An Ola cab driver allegedly harassed woman&nbsp;passenger in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday.

The driver allegedly even tried to hold the woman hostage inside the car by activating the child lock.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Bengaluru: Ola cab driver allegedly harassed a woman and tried holding her hostage inside cab by activating child lock. More details awaited.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938299647021539329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

This is not the first time an app-based cab service driver has been accused of sexual harassment, further shining a light on how unsafe they can be.&nbsp;

(This is a developing story. More details awaited.) 
&nbsp;

This is a developing story. More details are awaited

An Ola cab driver allegedly harassed woman passenger in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday. The driver allegedly even tried to hold the woman hostage inside the car by activating the child lock. Bengaluru: Ola cab driver allegedly harassed a woman and tried holding her hostage inside cab by activating child lock. More details awaited. — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × This is not the first time an app-based cab service driver has been accused of sexual harassment, further shining a light on how unsafe they can be. (This is a developing story. More details awaited.)

Ola driver harasses Bengaluru woman passenger, activates child lock to stop her escaping

Amidst the controversy over a nursery student&#39;s alleged sexual assault by two teachers at a city institute, another reputed school here today suspended a member of its service staff following a three-month old case of sexual abuse of a child inside the school.

A large number of guardians today demonstrated before the M P Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, which said that it suspended its service staff after discussion with the police, pending further investigation.

In a statement, the school authorities said a complaint was received from the parents of a girl student about alleged sexual misconduct against her in September&nbsp;2017 but that the complaint did not point out any individual.

&quot;The parents had also lodged a complaint with the local police station. The school has been thoroughly cooperating with the police in the investigations,&quot; it said.

Hours of CCTV footage were reviewed by the school and the police, the statement said, adding that the police also questioned several members of the support staff and teachers.

&quot;We are committed to ensuring that the child gets justice. However, we also hope that no member of the staff of our school should be judged in the matter except according to law. We are confident that members of the staff are committed to the safety of the children. Anyone found wanting in this regard will be prosecuted as per law,&quot; it said.

Meanwhile, a section of guardians demonstrated before the school building for hours today alleging the school and the police did not take much action to find out and prosecute those responsible for the alleged molestation of the girl.

The guardians were joined by the mother of the child who claimed she has been still traumatised and unable to attend classes.

They refused to leave the premises even after it was announced that one service staff was suspended, and demanded increase in number of female attendants and periodic police patrolling during school hours.

After the guardians blocked the arterial James Long Sarani, police dispersed them.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police today formed a special committee to look into the allegations of negligence and false representation on part of the G D Birla Centre for Education where a 4-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on November 30 allegedly by two male PT teachers, who were later arrested.

A senior police officer said a complaint in this regard has been lodged with the Jadavpur police station.

The committee consists of representatives from the West Bengal State Education Department, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the ICSE Board, New Delhi and Kolkata Police, he added.

The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) today sought the arrest of the principal of the G D Birla Centre for Education in connection with the incident.

Principal Sharmila Nath could have dealt with the matter in a sensible manner, WBCPCR Chairperson Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti told PTI.

The school said it suspended the service staff member after a discussion with police

Amidst the controversy over a nursery student's alleged sexual assault by two teachers at a city institute, another reputed school here today suspended a member of its service staff following a three-month old case of sexual abuse of a child inside the school. A large number of guardians today demonstrated before the M P Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, which said that it suspended its service staff after discussion with the police, pending further investigation. In a statement, the school authorities said a complaint was received from the parents of a girl student about alleged sexual misconduct against her in September 2017 but that the complaint did not point out any individual. "The parents had also lodged a complaint with the local police station. The school has been thoroughly cooperating with the police in the investigations," it said. Hours of CCTV footage were reviewed by the school and the police, the statement said, adding that the police also questioned several members of the support staff and teachers. "We are committed to ensuring that the child gets justice. However, we also hope that no member of the staff of our school should be judged in the matter except according to law. We are confident that members of the staff are committed to the safety of the children. Anyone found wanting in this regard will be prosecuted as per law," it said. Meanwhile, a section of guardians demonstrated before the school building for hours today alleging the school and the police did not take much action to find out and prosecute those responsible for the alleged molestation of the girl. The guardians were joined by the mother of the child who claimed she has been still traumatised and unable to attend classes. They refused to leave the premises even after it was announced that one service staff was suspended, and demanded increase in number of female attendants and periodic police patrolling during school hours. After the guardians blocked the arterial James Long Sarani, police dispersed them. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police today formed a special committee to look into the allegations of negligence and false representation on part of the G D Birla Centre for Education where a 4-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on November 30 allegedly by two male PT teachers, who were later arrested. A senior police officer said a complaint in this regard has been lodged with the Jadavpur police station. The committee consists of representatives from the West Bengal State Education Department, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the ICSE Board, New Delhi and Kolkata Police, he added. The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) today sought the arrest of the principal of the G D Birla Centre for Education in connection with the incident. Principal Sharmila Nath could have dealt with the matter in a sensible manner, WBCPCR Chairperson Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti told PTI.

Kolkata: School suspends staffer on 3-month-old sexual abuse complaint

Another actress added her name Monday to the dozens accusing movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of a litany of depraved sexual misconduct as he was forced to quit Hollywood&#39;s directing union. &nbsp;&nbsp;

More than 100 women have come forward since October to accuse the veteran producer of various degrees of bullying, degrading behaviour over the past 40 years, from intimidation to rape.

In the latest case filed in a New York federal court, aspiring British actress Kadian Noble is accusing Weinstein of inviting her to a hotel room in France and sexually assaulting her.

The civil lawsuit says the producer -- who denies all allegations of non-consensual sex -- violated US federal sex trafficking laws during the incident in Cannes, France, in 2014.

The suit accuses Weinstein of groping her, pulled her into his hotel bathroom and forcing her to pleasure him, telling her that &quot;everything will be taken care of for you if you relax.&quot;

A spokesman for the Directors Guild of America confirmed that Weinstein had resigned, several weeks after president Thomas Schlamme announced disciplinary charges against the tycoon, but refused to comment further.&nbsp;

The filmmaker has been involved in more than 300 movies spanning six decades but has just two directing credits, for the animated 1987 film &quot;The Gnomes&#39; Great Adventure&quot; and 1986 comedy &quot;Playing for Keeps.&quot;&nbsp;

The 65-year-old has already been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which runs the Oscars, and has resigned from the Producers Guild of America.&nbsp;

He also parted ways with The Weinstein Co., the production house he and his brother Bob co-founded and was suspended by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Two female-led investor groups are interested in taking over The Weinstein Co., which is on the verge of bankruptcy, with a figure in the region of $275 million reportedly on the table.

Announcing disciplinary action against Weinstein in October, the DGA released a statement condemning the &quot;scourge&quot; of sexual harassment and calling for a zero-tolerance approach to abuses of power.&nbsp;

&quot;This isn&#39;t about one person. We must recognize sexual harassment is endemic in our society, and painfully, in our industry. We believe that every individual has the right to a safe workplace,&quot; it said.

&quot;The unfortunate truth is that there are those who abuse the power that they hold. For far too long, many have not spoken out -- directors, agents, crew, executives, performers, producers, writers. This shameful code of complicity must be broken.&quot;

Noble is seeking unspecified damages, accusing Weinstein of being able &quot;to force or coerce&quot; her into sexual activity in his hotel room by promising her a film role and to wield his influence on her behalf.

She is also suing the Weinstein Co. and Bob, accusing them of being aware of Weinstein&#39;s behaviour and of contributing to his foreign travel to recruit women into &quot;forced or coerced sexual encounters.&quot;

Police in New York, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London have confirmed are investigating allegations of sexual assault that have been made against Weinstein.

