Oktar is a creationist who rejects the Darwinian theory of evolution and has written a 770-page book called "The Atlas of Creation" under the pen name, Harun Yahya.

(With inputs from agencies)

A Court in Istanbul on Monday slapped cult leader Adnan Oktar with over 1,000 years in prison for 10 separate crimes, according to a judicial source. Adnan Oktar is the head of a cult that is considered a criminal organization by prosecutors.

A Court in Istanbul on Monday slapped cult leader Adnan Oktar with over 1,000 years in prison for 10 separate crimes, according to a judicial source. Adnan Oktar is the head of a cult that is considered a criminal organization by prosecutors. The 64-year-old Oktar and dozens of his followers were arrested in simultaneous nationwide raids in 2018. Oktar preached conservative views while women he called his "kittens" -- many of whom appeared to have had plastic surgery -- danced around him in the TV studio. He was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud and attempted political and military espionage, the private NTV broadcaster reported. Some 236 suspects have been on trial in the case, 78 of whom are under arrest, according to the official Anadolu news agency. The hearings have featured lurid details and harrowing sex crime allegations. Oktar told the presiding judge in December that he had close to 1,000 girlfriends. "There is an overflowing of love in my heart for women. Love is a human quality. It is a quality of a Muslim," he said in another hearing in October. He added on another occasion: "I am extraordinarily potent." Oktar first came to public attention in the 1990s when he was the leader of a sect that was caught up in multiple sex scandals. His online A9 television channel began broadcasting in 2011, drawing denunciations from Turkey's religious leaders. One of the women at his trial, identified only as CC, told the court that Oktar had repeatedly sexually abused her and other women. Some of the women he had raped were forced to take contraceptive pills, CC told the court. Asked about 69,000 contraception pills found in his home by the police, Oktar said they were used to treat skin disorders and menstrual irregularities. He also dismissed any link to a group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkish authorities accuse of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016. Oktar is a creationist who rejects the Darwinian theory of evolution and has written a 770-page book called "The Atlas of Creation" under the pen name, Harun Yahya. (With inputs from agencies)

Turkish religious cult leader Adnan Oktar jailed for 1,075 years  for sex crimes

One of France's most prominent political commentators is facing a criminal investigation after being accused of the sexual abuse of his stepson, in the latest taboo-breaking scandal to rock the French intellectual elite.

Olivier Duhamel, 70, who has described the incest allegations as "personal attacks", is accused in a new book, written by his stepdaughter Camille Kouchner, of abusing her twin brother when they were aged 14.

Paris prosecutors said Tuesday they were opening an investigation into Duhamel over suspected rape and sexual abuse of a minor by a person in authority. He has stepped down from all his media and academic posts amid the furore.

The book "La Familia grande", which is due to be published on Thursday, has shocked French intellectual circles given Duhamel's prominence and close connections to the elite.

While many commentators have cast France as being slow to break longstanding taboos over the abuse of minors, this is not the first such controversy to make headlines over the last year.

Publisher Vanessa Springora, in a book published in January 2020, accused prize-winning writer Gabriel Matzneff of abusing her while she was a minor. Film star Adele Haenel in November 2019 accused director Christophe Ruggia of sexually harassing her when she was in her early teens.

Haenel and other French actresses also in February last year walked out of France's Cesar awards after filmmaker Roman Polanski -- wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977 –- won best director.

'I knew and said nothing'

Duhamel said on Twitter that he was resigning from all his posts following the allegations, including as head of the National Foundation of Political Sciences (FNSP), a body that oversees the hugely prestigious Sciences Po university.

"I am stepping down from my posts after being the target of personal attacks as I want to preserve the institutions in which I work," said Duhamel, who also until now presented a show on Europe 1 radio and is an analyst on LCI TV.

Camille Kouchner, now 45 and a lecturer, and her twin brother are the children of France's former foreign minister and co-founder of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical charity Bernard Kouchner and academic Evelyne Pisier, who died in 2017.

Kouchner and Pisier separated and she went on to marry Duhamel.

"I was 14 years old and let it go ahead. I was 14, I knew and said nothing," Camille Kouchner wrote in the book.