More than 100 women have come forward since October to accuse the veteran producer of various degrees of bullying, degrading behaviour over the past 40 years, from intimidation to rape

Another actress added her name Monday to the dozens accusing movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of a litany of depraved sexual misconduct as he was forced to quit Hollywood's directing union. More than 100 women have come forward since October to accuse the veteran producer of various degrees of bullying, degrading behaviour over the past 40 years, from intimidation to rape. In the latest case filed in a New York federal court, aspiring British actress Kadian Noble is accusing Weinstein of inviting her to a hotel room in France and sexually assaulting her. The civil lawsuit says the producer -- who denies all allegations of non-consensual sex -- violated US federal sex trafficking laws during the incident in Cannes, France, in 2014. The suit accuses Weinstein of groping her, pulled her into his hotel bathroom and forcing her to pleasure him, telling her that "everything will be taken care of for you if you relax." A spokesman for the Directors Guild of America confirmed that Weinstein had resigned, several weeks after president Thomas Schlamme announced disciplinary charges against the tycoon, but refused to comment further. The filmmaker has been involved in more than 300 movies spanning six decades but has just two directing credits, for the animated 1987 film "The Gnomes' Great Adventure" and 1986 comedy "Playing for Keeps." The 65-year-old has already been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which runs the Oscars, and has resigned from the Producers Guild of America. He also parted ways with The Weinstein Co., the production house he and his brother Bob co-founded and was suspended by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Two female-led investor groups are interested in taking over The Weinstein Co., which is on the verge of bankruptcy, with a figure in the region of $275 million reportedly on the table. Announcing disciplinary action against Weinstein in October, the DGA released a statement condemning the "scourge" of sexual harassment and calling for a zero-tolerance approach to abuses of power. "This isn't about one person. We must recognize sexual harassment is endemic in our society, and painfully, in our industry. We believe that every individual has the right to a safe workplace," it said. "The unfortunate truth is that there are those who abuse the power that they hold. For far too long, many have not spoken out -- directors, agents, crew, executives, performers, producers, writers. This shameful code of complicity must be broken." Noble is seeking unspecified damages, accusing Weinstein of being able "to force or coerce" her into sexual activity in his hotel room by promising her a film role and to wield his influence on her behalf. She is also suing the Weinstein Co. and Bob, accusing them of being aware of Weinstein's behaviour and of contributing to his foreign travel to recruit women into "forced or coerced sexual encounters." Police in New York, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London have confirmed are investigating allegations of sexual assault that have been made against Weinstein.

1 more actress accuses Weinstein, over 100 women in total by now

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, directed to carry out a slew of measures to fight against the &quot;horrific and shameful&quot; violence against women, and also pledged to make gender equality a major reason of his leadership.

&quot;Our entire society is sick with sexism,&quot; Macron said in a speech in Paris to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Macron started off the hour-long speech with a minute of silence to pay respect to the 123 women killed in 2016 in France by their partner or ex-partner, reports said.

&quot;France must no longer be one of those countries where women are afraid,&quot; he said.

&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s seal a pact of equality between men and women,&rdquo; Macron said in a speech marking the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. About violence and sexual abuse, he said: &ldquo;It is essential that shame changes camp.&rdquo;

A number of measures have been announced, including education to secondary school children on pornography and making a systematic but easy system for victims to go to the police for rape and assault cases.

Moreover, measures that may be added in a 2018 draft law could consist of criminalizing street harassment and increasing the statute of limitation for the rape of minors to 30 years from 20 years

The leader further said that he may propose to set the age for sexual consent to 15 as there is no such law yet in the country.&nbsp;

Further, changes may be made to administer rape and assault cases and create portals for victims to file complaints online before going to the police. Measure like &#39;on demand&#39; bus stops will also be proposed, wherein women will be allowed to stop the bus at any point to get home safely

French feminist group Osez le F&eacute;minisme said the measures were going in the right direction but must be accompanied by adequate funding.

&ldquo;Without funding, any communication, training, awareness or help plan for the victims will be useless,&rdquo; the statement said.

The conference also had a number of past victims who survived similar cases - a women who survived from being stabbed by her ex-partner, a mother of a student who was killed by her partner and set fire to her body after she ended the relationship, a Moroccan immigrant whose abusive husband burned down their home after she found the courage to flee to safety with their children, a Nigerian who was trafficked into a prostitution ring the day she set foot in Italy - were amongst some.&nbsp;

Nearly 225,000 women are said to have been victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner in France, but fewer than one in five have made a complaint to authorities.

The Harvey Weinstein scandal in the United States has accelerated a rethink of attitudes toward sexual harassment in France, a country that cherishes its self-image as the land of seduction and romance. 
&nbsp;

During his speech, Macron observed a minute?s silence for the 123 women killed by their partner or ex-partner in 2016.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, directed to carry out a slew of measures to fight against the "horrific and shameful" violence against women, and also pledged to make gender equality a major reason of his leadership. "Our entire society is sick with sexism," Macron said in a speech in Paris to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Macron started off the hour-long speech with a minute of silence to pay respect to the 123 women killed in 2016 in France by their partner or ex-partner, reports said. "France must no longer be one of those countries where women are afraid," he said. “Let’s seal a pact of equality between men and women,” Macron said in a speech marking the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. About violence and sexual abuse, he said: “It is essential that shame changes camp.” A number of measures have been announced, including education to secondary school children on pornography and making a systematic but easy system for victims to go to the police for rape and assault cases. Moreover, measures that may be added in a 2018 draft law could consist of criminalizing street harassment and increasing the statute of limitation for the rape of minors to 30 years from 20 years The leader further said that he may propose to set the age for sexual consent to 15 as there is no such law yet in the country. Further, changes may be made to administer rape and assault cases and create portals for victims to file complaints online before going to the police. Measure like 'on demand' bus stops will also be proposed, wherein women will be allowed to stop the bus at any point to get home safely French feminist group Osez le Féminisme said the measures were going in the right direction but must be accompanied by adequate funding. “Without funding, any communication, training, awareness or help plan for the victims will be useless,” the statement said. The conference also had a number of past victims who survived similar cases - a women who survived from being stabbed by her ex-partner, a mother of a student who was killed by her partner and set fire to her body after she ended the relationship, a Moroccan immigrant whose abusive husband burned down their home after she found the courage to flee to safety with their children, a Nigerian who was trafficked into a prostitution ring the day she set foot in Italy - were amongst some. Nearly 225,000 women are said to have been victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner in France, but fewer than one in five have made a complaint to authorities. The Harvey Weinstein scandal in the United States has accelerated a rethink of attitudes toward sexual harassment in France, a country that cherishes its self-image as the land of seduction and romance.

France's Macron unveils plan to combat 'shameful' violence against women

Thousands of people are expected to march in Los Angeles on Sunday to support victims of sexual assault and harassment, inspired by a social media campaign that has portrayed such abuse as a pervasive feature of American life.

The #MeToo march, which will culminate in a rally at a Hollywood Boulevard intersection, follows a relentless series of accusations by men and women who say they were victimized by high-powered figures in the entertainment industry.

Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. are among the most prominent names to have been accused.

&quot;The conversation around harassment in Hollywood will broaden to include other industries if we force it to! It&rsquo;s not going to do it on its own,&quot; organizers said on a Facebook page for the event.

The events are scheduled to include a march to CNN&#39;s headquarters in Los Angeles and a rally at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood.

Five women detailed sexual misconduct accusations against Emmy-winning comedian Louis C.K. in The New York Times on Thursday. He admitted to the misconduct alleged against him in a statement on Friday and apologized for his actions.

The New York Times reported in October that Weinstein, 65, had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact.

The New Yorker magazine reported that 13 women had claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them.

Weinstein has denied all of the accusations against him.

Earlier this month, Spacey apologized to actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of trying to seduce him in 1986 when Rapp was 14. Spacey&#39;s representatives later said he was seeking treatment.

The allegations have inspired an online campaign, tagged #MeToo, that has encouraged men and women in all walks of life to reveal their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault, often years after they occurred.

The #MeToo march, which will culminate in a rally at a Hollywood Boulevard intersection, follows a relentless series of accusations by men and women who say they were victimized by high-powered figures in the entertainment industry.