In the book, she names her brother only as "Victor" in order to protect his privacy. But Le Monde daily said he had read the text twice and was happy for his sister to speak on his behalf.

"I confirm that what my sister has written concerning the actions of Olivier Duhamel towards me is correct," "Victor" told Le Monde, without commenting further.

'Heavy secret'

In an interview with L'Obs magazine, Kouchner said the book revealed to what extent Duhamel's and Pisier's group of leftist intellectual friends, some of them household names in France, knew what was going on.

"Of course, I thought my book might seem obscene because of my family's fame. Then I thought to myself, this is exactly what needs to be done," she said.

In the book, she alleges a de-facto omerta had protected her stepfather from the truth being widely known.

"Very quickly, the people in power, Saint-Germain-des-Pres (the traditional hub in Paris for leftist thinkers) were aware. Many knew and most acted as if nothing had happened."

The book says that after his mother's death, "Victor" told his father Bernard Kouchner about what had happened. He pledged to confront Duhamel but was persuaded against doing so by Camille herself, on the grounds "Victor" wanted the family to move on.

In a statement released by his lawyer, Bernard Kouchner said that a "heavy secret that has been weighing on us for too long has happily been lifted. I applaud the courage of my daughter Camille".

One of France's most prominent political commentators is facing a criminal investigation after being accused of the sexual abuse of his stepson, in the latest taboo-breaking scandal to rock the French intellectual elite.

One of France's most prominent political commentators is facing a criminal investigation after being accused of the sexual abuse of his stepson, in the latest taboo-breaking scandal to rock the French intellectual elite. Olivier Duhamel, 70, who has described the incest allegations as "personal attacks", is accused in a new book, written by his stepdaughter Camille Kouchner, of abusing her twin brother when they were aged 14. Paris prosecutors said Tuesday they were opening an investigation into Duhamel over suspected rape and sexual abuse of a minor by a person in authority. He has stepped down from all his media and academic posts amid the furore. The book "La Familia grande", which is due to be published on Thursday, has shocked French intellectual circles given Duhamel's prominence and close connections to the elite. While many commentators have cast France as being slow to break longstanding taboos over the abuse of minors, this is not the first such controversy to make headlines over the last year. Publisher Vanessa Springora, in a book published in January 2020, accused prize-winning writer Gabriel Matzneff of abusing her while she was a minor. Film star Adele Haenel in November 2019 accused director Christophe Ruggia of sexually harassing her when she was in her early teens. Haenel and other French actresses also in February last year walked out of France's Cesar awards after filmmaker Roman Polanski -- wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977 –- won best director. 'I knew and said nothing' Duhamel said on Twitter that he was resigning from all his posts following the allegations, including as head of the National Foundation of Political Sciences (FNSP), a body that oversees the hugely prestigious Sciences Po university. "I am stepping down from my posts after being the target of personal attacks as I want to preserve the institutions in which I work," said Duhamel, who also until now presented a show on Europe 1 radio and is an analyst on LCI TV. Camille Kouchner, now 45 and a lecturer, and her twin brother are the children of France's former foreign minister and co-founder of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical charity Bernard Kouchner and academic Evelyne Pisier, who died in 2017. Kouchner and Pisier separated and she went on to marry Duhamel. "I was 14 years old and let it go ahead. I was 14, I knew and said nothing," Camille Kouchner wrote in the book. In the book, she names her brother only as "Victor" in order to protect his privacy. But Le Monde daily said he had read the text twice and was happy for his sister to speak on his behalf. "I confirm that what my sister has written concerning the actions of Olivier Duhamel towards me is correct," "Victor" told Le Monde, without commenting further. 'Heavy secret' In an interview with L'Obs magazine, Kouchner said the book revealed to what extent Duhamel's and Pisier's group of leftist intellectual friends, some of them household names in France, knew what was going on. "Of course, I thought my book might seem obscene because of my family's fame. Then I thought to myself, this is exactly what needs to be done," she said. In the book, she alleges a de-facto omerta had protected her stepfather from the truth being widely known. "Very quickly, the people in power, Saint-Germain-des-Pres (the traditional hub in Paris for leftist thinkers) were aware. Many knew and most acted as if nothing had happened." The book says that after his mother's death, "Victor" told his father Bernard Kouchner about what had happened. He pledged to confront Duhamel but was persuaded against doing so by Camille herself, on the grounds "Victor" wanted the family to move on. In a statement released by his lawyer, Bernard Kouchner said that a "heavy secret that has been weighing on us for too long has happily been lifted. I applaud the courage of my daughter Camille".