Thousands of people are expected to march in Los Angeles on Sunday to support victims of sexual assault and harassment, inspired by a social media campaign that has portrayed such abuse as a pervasive feature of American life. The #MeToo march, which will culminate in a rally at a Hollywood Boulevard intersection, follows a relentless series of accusations by men and women who say they were victimized by high-powered figures in the entertainment industry. Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. are among the most prominent names to have been accused. "The conversation around harassment in Hollywood will broaden to include other industries if we force it to! It’s not going to do it on its own," organizers said on a Facebook page for the event. The events are scheduled to include a march to CNN's headquarters in Los Angeles and a rally at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood. Five women detailed sexual misconduct accusations against Emmy-winning comedian Louis C.K. in The New York Times on Thursday. He admitted to the misconduct alleged against him in a statement on Friday and apologized for his actions. The New York Times reported in October that Weinstein, 65, had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact. The New Yorker magazine reported that 13 women had claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them. Weinstein has denied all of the accusations against him. Earlier this month, Spacey apologized to actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of trying to seduce him in 1986 when Rapp was 14. Spacey's representatives later said he was seeking treatment. The allegations have inspired an online campaign, tagged #MeToo, that has encouraged men and women in all walks of life to reveal their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault, often years after they occurred.

Thousands to join Hollywood #MeToo march against sexual abuse

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant.

New York City Police Department Deputy Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a news conference that the alleged victim &quot;put forth a credible and detailed narrative.&quot;

&quot;We have an actual case here,&quot; Boyce said. He said the police department became aware of the accusation on October 25.

Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and &quot;we have to move forward gathering evidence.&quot;

Boyce said that because Weinstein was out of state the police department would need a court-ordered warrant for an arrest.

More than 50 women have claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them over the past three decades. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone. Reuters has been unable to independently confirm any of the allegations.

Boyce said police had spoken to the woman and &quot;we found corroboration along the way.&quot;

He said the NYPD was working on the case with the Manhattan district attorney&#39;s office.

&quot;Right now he (Weinstein) poses no threat to anybody in New York City. He&#39;s out of state. So it&#39;s a continuing investigation,&quot; Boyce told the news conference.

Earlier on Friday, in response to media reports, Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., told Reuters, &ldquo;A senior sex crimes prosecutor is assigned to this investigation, and the Office has been working with our partners in the NYPD since the new allegations came to light.&rdquo;

Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein but no charges have been brought against him.

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant

The New York City Police Department said on Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant. New York City Police Department Deputy Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a news conference that the alleged victim "put forth a credible and detailed narrative." "We have an actual case here," Boyce said. He said the police department became aware of the accusation on October 25. Boyce said it was a seven-year-old case and "we have to move forward gathering evidence." Boyce said that because Weinstein was out of state the police department would need a court-ordered warrant for an arrest. More than 50 women have claimed that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them over the past three decades. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone. Reuters has been unable to independently confirm any of the allegations. Boyce said police had spoken to the woman and "we found corroboration along the way." He said the NYPD was working on the case with the Manhattan district attorney's office. "Right now he (Weinstein) poses no threat to anybody in New York City. He's out of state. So it's a continuing investigation," Boyce told the news conference. Earlier on Friday, in response to media reports, Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., told Reuters, “A senior sex crimes prosecutor is assigned to this investigation, and the Office has been working with our partners in the NYPD since the new allegations came to light.” Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and London have also said they are investigating sexual assault allegations against Weinstein but no charges have been brought against him.

New York City police say gathering evidence for possible Weinstein arrest warrant

#MeToo has provided a global social platform for women to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and innuendos that every woman, perhaps all over the world, has undergone or felt, outside and sometimes inside home, and has more often than not, quietly accepted, especially in India because it is in our culture not to speak of such matters. And why? Tradition and mythology have idealised the &lsquo;Sati&rsquo;, &lsquo;Savitris&rsquo; of mythology, but in doing so has drawn a &lsquo;lakshmanrekha&rsquo; &ndash; boundaries that may not be crossed by women for fear of becoming tainted and, therefore, rejected.

<div class="ui-state-default">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Indian mythology is full of tales of women, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they but men were responsible.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Indian mythology is full of tales of women, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they but men were responsible.">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

Indian mythology is full of tales of women, heroines in their own right and often, symbols of &lsquo;purity&rsquo; as defined by men, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they, but men, sometimes their own husbands, were responsible. &nbsp;And who wrote these stories of yore? Men, of course.

Take the story of Ahalya, most beautiful of women, wife of Gautama Maharishi, lusted after by Indra, mythical God of lightning, thunder and rain and king of the Devas, the most referred deity in the Rig Veda, who took the form of her husband to make love to her. Gautama cursed her for being wanton and made her into a stone, from which she was released only after the foot of Rama, Purushottama, the highest among men and a Vishnu avatar, touched the stone.

And what of Rama? Sita, his wife, crossed the &lsquo;lakshmanrekha&rsquo; literally, to give alms to Ravana, who lusted after her and also wanted to teach Rama and his brother Lakshmana a lesson for cutting off his sister, Surpanakha&rsquo;s, nose (whose only crime was to be enamoured of Rama, to whom she proposed, and who made fun of her proposal and passed her on to Lakshmana, who also made fun of her and additionally, cut of her nose &ndash; this was also a case of #MeToo!).

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Men&rsquo;s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Men?s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

He kidnapped Sita by posing as a hermit seeking alms, refusing to take the offerings unless she came across the drawn boundary. And well-bred Sita could not insult a Brahmin by refusing to do so. Men&rsquo;s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. But Sita remains &lsquo;pure&rsquo; because of Ravana, after all, turns out to be a gentleman who keeps her enclosed in a garden but refuses to take her against her will. But what of Rama, Vishnu&rsquo;s avatar? He wants proof of her fidelity and makes her go through an &lsquo;agnipariksha&rsquo;, literally, a trial by fire, and later, on the basis of doubts expressed by a washerman, a subject of Rama&rsquo;s kingdom who should not be denied in Ram rajya, banishes his pregnant wife, who apparently holds a lesser place in the scheme of statehood.

She gives birth to twins in exile and brings them up as a single mother under the protection of sage Valmiki, who teaches the sons the art of war as well as the fine arts. During Rama&rsquo;s Ashwamedha Yagna, they prove to be able sons of their father by capturing Rama&rsquo;s horse and defeating Rama and his three brothers. Getting to know the true identity of these young boy-warriors, Rama wants them back along with his wife, their mother. But Sita has had enough.

She prays to her earth mother, Bhoomidevi, of whom she was born, to take her back, and the earth opens to swallow Vaidehi, Sita &ndash;&lsquo; MeToo&rsquo; Sita would have said if she could speak. The same is true of Yagnaseni, Draupadi, proud wife of the five Pandavas, dusky beauty, who is pawned by Dharmaputra Yudhisthir in a game of dice with the Kauravas, dragged into court by her brother-in-law Dushyasana, and saved the ultimate shame of total public disrobement by Krishna, who adds yards to her robe, making it never-ending. But did any of the stalwarts of the Mahabharata &ndash; Dronacharya, Bhisma Pitama, Dhritarashtra, let alone her five warrior husbands, protest? No. #MeToo.

<div class="ui-state-default">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>It is not surprising that &lsquo;chherna&rsquo; or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=It is not surprising that ?chherna? or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public.">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

And Krishna, the most revered God of the Hindu pantheon, who kept Draupadi&rsquo;s honour? There are many stories of his mischievous behaviour as a child which we indulgently smile at as part of his &lsquo;lila&rsquo;. Gods can do no wrong. But, has anyone thought about what adverse effect some of these stories may have on the minds of aberrant young males? The &lsquo;vastraharan&rsquo; story is well known &ndash; how Krishna stole the clothes of young &lsquo;gopis&rsquo; who were bathing and made them come out of the water nude, with their hands above their heads (which world over, is a symbol of surrender) before he returned their clothes.

While devotees will call this symbolic of total surrender to the sublime, some may think of it as voyeurism. While many things are symbolic in mythology, why are only women subjected to this test of self-surrender, why not men? It is argued that Krishna is the only man, all others are women, but that is not the way artists depict &#39;vastraharan&#39;.

Given this background of &#39;lakshmanrekhas&#39;, male deception, victimisation of women for no fault of theirs as well indulgence towards what would today be called eve-teasing, it is not surprising that &lsquo;chherna&rsquo; or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. After all, our mythological lores are full of such incidents, and Krishna&rsquo;s lilas are indulgently smiled at. But does one realise the impact that this kind of popular culture can have on society? It can leave so many women writing #MeToo on their Facebook statuses, without much hope of a change in male behaviour.

Indian mythological lores are full of sexual transgression incidents, and Krishna?s 'lilas' are indulgently smiled at.

#MeToo has provided a global social platform for women to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and innuendos that every woman, perhaps all over the world, has undergone or felt, outside and sometimes inside home, and has more often than not, quietly accepted, especially in India because it is in our culture not to speak of such matters. And why? Tradition and mythology have idealised the ‘Sati’, ‘Savitris’ of mythology, but in doing so has drawn a ‘lakshmanrekha’ – boundaries that may not be crossed by women for fear of becoming tainted and, therefore, rejected. Indian mythology is full of tales of women, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they but men were responsible. × Indian mythology is full of tales of women, heroines in their own right and often, symbols of ‘purity’ as defined by men, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they, but men, sometimes their own husbands, were responsible. And who wrote these stories of yore? Men, of course. Take the story of Ahalya, most beautiful of women, wife of Gautama Maharishi, lusted after by Indra, mythical God of lightning, thunder and rain and king of the Devas, the most referred deity in the Rig Veda, who took the form of her husband to make love to her. Gautama cursed her for being wanton and made her into a stone, from which she was released only after the foot of Rama, Purushottama, the highest among men and a Vishnu avatar, touched the stone. And what of Rama? Sita, his wife, crossed the ‘lakshmanrekha’ literally, to give alms to Ravana, who lusted after her and also wanted to teach Rama and his brother Lakshmana a lesson for cutting off his sister, Surpanakha’s, nose (whose only crime was to be enamoured of Rama, to whom she proposed, and who made fun of her proposal and passed her on to Lakshmana, who also made fun of her and additionally, cut of her nose – this was also a case of #MeToo!). Men’s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. × He kidnapped Sita by posing as a hermit seeking alms, refusing to take the offerings unless she came across the drawn boundary. And well-bred Sita could not insult a Brahmin by refusing to do so. Men’s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. But Sita remains ‘pure’ because of Ravana, after all, turns out to be a gentleman who keeps her enclosed in a garden but refuses to take her against her will. But what of Rama, Vishnu’s avatar? He wants proof of her fidelity and makes her go through an ‘agnipariksha’, literally, a trial by fire, and later, on the basis of doubts expressed by a washerman, a subject of Rama’s kingdom who should not be denied in Ram rajya, banishes his pregnant wife, who apparently holds a lesser place in the scheme of statehood. She gives birth to twins in exile and brings them up as a single mother under the protection of sage Valmiki, who teaches the sons the art of war as well as the fine arts. During Rama’s Ashwamedha Yagna, they prove to be able sons of their father by capturing Rama’s horse and defeating Rama and his three brothers. Getting to know the true identity of these young boy-warriors, Rama wants them back along with his wife, their mother. But Sita has had enough. She prays to her earth mother, Bhoomidevi, of whom she was born, to take her back, and the earth opens to swallow Vaidehi, Sita –‘ MeToo’ Sita would have said if she could speak. The same is true of Yagnaseni, Draupadi, proud wife of the five Pandavas, dusky beauty, who is pawned by Dharmaputra Yudhisthir in a game of dice with the Kauravas, dragged into court by her brother-in-law Dushyasana, and saved the ultimate shame of total public disrobement by Krishna, who adds yards to her robe, making it never-ending. But did any of the stalwarts of the Mahabharata – Dronacharya, Bhisma Pitama, Dhritarashtra, let alone her five warrior husbands, protest? No. #MeToo. It is not surprising that ‘chherna’ or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. × And Krishna, the most revered God of the Hindu pantheon, who kept Draupadi’s honour? There are many stories of his mischievous behaviour as a child which we indulgently smile at as part of his ‘lila’. Gods can do no wrong. But, has anyone thought about what adverse effect some of these stories may have on the minds of aberrant young males? The ‘vastraharan’ story is well known – how Krishna stole the clothes of young ‘gopis’ who were bathing and made them come out of the water nude, with their hands above their heads (which world over, is a symbol of surrender) before he returned their clothes. While devotees will call this symbolic of total surrender to the sublime, some may think of it as voyeurism. While many things are symbolic in mythology, why are only women subjected to this test of self-surrender, why not men? It is argued that Krishna is the only man, all others are women, but that is not the way artists depict 'vastraharan'. Given this background of 'lakshmanrekhas', male deception, victimisation of women for no fault of theirs as well indulgence towards what would today be called eve-teasing, it is not surprising that ‘chherna’ or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. After all, our mythological lores are full of such incidents, and Krishna’s lilas are indulgently smiled at. But does one realise the impact that this kind of popular culture can have on society? It can leave so many women writing #MeToo on their Facebook statuses, without much hope of a change in male behaviour.

#MeToo, say Sita and Savitri

Another actress, Jordana Grolnick, has accused former US president George W. Bush of touching her without her consent during a 2016 photo shoot at a Maine theatre. Earlier, actress&nbsp;Heather Lind also made allegations on Tuesday, claiming Bush &#39;sexually assaulted&#39; her from his wheelchair&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-says-george-bush-sr-groped-her-he-apologises-22907">Heather Lind said George W. Bush touched her during photo-op four years </a>with his wife standing by his side and claims that his wife also witnessed it happening.&nbsp;

While describing the events Grolnick told media, &ldquo;He reached his right hand around to my behind, and as we smiled for the photo he asked the group, &lsquo;Do you want to know who my favorite magician is?&rsquo; As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, &lsquo;David Cop-a-Feel&#39;. &rdquo;

The other ladies in the picture laughed uncomfortably while Barbara Bush made a remark like &lsquo;He&rsquo;s going to get himself put in jail!&#39; Grolnick said. Grolnick, who posted a photo of the moment on her Instagram account, she has also said that she had been warned by other actors not to stand next to Bush.&nbsp;

Bush spokesperson Jim McGrath responded with a statement that reads: &#39;At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures.

&#39;To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke and on occasion, he has patted women&#39;s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologises most sincerely.&#39;

Actress Jordana Grolnick has accused former US president George W Bush of touching her without her consent during a 2016 photo shoot at Maine theatre

Another actress, Jordana Grolnick, has accused former US president George W. Bush of touching her without her consent during a 2016 photo shoot at a Maine theatre. Earlier, actress Heather Lind also made allegations on Tuesday, claiming Bush 'sexually assaulted' her from his wheelchair Heather Lind said George W. Bush touched her during photo-op four years with his wife standing by his side and claims that his wife also witnessed it happening. While describing the events Grolnick told media, “He reached his right hand around to my behind, and as we smiled for the photo he asked the group, ‘Do you want to know who my favorite magician is?’ As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, ‘David Cop-a-Feel'. ” The other ladies in the picture laughed uncomfortably while Barbara Bush made a remark like ‘He’s going to get himself put in jail!' Grolnick said. Grolnick, who posted a photo of the moment on her Instagram account, she has also said that she had been warned by other actors not to stand next to Bush. Bush spokesperson Jim McGrath responded with a statement that reads: 'At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures. 'To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke and on occasion, he has patted women's rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologises most sincerely.'

Bush Sr apologises again, after another report of sexual assault

&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Goa%20Court">Goa Court</a>&nbsp;on Thursday will frame charges against former Tehelka editor-in-chief&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Tarun%20Tejpal">Tarun Tejpal</a>&nbsp;in the sexual assault case.

<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Mapusa">Mapusa</a>&nbsp;Additional district and session court will pronounce the order in camera hearing at 2:30 pm

54-year-old Tejpal couldn&#39;t get any relief from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Bombay%20High%20Court">Bombay High Court</a>&nbsp;at Goa on Tuesday.

The High Court refused to stay the process of framing of charges against Tejpal at a lower court in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Mapusa">Mapusa</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=North%20Goa">North Goa</a>.

<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Justice%20Prithviraj%20Chavan">Justice Prithviraj Chavan</a>&nbsp;refused to stay the process of framing of charges against Tejpal after hearing the petition and also directed that examination of witnesses at the lower court could only begin, after its consent.

This is the first case in recent times in which the probe has relied on &quot;position of trust&quot; as a crucial aspect in an allegation of rape.

He is indicted for sexually assaulting a junior woman colleague inside a lift at Hotel Grand Hyatt during an event organised by the Tehelka magazine in Goa in November.