French political expert accused of incest in new taboo-breaking scandal

In a historic decision, the Lahore High Court has declared virginity tests on&nbsp;sexual assault survivors to be illegal and announced that the practice has "no medical basis" and "offends the personal dignity of the female victim and therefore is against the right to life and right to dignity."

Till now, all sexual assault survivors are put through a virginity test, which is conducted by&nbsp;inspecting the hymen or inserting two fingers into the vagina. This practice, apparently, determines whether or not a woman is a virgin.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/start-reconstruction-of-vandalised-hindu-temple-within-two-weeks-pakistan-supreme-court-354580" hreflang="en">Start reconstruction of vandalised Hindu temple within two weeks: Pakistan Supreme Court</a>

This test is a common practice in a few countries around the globe, especially Pakistan where the test is conducted to assess a girl's "honor or virtue", according to World Health Organization.

However, in&nbsp;a landmark ruling, the Lahore High Court declared this practice to be illegal. The concern&nbsp;was raised in two petitions in June 2020 by&nbsp;a group of women's rights activists, academics, journalists, advocates and a member of the National Assembly who requested a ban on this test claiming it to be 'unscientific, intrusive, demeaning and a source of retraumatization'.

Declaring it to be discriminatory against women, Justice Ayesha Malik said there was "no forensic value in cases of sexual violence" and asked the concerned government officials to issue directives to ensure a written an oral guideline is passed immediately to put a permanent ban on these virginity tests.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistani-hazara-families-refuse-to-bury-mach-massacre-victims-354545" hreflang="en">Pakistani Hazara families refuse to bury Mach massacre victims</a>

"Virginity testing is highly invasive, having no scientific or medical requirement, yet carried out in the name of medical protocols in sexual violence cases. It is a humiliating practice, which is used to cast suspicion on the victim, as opposed to focusing on the accused and the incident of sexual violence," Malik said in the official court documents.

Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari took to Twitter to thank Justice malik for her decision and said the decision "is a bold and clear judgement against the demeaning and absurd "two-finger test". A landmark judgement indeed. It also strengthens the ban placed on this test in the anti-rape ordinance against the detractors."

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Justice Ayesha Malik's decision today is a bold and clear judgement against the demeaning and absurd "two-finger test". A landmark judgement indeed. It also strengthens the ban placed on this test in the anti-rape ordinance against the detractors.
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The petitioners and women rights groups applauded the decision by the Lahore High Court and emphasised the impact this decision would have on women's rights in general too. "This is so important because so much emphasis has been placed in our culture as the hymen being signifier of the purity of a woman," said Sahar Bandial, an advocate of the Lahore High Court and one of the lawyers who filed the petition. "There is an inference that the woman is of easy virtue and likely to have consented to sexual activity."

In a historic decision, the Lahore High Court has declared virginity tests on sexual assault survivors to be illegal and announced that the practice has "no medical basis" and "offends the personal dignity of the female victim and therefore is against the right to life and right to dignity.