Tejpal has been charged and booked under the various sections of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aninews.in/search?query=Indian%20Penal%20Code">Indian Penal Code</a>(IPC).

The charges against him are 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 354-b (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe), 341 and 342 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 376 (rape), 376C (sexual intercourse by person in authority), 376(2)(f) (person in position of trust or authority over women, committing rape of such women) and 376(2) (k) (rape of a woman by a person being in position of control or dominance over the woman).

Mapusa?Additional district and sessions court will pronounce the order in an in-camera hearing at 2:30 pm

A Goa Court on Thursday will frame charges against former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in the sexual assault case. Mapusa Additional district and session court will pronounce the order in camera hearing at 2:30 pm 54-year-old Tejpal couldn't get any relief from the Bombay High Court at Goa on Tuesday. The High Court refused to stay the process of framing of charges against Tejpal at a lower court in Mapusa in North Goa. Justice Prithviraj Chavan refused to stay the process of framing of charges against Tejpal after hearing the petition and also directed that examination of witnesses at the lower court could only begin, after its consent. This is the first case in recent times in which the probe has relied on "position of trust" as a crucial aspect in an allegation of rape. He is indicted for sexually assaulting a junior woman colleague inside a lift at Hotel Grand Hyatt during an event organised by the Tehelka magazine in Goa in November. Tejpal has been charged and booked under the various sections of Indian Penal Code(IPC). The charges against him are 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 354-b (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe), 341 and 342 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 376 (rape), 376C (sexual intercourse by person in authority), 376(2)(f) (person in position of trust or authority over women, committing rape of such women) and 376(2) (k) (rape of a woman by a person being in position of control or dominance over the woman).

Goa Court to frame charges against Tarun Tejpal in sexual assault case today

Singer Taylor Swift has made a&nbsp;donation to a US charity that supports victims of sexual assault after winning a groping lawsuit against a former radio DJ.

Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization working to transform society&rsquo;s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse&nbsp;declined to disclose the amount of the donation.

&quot;I hope that Taylor&#39;s very public experience -- and her decision to speak out -- not only helps empower other victims to speak up and take action, but offers them solidarity,&quot; said its founder, actress Mariska Hargitay.

&quot;I&#39;m honored by her dedication and commitment to these issues, and I&#39;m deeply grateful for her support of the Joyful Heart Foundation.&quot;

Charity CEO Maile Zambuto thanked Swift for her &quot;generous investment&quot; and said the singer&#39;s actions &quot;send a powerful message to survivors everywhere: you matter. What happens to you matters. And you are not alone.&quot;

The 27-year-old &quot;Bad Blood&quot; songstress won her sexual assault lawsuit on Monday.&nbsp;

<h2>Read more on the lawsuit <a href="http://www.wionews.com/life-fun/taylor-swift-is-only-requesting-1-in-her-alleged-groping-case-18933">here</a></h2>

Swift, who was awarded a nominal $1 in damages, promised to donate to charities in the wake of her ordeal. According to Forbes, she is worth $44 million.

&quot;I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this,&quot; the popstar said in a statement thanking the court.&nbsp;

&quot;My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.&quot;

Hargitay starred as a police detective on &quot;Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,&quot; a drama about New York professionals who investigate sexually related crimes.

She says one in three women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, and that someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes in the United States.

She recently won a sexualt assault case against a former radio DJ

Singer Taylor Swift has made a donation to a US charity that supports victims of sexual assault after winning a groping lawsuit against a former radio DJ. Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization working to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse declined to disclose the amount of the donation. "I hope that Taylor's very public experience -- and her decision to speak out -- not only helps empower other victims to speak up and take action, but offers them solidarity," said its founder, actress Mariska Hargitay. "I'm honored by her dedication and commitment to these issues, and I'm deeply grateful for her support of the Joyful Heart Foundation." Charity CEO Maile Zambuto thanked Swift for her "generous investment" and said the singer's actions "send a powerful message to survivors everywhere: you matter. What happens to you matters. And you are not alone." The 27-year-old "Bad Blood" songstress won her sexual assault lawsuit on Monday. Read more on the lawsuit here Swift, who was awarded a nominal $1 in damages, promised to donate to charities in the wake of her ordeal. According to Forbes, she is worth $44 million. "I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this," the popstar said in a statement thanking the court. "My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves." Hargitay starred as a police detective on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," a drama about New York professionals who investigate sexually related crimes. She says one in three women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, and that someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes in the United States.

Taylor Swift donates to sexual assault charity

A Malaysian man has been charged with more than 600 sex assaults against his daughter, and could face a jail term of over 12,000 years if found guilty, officials said Thursday.

Court officials took two days to read out all 626 charges against the 36-year-old divorcee, and finished Thursday afternoon.&nbsp;

They included 599 charges of sodomy against the 15-year-old girl, as well as counts of incest, rape and other sex crimes.

The bespectacled suspect, in a grey T-shirt and blue trousers was calm when the charges were read in court. He pleaded not guilty and the case will now proceed to trial.

&quot;He faces a prison sentence of over 12,000 years,&quot; Aimi Syazwani, a deputy public prosecutor, told AFP at a newly-established special court for sex crimes against children in the administrative capital Putrajaya.

For each charge of sodomy, the man can be punished with a maximum jail term of 20 years, as well as caning. He faces a rape charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, and 30 other charges of sexual assault, each punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

Judge Yong Zarida Sazali denied the man bail after prosecutors warned there was a danger of him fleeing or intimidating witnesses.

The suspect cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.

The man, who sold investment products, was arrested on July 26 after the girl&#39;s mother lodged a police report. The offences were allegedly committed between January and July this year, when the daughter was living with her father.

The special court for sexual crimes against children was launched in June.

The charges against the man included sodomy against the 15-year-old girl, as well as counts of incest, rape, and other sex crime

A Malaysian man has been charged with more than 600 sex assaults against his daughter, and could face a jail term of over 12,000 years if found guilty, officials said Thursday. Court officials took two days to read out all 626 charges against the 36-year-old divorcee, and finished Thursday afternoon. They included 599 charges of sodomy against the 15-year-old girl, as well as counts of incest, rape and other sex crimes. The bespectacled suspect, in a grey T-shirt and blue trousers was calm when the charges were read in court. He pleaded not guilty and the case will now proceed to trial. "He faces a prison sentence of over 12,000 years," Aimi Syazwani, a deputy public prosecutor, told AFP at a newly-established special court for sex crimes against children in the administrative capital Putrajaya. For each charge of sodomy, the man can be punished with a maximum jail term of 20 years, as well as caning. He faces a rape charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, and 30 other charges of sexual assault, each punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Judge Yong Zarida Sazali denied the man bail after prosecutors warned there was a danger of him fleeing or intimidating witnesses. The suspect cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim. The man, who sold investment products, was arrested on July 26 after the girl's mother lodged a police report. The offences were allegedly committed between January and July this year, when the daughter was living with her father. The special court for sexual crimes against children was launched in June.

Malaysia: Man accused of more than 600 sexual assaults on daughter, faces over 12,000 years in jail

The Indian Navy today court-martialled and dismissed two naval sailors after finding them guilty of sexual offences against minor girls.

The two sailors were found guilty and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 15 years and 12 years respectively. The sailors were dismissed with grace.

The naval trial ensured safeguards including protection of the identity of victims as per POCSO Act of 2012. The court did not disclose other details of the act, in accordance with the act.

The two sailors were found guilty of molesting minor girls

The Indian Navy today court-martialled and dismissed two naval sailors after finding them guilty of sexual offences against minor girls. The two sailors were found guilty and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 15 years and 12 years respectively. The sailors were dismissed with grace. The naval trial ensured safeguards including protection of the identity of victims as per POCSO Act of 2012. The court did not disclose other details of the act, in accordance with the act.

Indian Navy court-martials two sailors over sexual offence

The minor son of a&nbsp;diplomat from an African country stationed in Delhi has allegedly&nbsp;sodomised his classmate, media reports said.&nbsp;

The victim is the son of a diplomat from a South East Asian country. 
&nbsp; 
A complaint has been filed against the 12-year-old boy, but the police are in a fix since&nbsp;the accused enjoys diplomatic immunity. The police have, however, registered a case in South Delhi police station, reports said.