In a historic decision, the Lahore High Court has declared virginity tests on sexual assault survivors to be illegal and announced that the practice has "no medical basis" and "offends the personal dignity of the female victim and therefore is against the right to life and right to dignity." Till now, all sexual assault survivors are put through a virginity test, which is conducted by inspecting the hymen or inserting two fingers into the vagina. This practice, apparently, determines whether or not a woman is a virgin. Also read| Start reconstruction of vandalised Hindu temple within two weeks: Pakistan Supreme Court This test is a common practice in a few countries around the globe, especially Pakistan where the test is conducted to assess a girl's "honor or virtue", according to World Health Organization. However, in a landmark ruling, the Lahore High Court declared this practice to be illegal. The concern was raised in two petitions in June 2020 by a group of women's rights activists, academics, journalists, advocates and a member of the National Assembly who requested a ban on this test claiming it to be 'unscientific, intrusive, demeaning and a source of retraumatization'. Declaring it to be discriminatory against women, Justice Ayesha Malik said there was "no forensic value in cases of sexual violence" and asked the concerned government officials to issue directives to ensure a written an oral guideline is passed immediately to put a permanent ban on these virginity tests. Also read| Pakistani Hazara families refuse to bury Mach massacre victims "Virginity testing is highly invasive, having no scientific or medical requirement, yet carried out in the name of medical protocols in sexual violence cases. It is a humiliating practice, which is used to cast suspicion on the victim, as opposed to focusing on the accused and the incident of sexual violence," Malik said in the official court documents. Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari took to Twitter to thank Justice malik for her decision and said the decision "is a bold and clear judgement against the demeaning and absurd "two-finger test". A landmark judgement indeed. It also strengthens the ban placed on this test in the anti-rape ordinance against the detractors." Justice Ayesha Malik's decision today is a bold and clear judgement against the demeaning and absurd "two-finger test". A landmark judgement indeed. It also strengthens the ban placed on this test in the anti-rape ordinance against the detractors. — Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 4, 2021 × The petitioners and women rights groups applauded the decision by the Lahore High Court and emphasised the impact this decision would have on women's rights in general too. "This is so important because so much emphasis has been placed in our culture as the hymen being signifier of the purity of a woman," said Sahar Bandial, an advocate of the Lahore High Court and one of the lawyers who filed the petition. "There is an inference that the woman is of easy virtue and likely to have consented to sexual activity."

Pakistan bans infamous 'virginity test' on sexual assault survivors

A Pakistani religious leader has been arrested on Friday for collecting "obscene" images of a minor girl and blackmailing the family.&nbsp;

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) crime cell arrested the suspect following a successful raid, Faizullah Korejo, the agency's additional director at its Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Karachi said as reported by Dawn.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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Korejo said a "brave mother" informed them that they have appointed a Qari (religious teacher) to teach Quran to her children at home.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/provincial-govt-to-pay-for-pakistan-hindu-temple-destroyed-by-mob-353834">Provincial govt to pay for Pakistan Hindu temple destroyed by mob</a>

Later, the 13-year-old child complained that the teacher is "physically abusing" her while teaching and was even in possession of "obscene" images of her for blackmailing.&nbsp;

The accused also sent the photographs to the girl's mother via Whatsapp for blackmailing.&nbsp;

"The accused was threatening the family that if his unethical demands were not met, he would make the pictures viral on social media," said Korejo.

The FIA official said that then one of their teams conducted a raid to nab the suspect.&nbsp;

The suspect was arrested and his mobile phone was confiscated that showed "obscene" image of the minor, Korejo said.

The religious leader has been booked under various sections of Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and Pakistan Penal Code.&nbsp;

The FIA took service of a stress counsellor for the minor victim to give her professional counselling.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A Pakistani religious leader has been arrested on Friday for collecting "obscene" images of a minor girl and blackmailing the family. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) crime cell arrested the suspect following a successful raid, Faizullah Korejo, the agency's additional director at its Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Karachi said as reported by Dawn.

A Pakistani religious leader has been arrested on Friday for collecting "obscene" images of a minor girl and blackmailing the family. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) crime cell arrested the suspect following a successful raid, Faizullah Korejo, the agency's additional director at its Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Karachi said as reported by Dawn. Watch | Korejo said a "brave mother" informed them that they have appointed a Qari (religious teacher) to teach Quran to her children at home. Also read | Provincial govt to pay for Pakistan Hindu temple destroyed by mob Later, the 13-year-old child complained that the teacher is "physically abusing" her while teaching and was even in possession of "obscene" images of her for blackmailing. The accused also sent the photographs to the girl's mother via Whatsapp for blackmailing. "The accused was threatening the family that if his unethical demands were not met, he would make the pictures viral on social media," said Korejo. The FIA official said that then one of their teams conducted a raid to nab the suspect. The suspect was arrested and his mobile phone was confiscated that showed "obscene" image of the minor, Korejo said. The religious leader has been booked under various sections of Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and Pakistan Penal Code. The FIA took service of a stress counsellor for the minor victim to give her professional counselling.

Pakistan: Religious leader arrested for abusing, blackmailing minor girl

The Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from the age of 12 to 16. Once the bill is approved, the legal age for sexual consent in the Catholic-majority country would go up.