The school has meanwhile rusticated the accused.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The victim, in his complaint, said the sexual assault happened in March and that it continued over a period of time, PTI reported. 
&nbsp; 
The accused student visited the police station on June 24 along with his family members. He, in turn, accused the alleged victim of sexually assaulting him, reports added.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Police said the family of the accused student enjoyed diplomatic immunity, which is why he has not yet been arrested.

(With PTI inputs) 
&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A complaint has been filed against the 12-year-old boy, but the police are in a fix owing to the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by the minor

The minor son of a diplomat from an African country stationed in Delhi has allegedly sodomised his classmate, media reports said. The victim is the son of a diplomat from a South East Asian country. A complaint has been filed against the 12-year-old boy, but the police are in a fix since the accused enjoys diplomatic immunity. The police have, however, registered a case in South Delhi police station, reports said. The school has meanwhile rusticated the accused. The victim, in his complaint, said the sexual assault happened in March and that it continued over a period of time, PTI reported. The accused student visited the police station on June 24 along with his family members. He, in turn, accused the alleged victim of sexually assaulting him, reports added. Police said the family of the accused student enjoyed diplomatic immunity, which is why he has not yet been arrested. (With PTI inputs)

Delhi: Diplomat's minor son allegedly sodomises classmate, police in fix

On May 29th, in Manesar at Gurgaon, a 19-year-old woman was gang-raped and her 9-month-old daughter was killed by throwing her to the ground. Yesterday, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Director General of Police, Haryana and the Gurugram Police Commission stating, &ldquo;the night patrolling on the road by the police was not being done&rdquo;. The NHRC requested the Police Commissioners of Delhi, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to come up with constructive suggestions and a joint action programme is expected by the law enforcement agencies of the National Capital Region (NCR). Though this came as a positive measure to ensure women&rsquo;s safety, yet we are a long way to go.&nbsp;

The situation is particularly difficult to address as many Indian politicians across partylines often place the onus on the victims themselves.&nbsp;For instance, Azam Khan of Samajwadi Party&nbsp;remarked after two girls were raped by 14 men&nbsp;at&nbsp;Rampur in Uttar Pradesh that&nbsp;&rdquo;girls should avoid places where molesters roam free&rdquo;. The incident and bizarre assertion make us question if we women have a safe space to dwell in this country. Another leader Babulal Gaur on another gang rape case of two teenagers said, &ldquo;this is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it&rsquo;s right, sometimes it&rsquo;s wrong.&ldquo; Such remarks by leaders clearly do not reflect us in a respectable position, hence we do not want your sympathy.

The Nirbhaya verdict (5th May 2017) stirred clamour around capital punishment against the perpetrators of rape. Many believed, the perpetrators deserved &lsquo;justice served&rsquo; and some opposed the idea of capital punishment. Unfortunately, after the most celebrated verdict by the Apex court, a series of rape cases has been&nbsp;reported so far. Death penalty is commonly seen&nbsp;as a deterrent but&nbsp;so far it has failed in the prevention of rape against women. In the month of May alone, three very heinous instances of rape have made the headlines in the country.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Frequently,&nbsp;police officials encourages&nbsp;the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby,&nbsp;dissuading&nbsp;them from&nbsp;pursuing&nbsp;the case</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Frequently,?police officials encourages?the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby,?dissuading?them from?pursuing?the case" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

The dark figure of crime: Unreported Rape

The Indian Penal Code largely understands gender specific crime as an assault on women with the intent to outrage the modesty, cruelty by husband or relatives as well as kidnapping, abduction and rape. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), 327,394 cases of crimes against women were reported in 2015.&nbsp;In 95 per cent of these cases the offender knew&nbsp;the rape victim. One of the most frightening facts reported by NCRB is one rape occurs every 20 minutes in India.

Despite all the facts and figures reported by the NCRB, experts are unanimous that it is extremely to difficult to accurately calculate the number of rapes in any country, particularly in India. Victims often fail to report, more so,&nbsp;if family members are involved or in cases where the victim was found to be&nbsp;drunk or intoxicated. In the latter case, it is difficult to ascertain whether&nbsp;consent was given or not.&nbsp;Frequently,&nbsp;police officials encourages&nbsp;the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby,&nbsp;dissuading&nbsp;them from&nbsp;pursuing&nbsp;the case.

Rape: Theories and Beliefs

If we evaluate why a woman is always the victim, it is pertinent to understand the various theories and studies done by scholars, psychologist and feminist over a period of time on rape culture. The early proponents of the Evolutionary Theory believed man rapes to enforce their sexual desires on a woman so that the offsprings bear their qualities. Whereas, the Feminist theory believed rape is &ldquo;violent and not just a sexual act&rdquo;, ideally generate fear and intimidate a woman.&nbsp;

The early proponents of feminism&nbsp;suggested, &ldquo;rape is about power and control and not sex&rdquo;. Anthropologist Peggy Reeves Sandy through her research on tribal societies presented &ldquo;rape varies cross-culturally&rdquo; and it includes, &rdquo;interpersonal violence, male dominance and sexual separation&rdquo;. Her study showcases the attitude towards women in &ldquo;rape free&rdquo; and &ldquo;rape prone&rdquo; zones. The &ldquo;rape free&rdquo; zones are ideal communities that &lsquo;respect female authority and power&rsquo; but, &ldquo;rape-prone&rdquo; are communities with male dominant societies. Her deviation from the common understanding provided a fresh perspective in understanding how certain positive attitude and behaviour in society tend to benefit women at large.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>&ldquo;Rape is a political matter&quot; and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=?Rape is a political matter and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

&nbsp;The New York Radical Feminists in their Manifesto categorically states that rape is not a &ldquo;personal&rdquo; problem. Rather, their argument is&nbsp;&ldquo;rape is a political matter&quot; and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy. The position taken by the Radical feminists complicates the common perception that capital punishment of the culprit will root out rape.&nbsp;

Capital punishment or not: The big debate

It is evident death penalty hasn&rsquo;t acted deterrent for our society. Moreover, the experts are not even sure whether the judiciary should see death penalty as a deterrent, reformation or retribution. &nbsp;Retribution is the common practice preferred however, it has failed to prove beneficial for neither our society nor criminals. This aspect is forcefully brought out by&nbsp;Professor John Braithwaite of The Australian National University who believes that&nbsp;&quot;crime hurts and justice should heal&quot;. The restorative justice cuts crime, it is noticed that after meeting their victims and engaging in a dialogue, criminals are less likely to re-offend. The survivor too gets a pivotal role in the &ldquo;justice process&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Joanne Nodding, a rape survivor, a few years ago wanted to confront the man who raped her. As part of restorative justice programme, she decided to meet him five years after the incident. The program allows victims to initiate a conversation with the person responsible. During the session, Nodding described the harrowing abuse she had to undergo. The perpetrator apologised and Nodding ended the meeting by forgiving him. She added she felt &ldquo;on top of the world, she had to release the burden so that he could look towards his future. It may stop him from doing it again&rdquo;. It is difficult to analyse the punishment that would fit the bill for the rapist.&nbsp;

Also, there exists unpredictability in awarding death sentence in rape cases, as most of the perpetrators are from underprivileged background. Raju Ramachandran, one of the amicus curie in the historic Nirbhaya&rsquo;s case, was a strong opponent of a death penalty.&nbsp;Ramachandran argued that a whole set of&nbsp;reasons, particularly one related to individual backgrounds&nbsp;should be considered rather than advocating that &quot;one penalty fits all&rdquo;. A blanket judgment&nbsp;&ldquo;hits at the very root of Article 14 which prohibits similar treatment of differently situated individuals&rdquo;. Despite a culture of &ldquo;shame and silence&rdquo;, we have to resort to progressive measures to deal with rape.

In spite of making necessary amendments in rape laws and better provisions adopted for women in India, nevertheless, we are not safe. The measures should be aimed at substantially reducing harm against women. Initiatives should be undertaken for collective actions, such as&nbsp;engaging&nbsp;bystanders, better policing, educate youth about healthy relationships and implement better prevention programs. Most of the initiatives undertaken in India have failed to achieve the desired result. It includes utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund-- &lsquo;One Stop Centre&rsquo;, &lsquo;Universalisation of Women Helpline&rsquo;, &lsquo;Mahila Police Volunteer&rsquo; and schemes of other Ministries/Departments under Nirbhaya Fund are yet to highlight their success stories.&nbsp;

To sum up, the unequal power dynamics between man and woman should be reduced; it will reduce the &ldquo;domination&rdquo; and &ldquo;discrimination&rdquo; attitude against women. Sexual violence is a public health issue,&nbsp;hence, collective action,&nbsp;implementing laws&nbsp;and generating interest are required to transform communities.

Sexual violence is a public health issue,?hence, collective action is necessary to prevent rape

On May 29th, in Manesar at Gurgaon, a 19-year-old woman was gang-raped and her 9-month-old daughter was killed by throwing her to the ground. Yesterday, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Director General of Police, Haryana and the Gurugram Police Commission stating, “the night patrolling on the road by the police was not being done”. The NHRC requested the Police Commissioners of Delhi, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to come up with constructive suggestions and a joint action programme is expected by the law enforcement agencies of the National Capital Region (NCR). Though this came as a positive measure to ensure women’s safety, yet we are a long way to go. The situation is particularly difficult to address as many Indian politicians across partylines often place the onus on the victims themselves. For instance, Azam Khan of Samajwadi Party remarked after two girls were raped by 14 men at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh that ”girls should avoid places where molesters roam free”. The incident and bizarre assertion make us question if we women have a safe space to dwell in this country. Another leader Babulal Gaur on another gang rape case of two teenagers said, “this is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong.“ Such remarks by leaders clearly do not reflect us in a respectable position, hence we do not want your sympathy. The Nirbhaya verdict (5th May 2017) stirred clamour around capital punishment against the perpetrators of rape. Many believed, the perpetrators deserved ‘justice served’ and some opposed the idea of capital punishment. Unfortunately, after the most celebrated verdict by the Apex court, a series of rape cases has been reported so far. Death penalty is commonly seen as a deterrent but so far it has failed in the prevention of rape against women. In the month of May alone, three very heinous instances of rape have made the headlines in the country. Frequently, police officials encourages the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby, dissuading them from pursuing the case × The dark figure of crime: Unreported Rape The Indian Penal Code largely understands gender specific crime as an assault on women with the intent to outrage the modesty, cruelty by husband or relatives as well as kidnapping, abduction and rape. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), 327,394 cases of crimes against women were reported in 2015. In 95 per cent of these cases the offender knew the rape victim. One of the most frightening facts reported by NCRB is one rape occurs every 20 minutes in India. Despite all the facts and figures reported by the NCRB, experts are unanimous that it is extremely to difficult to accurately calculate the number of rapes in any country, particularly in India. Victims often fail to report, more so, if family members are involved or in cases where the victim was found to be drunk or intoxicated. In the latter case, it is difficult to ascertain whether consent was given or not. Frequently, police officials encourages the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby, dissuading them from pursuing the case. Rape: Theories and Beliefs If we evaluate why a woman is always the victim, it is pertinent to understand the various theories and studies done by scholars, psychologist and feminist over a period of time on rape culture. The early proponents of the Evolutionary Theory believed man rapes to enforce their sexual desires on a woman so that the offsprings bear their qualities. Whereas, the Feminist theory believed rape is “violent and not just a sexual act”, ideally generate fear and intimidate a woman. The early proponents of feminism suggested, “rape is about power and control and not sex”. Anthropologist Peggy Reeves Sandy through her research on tribal societies presented “rape varies cross-culturally” and it includes, ”interpersonal violence, male dominance and sexual separation”. Her study showcases the attitude towards women in “rape free” and “rape prone” zones. The “rape free” zones are ideal communities that ‘respect female authority and power’ but, “rape-prone” are communities with male dominant societies. Her deviation from the common understanding provided a fresh perspective in understanding how certain positive attitude and behaviour in society tend to benefit women at large. “Rape is a political matter" and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy × The New York Radical Feminists in their Manifesto categorically states that rape is not a “personal” problem. Rather, their argument is “rape is a political matter" and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy. The position taken by the Radical feminists complicates the common perception that capital punishment of the culprit will root out rape. Capital punishment or not: The big debate It is evident death penalty hasn’t acted deterrent for our society. Moreover, the experts are not even sure whether the judiciary should see death penalty as a deterrent, reformation or retribution. Retribution is the common practice preferred however, it has failed to prove beneficial for neither our society nor criminals. This aspect is forcefully brought out by Professor John Braithwaite of The Australian National University who believes that "crime hurts and justice should heal". The restorative justice cuts crime, it is noticed that after meeting their victims and engaging in a dialogue, criminals are less likely to re-offend. The survivor too gets a pivotal role in the “justice process”. Joanne Nodding, a rape survivor, a few years ago wanted to confront the man who raped her. As part of restorative justice programme, she decided to meet him five years after the incident. The program allows victims to initiate a conversation with the person responsible. During the session, Nodding described the harrowing abuse she had to undergo. The perpetrator apologised and Nodding ended the meeting by forgiving him. She added she felt “on top of the world, she had to release the burden so that he could look towards his future. It may stop him from doing it again”. It is difficult to analyse the punishment that would fit the bill for the rapist. Also, there exists unpredictability in awarding death sentence in rape cases, as most of the perpetrators are from underprivileged background. Raju Ramachandran, one of the amicus curie in the historic Nirbhaya’s case, was a strong opponent of a death penalty. Ramachandran argued that a whole set of reasons, particularly one related to individual backgrounds should be considered rather than advocating that "one penalty fits all”. A blanket judgment “hits at the very root of Article 14 which prohibits similar treatment of differently situated individuals”. Despite a culture of “shame and silence”, we have to resort to progressive measures to deal with rape. In spite of making necessary amendments in rape laws and better provisions adopted for women in India, nevertheless, we are not safe. The measures should be aimed at substantially reducing harm against women. Initiatives should be undertaken for collective actions, such as engaging bystanders, better policing, educate youth about healthy relationships and implement better prevention programs. Most of the initiatives undertaken in India have failed to achieve the desired result. It includes utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund-- ‘One Stop Centre’, ‘Universalisation of Women Helpline’, ‘Mahila Police Volunteer’ and schemes of other Ministries/Departments under Nirbhaya Fund are yet to highlight their success stories. To sum up, the unequal power dynamics between man and woman should be reduced; it will reduce the “domination” and “discrimination” attitude against women. Sexual violence is a public health issue, hence, collective action, implementing laws and generating interest are required to transform communities.

Why can't capital punishment stop rape in India?

A popular Malayalam actress was abducted and molested by a gang of men late Friday night near Ernakulam town in Kerala, the Malayala Manorama reported.

The report said the men got into the actress&#39; car near Athani in Angamaly.

According to the report, she was assaulted till the car reached Palarivattom in Ernakulam. The men allegedly took photos and videos of her.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The actress was released after the men allegedly assaulted her, and took photos and videos of her</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The actress was released after the men allegedly assaulted her, and took photos and videos of her" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

The actress was then released.&nbsp;

The actress&#39; former driver Martin was allegedly one of the attackers.

The Malayala Manorama reported that after the actress was released, she went to the home of a director -- seeking his help -- in Kakkanad.

She later spoke to the police and gave them a statement.

A case has been registered, with local goon Sunil Kumar listed as the main accused.

The actress&#39; former driver has been arrested.&nbsp;

(This report first appeared in DNA)

The actress' former driver Martin was allegedly one of the attackers

A popular Malayalam actress was abducted and molested by a gang of men late Friday night near Ernakulam town in Kerala, the Malayala Manorama reported. The report said the men got into the actress' car near Athani in Angamaly. According to the report, she was assaulted till the car reached Palarivattom in Ernakulam. The men allegedly took photos and videos of her. The actress was released after the men allegedly assaulted her, and took photos and videos of her × The actress was then released. The actress' former driver Martin was allegedly one of the attackers. The Malayala Manorama reported that after the actress was released, she went to the home of a director -- seeking his help -- in Kakkanad. She later spoke to the police and gave them a statement. A case has been registered, with local goon Sunil Kumar listed as the main accused. The actress' former driver has been arrested. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Malayalam actress abducted & molested: Report

The Bengaluru mass molestation has evoked a litany of anguished complaints against our collective existence as civilised human beings. Data crunching is being done to show, rightly, that precious little has changed despite the amended rape law or the oft-repeated promises on women&rsquo;s security. Half-a-billion citizens of this country have to try hard, on an everyday basis, to keep their bodily integrity intact.