The country has one of the world’s lowest ages of consent in the world. The Philippines allows adults to legally engage in sexual intercourse with children as young as 12.

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Child rights activists have been demanding this change for years. The legal age has been enshrined in the country’s penal code since 1930. But to much resistance, change was not brought in earlier.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/south-china-sea-us-vows-support-to-philippines-and-vietnam-over-row-with-china-344931" hreflang="en">South China Sea: US vows support to Philippines and Vietnam over row with China</a>

The country has also banned abortion and divorce, with the Congress set to increase the age of sexual consent to 16. Activists feel that this move would help protect youngsters across the country, where online child sex abuse is rampant, and more than 500 teenagers get impregnated and give birth everyday.

“This is a victory for Filipino children”, announced Patrizia Benvenuti, UNICEF's chief of child protection in the Philippines. Currently, the legislation is inching closer to a final vote, and many believe that keeping 12 as the age of consent for kids is inconsistent with studies on brain development.

Data paints a grim picture of the state of child rights in the Philippines, where child rape and sexual abuse are rampant.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/american-nsas-visit-to-vietnam-philippines-represents-cold-war-mentality-chinese-embassies-345190" hreflang="en">American NSA's visit to Vietnam, Philippines represents 'Cold War mentality': Chinese embassies</a>

A woman or child is raped every hour in the country, as claimed by a senator - Risa Hontiveros, in a document citing numbers from the Center for Women’s Resources. The data also revealed that seven out of 10 victims of abuse are children, with the majority being girls.

The legislation could pave way for stronger calls for the protection of girls in the country. A government supported study from 2015 showed that one in five children aged 13-17 experienced sexual violence, while one in 25 experienced rape in the country.

The Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from the age of 12 to 16. Once the bill is approved, the legal age for sexual consent in the Catholic-majority country would go up.

The Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from the age of 12 to 16. Once the bill is approved, the legal age for sexual consent in the Catholic-majority country would go up. The country has one of the world’s lowest ages of consent in the world. The Philippines allows adults to legally engage in sexual intercourse with children as young as 12. Child rights activists have been demanding this change for years. The legal age has been enshrined in the country’s penal code since 1930. But to much resistance, change was not brought in earlier. Also read: South China Sea: US vows support to Philippines and Vietnam over row with China The country has also banned abortion and divorce, with the Congress set to increase the age of sexual consent to 16. Activists feel that this move would help protect youngsters across the country, where online child sex abuse is rampant, and more than 500 teenagers get impregnated and give birth everyday. “This is a victory for Filipino children”, announced Patrizia Benvenuti, UNICEF's chief of child protection in the Philippines. Currently, the legislation is inching closer to a final vote, and many believe that keeping 12 as the age of consent for kids is inconsistent with studies on brain development. Data paints a grim picture of the state of child rights in the Philippines, where child rape and sexual abuse are rampant. Also read: American NSA's visit to Vietnam, Philippines represents 'Cold War mentality': Chinese embassies A woman or child is raped every hour in the country, as claimed by a senator - Risa Hontiveros, in a document citing numbers from the Center for Women’s Resources. The data also revealed that seven out of 10 victims of abuse are children, with the majority being girls. The legislation could pave way for stronger calls for the protection of girls in the country. A government supported study from 2015 showed that one in five children aged 13-17 experienced sexual violence, while one in 25 experienced rape in the country.

Philippines to raise age of sexual consent from 12 to 16

In a historic decision, Lebanon's parliament has passed a bill&nbsp;criminalising sexual harassment, especially in the workplace, and has also brought a positive change in the infamous&nbsp;domestic violence law.

The new law "criminalises sexual harassment, especially in the workplace", the official National News Agency reported.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pm-imran-khan-in-spotlight-as-pakistan-passes-new-rape-law-350282">PM Imran Khan in spotlight as Pakistan passes new rape law</a>

As per the new law, all perpetrators, if proven guilty, can be sentenced to up to two years of prison time and will be fined 20 times the value of the minimum wage of the country — which amounts up to&nbsp;$450 (675,000 Lebanese pounds).

In addition to this, the parliament also decided that the&nbsp;maximum penalties will be reserved especially for harassment faced by women and others in workplaces and all public and educational institutions.

The Parliament has also expanded the definition of domestic violence — a moe which has been waited for since the legislation's establishment in 2014. Earlier, several activists had criticised the legislation for having a narrow definition of 'domestic violence' and for&nbsp;failing to specifically criminalise marital rape. However, now, the parliament said it "penalises economic and psychological violence".

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-a-bid-to-affirm-dignity-of-lgbtq-over-370-religious-leaders-demand-end-to-conversion-therapy-350475">In a bid to affirm dignity of LGBTQ, over 370 religious leaders demand end to conversion therapy</a>

UN Women Lebanon praised the law's endorsement of "important protection-related measures that strengthen the legal framework to end violence against women" in the country.

While the decision has been welcomed by masses, several activists still feel the ruling fails to give full protection and justice to women.

The legislation allows victims to use criminal justice system, instead of civil courts, due to which the victims will have to be named and the cases will be made public. "This is a major obstacle for victims and does not give them the incentive to file complaints," said&nbsp;Karim Nammour, a lawyer.

Another obstacle is that the Parliament has failed to lay down penalties for marital rape. "Marriage to the victim should not exempt a sexual offender from punishment," explained&nbsp;Aya Majzoub, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch in an interview to AFP.

In a historic decision, Lebanon's parliament has passed a bill criminalising sexual harassment, especially in the workplace, and has also brought a positive change in the infamous domestic violence law.

In a historic decision, Lebanon's parliament has passed a bill criminalising sexual harassment, especially in the workplace, and has also brought a positive change in the infamous domestic violence law. The new law "criminalises sexual harassment, especially in the workplace", the official National News Agency reported. Also read| PM Imran Khan in spotlight as Pakistan passes new rape law As per the new law, all perpetrators, if proven guilty, can be sentenced to up to two years of prison time and will be fined 20 times the value of the minimum wage of the country — which amounts up to $450 (675,000 Lebanese pounds). In addition to this, the parliament also decided that the maximum penalties will be reserved especially for harassment faced by women and others in workplaces and all public and educational institutions. The Parliament has also expanded the definition of domestic violence — a moe which has been waited for since the legislation's establishment in 2014. Earlier, several activists had criticised the legislation for having a narrow definition of 'domestic violence' and for failing to specifically criminalise marital rape. However, now, the parliament said it "penalises economic and psychological violence". Also read| In a bid to affirm dignity of LGBTQ, over 370 religious leaders demand end to conversion therapy UN Women Lebanon praised the law's endorsement of "important protection-related measures that strengthen the legal framework to end violence against women" in the country. While the decision has been welcomed by masses, several activists still feel the ruling fails to give full protection and justice to women. The legislation allows victims to use criminal justice system, instead of civil courts, due to which the victims will have to be named and the cases will be made public. "This is a major obstacle for victims and does not give them the incentive to file complaints," said Karim Nammour, a lawyer. Another obstacle is that the Parliament has failed to lay down penalties for marital rape. "Marriage to the victim should not exempt a sexual offender from punishment," explained Aya Majzoub, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch in an interview to AFP.

Historic ruling: Lebanon's parliament criminalises sexual harassment

Up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in New Zealand's faith-based and state care institutions in the past several decades, a public inquiry revealed on Wednesday.

An interim report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the historic abuse of children in state care estimated that up to 256,000 people were abused between 1950 and 2019. This accounts for almost 40% of the 655,000 people in care during that period.

"The hurt and anguish that has been caused in New Zealand’s history are inexcusable,” said Minister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins, who described the report as a "difficult rad".

"All children in the care of the state should be safe from harm, but as the testimony sets out all too often the opposite was true."

The report said most abuse survivors were aged between 5 and 17, but some were as young as 9 months and as old as 20. Most were abused over a five to 10 year period.

The abuse included physical assault and sexual abuse, with staff in some psychiatric institutions forcing male patients to rape female patients. It also included the improper use of medical procedures including electric shocks on genitals and legs, improper strip searches and vaginal examinations, and verbal abuse and racial slurs.

"Sometimes I'd have shock treatment twice a day," said Anne, who at 17 was placed in a psychiatric institution in 1979.

"The records (said) I went blind, then they gave me shock treatment again that night," she told the inquiry.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the Royal Commission in 2018 saying the country needed to confront "a dark chapter" in its history, and later expanded it to include churches and other faith-based institutions.

The report said the likelihood of children and young people abused in faith-based or religious homes ranges from 21% to 42%.

It found the number of people passing through care institutions was six times higher than previously estimated.

"On any assessment, this is a serious and long-standing social problem that needs to be addressed," the report said, adding there was evidence that abuse continued today.

The report comes after private and public redress hearings where survivors bravely narrated harrowing accounts of physical and sexual abuse.

One Maori survivor, Peter, told the inquiry he drove a car off a cliff in an attempt to suicide to escape the abuse.

"I didn't wanna live anymore. I went over a cliff and smashed head-on into a bank. Again, if anybody just stopped and looked at why, they would have figured something out, but they didn't," he said.

The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand said it would study the report to learn how to deal with complaints and prevent abuse.

The report acknowledged that indigenous Maori children probably suffered the most, as 81% of children abused in care are Māori, while 69% of the children in care are Māori.

It said some faith-based institutions sought to "cleanse", through sexual and physical abuse, the cultural identity from Maori people in care.

Thousands of Maori people protested across New Zealand last year calling for an end to the practice of taking at-risk children away from families and placing them in state care.

Critics of the practice have said the process is racially skewed against the Maori and is a legacy of colonisation.

Neighbouring Australia delivered a national apology in 2017 after a five-year inquiry into child sexual abuse revealed thousands of cases of sexual misconduct largely committed at religious and state-run institutions.

Up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in New Zealand's faith-based and state care institutions in the past several decades, a public inquiry revealed on Wednesday.

Up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in New Zealand's faith-based and state care institutions in the past several decades, a public inquiry revealed on Wednesday. An interim report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the historic abuse of children in state care estimated that up to 256,000 people were abused between 1950 and 2019. This accounts for almost 40% of the 655,000 people in care during that period. "The hurt and anguish that has been caused in New Zealand’s history are inexcusable,” said Minister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins, who described the report as a "difficult rad". "All children in the care of the state should be safe from harm, but as the testimony sets out all too often the opposite was true." The report said most abuse survivors were aged between 5 and 17, but some were as young as 9 months and as old as 20. Most were abused over a five to 10 year period. The abuse included physical assault and sexual abuse, with staff in some psychiatric institutions forcing male patients to rape female patients. It also included the improper use of medical procedures including electric shocks on genitals and legs, improper strip searches and vaginal examinations, and verbal abuse and racial slurs. "Sometimes I'd have shock treatment twice a day," said Anne, who at 17 was placed in a psychiatric institution in 1979. "The records (said) I went blind, then they gave me shock treatment again that night," she told the inquiry. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the Royal Commission in 2018 saying the country needed to confront "a dark chapter" in its history, and later expanded it to include churches and other faith-based institutions. The report said the likelihood of children and young people abused in faith-based or religious homes ranges from 21% to 42%. It found the number of people passing through care institutions was six times higher than previously estimated. "On any assessment, this is a serious and long-standing social problem that needs to be addressed," the report said, adding there was evidence that abuse continued today. The report comes after private and public redress hearings where survivors bravely narrated harrowing accounts of physical and sexual abuse. One Maori survivor, Peter, told the inquiry he drove a car off a cliff in an attempt to suicide to escape the abuse. "I didn't wanna live anymore. I went over a cliff and smashed head-on into a bank. Again, if anybody just stopped and looked at why, they would have figured something out, but they didn't," he said. The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand said it would study the report to learn how to deal with complaints and prevent abuse. The report acknowledged that indigenous Maori children probably suffered the most, as 81% of children abused in care are Māori, while 69% of the children in care are Māori. It said some faith-based institutions sought to "cleanse", through sexual and physical abuse, the cultural identity from Maori people in care. Thousands of Maori people protested across New Zealand last year calling for an end to the practice of taking at-risk children away from families and placing them in state care. Critics of the practice have said the process is racially skewed against the Maori and is a legacy of colonisation. Neighbouring Australia delivered a national apology in 2017 after a five-year inquiry into child sexual abuse revealed thousands of cases of sexual misconduct largely committed at religious and state-run institutions.

Over 250,000 abused in New Zealand’s state and faith-based care

Social media and other internet companies face big fines in Britain if they don’t limit the amount of harmful material such as child sexual abuse or terrorist content on their platforms

UK plans big fines for online companies over harmful content

A female counsellor of a Japanese town has been voted out of office after she accused the mayor of the town,&nbsp;Nobutada Kuroiwa, of sexual assault in the past.

Shoko Arai is the only female counsellor of&nbsp;Kusatsu. She claimed the Mayor had "forced (her) into sexual relations" while she was in his office a few years back. The Mayor, however, denied these accusations.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/court-hearing-begins-in-sexual-harassment-case-marking-chinas-metoo-movement-346839">Court hearing begins in sexual harassment case marking China's MeToo movement</a>

However, a few colleagues of her have now hit back at her claiming she has ruined the reputation of their town by making such accusations against the Mayor. They also questioned as to why did she not report the incident earlier. Arai, however, said she had been too afraid to go to the police immediately after the incident.

Arai claimed the 73-year-old Mayor "suddenly pulled me closer, kissed me and pushed (me) down on the floor" so hard that she&nbsp;"couldn't push him back."

The Mayor, however, has denied these accusations claiming the doors and curtains to his office were open on the day Arai has claimed the incident took place. He has also filed a defamation case against the politician now.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-22-year-old-force-behind-egypts-growing-metoo-movement-332193">The 22-year-old force behind Egypt’s growing #MeToo movement</a>

The female counsellor was also removed from office by her colleagues who have accused her of passing "scandalous" remarks against the leadership of the town which has negatively affected "the dignity" of the council. While locals tried to overturn the decision, the politicians were able to collect enough signatures from voters to recall the vote. "2,542 out of 2,835 residents who voted supported the recall," town spokesman said.

Arai has slammed this decision as unjust and has vowed&nbsp;she "will not be terrorised by pressure from people with power".

"There is no reason for dismissing me,” she said. “A recall spearheaded by influential figures in the town, such as the mayor and assembly members, runs counter to the philosophy of the recall system."

The lawmakers of the town feel this will be a backward move in their continuous effort of wanting to restore "restoring the damaged reputation of the town".

A female counsellor of a Japanese town has been voted out of office after she accused the mayor of the town, Nobutada Kuroiwa, of sexual assault in the past. Shoko Arai is the only female counsellor of Kusatsu.

A female counsellor of a Japanese town has been voted out of office after she accused the mayor of the town, Nobutada Kuroiwa, of sexual assault in the past. Shoko Arai is the only female counsellor of Kusatsu. She claimed the Mayor had "forced (her) into sexual relations" while she was in his office a few years back. The Mayor, however, denied these accusations. Also read| Court hearing begins in sexual harassment case marking China's MeToo movement However, a few colleagues of her have now hit back at her claiming she has ruined the reputation of their town by making such accusations against the Mayor. They also questioned as to why did she not report the incident earlier. Arai, however, said she had been too afraid to go to the police immediately after the incident. Arai claimed the 73-year-old Mayor "suddenly pulled me closer, kissed me and pushed (me) down on the floor" so hard that she "couldn't push him back." The Mayor, however, has denied these accusations claiming the doors and curtains to his office were open on the day Arai has claimed the incident took place. He has also filed a defamation case against the politician now. Also read| The 22-year-old force behind Egypt’s growing #MeToo movement The female counsellor was also removed from office by her colleagues who have accused her of passing "scandalous" remarks against the leadership of the town which has negatively affected "the dignity" of the council. While locals tried to overturn the decision, the politicians were able to collect enough signatures from voters to recall the vote. "2,542 out of 2,835 residents who voted supported the recall," town spokesman said. Arai has slammed this decision as unjust and has vowed she "will not be terrorised by pressure from people with power". "There is no reason for dismissing me,” she said. “A recall spearheaded by influential figures in the town, such as the mayor and assembly members, runs counter to the philosophy of the recall system." The lawmakers of the town feel this will be a backward move in their continuous effort of wanting to restore "restoring the damaged reputation of the town".

Japan female politician removed from office after accusing mayor of sexual assault

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