But why is everybody silent about the body, the focal point of this discourse?

One of the challenges facing a sexual assault victim is to regain her ability to love her body as before. Almost everything around her stymies this effort. PTSD, somatic symptoms&nbsp;and depression are some of the commonly spoken about aftermaths of a sexual assault. The assaulted body not only bears the marks of the violation suffered, it also writhes in neglect and loathing. The victim fights a battle with not just the world outside but also within and the body is caught in this crossfire.

While studying child sexual abuse in the Jewish community, Rachel Lev, a US-based clinical psychologist, observed that insensitivity and ignorance displayed by institutions around the victim (healthcare, education, security, religion et al) severely hinder recovery and healing of the victims. Lev&rsquo;s 2003 book &lsquo;Shine the Light: Sexual Abuse and Healing in the Jewish Community&rsquo; emphasises the need for &ldquo;compassionate, informed and proactive community&rdquo; that helps in healing. An earlier research on rape victims (University of Illinois, 2001) establishes that while positive social reaction has a&nbsp;negligible impact on victim&rsquo;s recovery, negative social reactions hinder it substantially. Ironically, it is the community&rsquo;s collective failure that breeds sexual assault on an industrial scale.

How, then, can the victim emerge from the cesspool of shame, trauma and that unhealthy tendency of seeing the body as the cause of her woes? There are no prescribed answers or standard operating procedures. Yet, there can be some universal whistle points. To begin with, it is essential to recognise sexual assault to be what it is: a criminal act. Just like stealing, robbery, and murder. The victim needs to learn and internalise it. A sparkling SUV, straight out of the showroom, did not ASK to be stolen. It just was.

The body has an inbuilt self-healing mechanism. The victim needs to tap that. The ableist approach in combating violence against women, with its insistence on putting the onus of safety on the potential victim, has been rightly criticised by the gender equality activists and other stakeholders. However, a lot stands to be gained while leveraging the ability of a victim, post facto. It is also a step towards establishing a continuum of empathy. A victim, at ease with herself, is likely to extend support to those who need it. Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan, Sunitha Krishnan of Bengaluru, and Suzette Jordan of Kolkata were assaulted but not broken.

A victim has no agency in deciding what happens to her body. The victims of child sexual abuse do not even have the vocabulary to describe either their bodies or what is done to them. Yet, there is a shroud of shame with which the victim is expected to cover her bruised honour with. The body does not get impure or tainted by unwanted touch or penetration. Yes, it causes pain physical and mental. The ideas of impurity and honour are carefully placed constructs to silence the victims.

Silence suits the perpetrators and, unfortunately, even some secondary survivors. A victim&rsquo;s loved ones are the co-sufferers of an assault, yet the worst ordeal is reserved for the victim herself. Do remember the &lsquo;honourable&rsquo; killings (inclusive of abetment to suicide) of countless women by family members during the Partition because they were or could be sexually assaulted. Thus, the onus to reclaim the battered body needs to be on the victim. Negative social reactions to assault or even the body in the first place, however, disallows this process of rebuilding.

Learning to see the&nbsp;body as a&nbsp;whole and not disambiguated body parts, with a hierarchy of honour to define them, is the first step towards recovery. Learning to see a crime as crime is the essential second. When the individual heals, society heals. And vice versa.

(WION)

Ideas of impurity and honour are carefully-placed constructs to silence victims of sexual attacks

The Bengaluru mass molestation has evoked a litany of anguished complaints against our collective existence as civilised human beings. Data crunching is being done to show, rightly, that precious little has changed despite the amended rape law or the oft-repeated promises on women’s security. Half-a-billion citizens of this country have to try hard, on an everyday basis, to keep their bodily integrity intact. But why is everybody silent about the body, the focal point of this discourse? One of the challenges facing a sexual assault victim is to regain her ability to love her body as before. Almost everything around her stymies this effort. PTSD, somatic symptoms and depression are some of the commonly spoken about aftermaths of a sexual assault. The assaulted body not only bears the marks of the violation suffered, it also writhes in neglect and loathing. The victim fights a battle with not just the world outside but also within and the body is caught in this crossfire. While studying child sexual abuse in the Jewish community, Rachel Lev, a US-based clinical psychologist, observed that insensitivity and ignorance displayed by institutions around the victim (healthcare, education, security, religion et al) severely hinder recovery and healing of the victims. Lev’s 2003 book ‘Shine the Light: Sexual Abuse and Healing in the Jewish Community’ emphasises the need for “compassionate, informed and proactive community” that helps in healing. An earlier research on rape victims (University of Illinois, 2001) establishes that while positive social reaction has a negligible impact on victim’s recovery, negative social reactions hinder it substantially. Ironically, it is the community’s collective failure that breeds sexual assault on an industrial scale. How, then, can the victim emerge from the cesspool of shame, trauma and that unhealthy tendency of seeing the body as the cause of her woes? There are no prescribed answers or standard operating procedures. Yet, there can be some universal whistle points. To begin with, it is essential to recognise sexual assault to be what it is: a criminal act. Just like stealing, robbery, and murder. The victim needs to learn and internalise it. A sparkling SUV, straight out of the showroom, did not ASK to be stolen. It just was. The body has an inbuilt self-healing mechanism. The victim needs to tap that. The ableist approach in combating violence against women, with its insistence on putting the onus of safety on the potential victim, has been rightly criticised by the gender equality activists and other stakeholders. However, a lot stands to be gained while leveraging the ability of a victim, post facto. It is also a step towards establishing a continuum of empathy. A victim, at ease with herself, is likely to extend support to those who need it. Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan, Sunitha Krishnan of Bengaluru, and Suzette Jordan of Kolkata were assaulted but not broken. A victim has no agency in deciding what happens to her body. The victims of child sexual abuse do not even have the vocabulary to describe either their bodies or what is done to them. Yet, there is a shroud of shame with which the victim is expected to cover her bruised honour with. The body does not get impure or tainted by unwanted touch or penetration. Yes, it causes pain physical and mental. The ideas of impurity and honour are carefully placed constructs to silence the victims. Silence suits the perpetrators and, unfortunately, even some secondary survivors. A victim’s loved ones are the co-sufferers of an assault, yet the worst ordeal is reserved for the victim herself. Do remember the ‘honourable’ killings (inclusive of abetment to suicide) of countless women by family members during the Partition because they were or could be sexually assaulted. Thus, the onus to reclaim the battered body needs to be on the victim. Negative social reactions to assault or even the body in the first place, however, disallows this process of rebuilding. Learning to see the body as a whole and not disambiguated body parts, with a hierarchy of honour to define them, is the first step towards recovery. Learning to see a crime as crime is the essential second. When the individual heals, society heals. And vice versa. (WION)

Bengaluru mass molestation: Woman's scarred psyche and society's unholy mind

Bill Cosby&#39;s lawyers will ask a Pennsylvania state judge on Tuesday to keep more than a dozen women who have accused the comedian of sexual assault off the witness stand at his trial on charges of molesting a former basketball coach at his alma mater.

More than 60 women have accused the 79-year-old entertainer, once beloved by Americans as the father on the 1980s TV hit &quot;The Cosby Show,&quot; of sexually assaulting them, often after plying them with drugs and alcohol, in a series of attacks dating back decades.

A surprising and sad fall&nbsp;from grace

The Cosby Show was important for, among other reasons, portraying an African American family as upper-middle class&nbsp;at a time when American TV&nbsp;was acutely short of such depictions of black families. Cosby&nbsp;was known for being safe&nbsp;because of his fatherly image playing Doctor&nbsp;Huxtable&nbsp;on TV, and offscreen he had a habit of making moral pronouncements that now stand in stark contrast to his alleged crimes.&nbsp;

In 2008 Cosby went on a nationwide tour emphasising the need for self reliance in the African American community rather than protesting systemic racism.&nbsp;As Ta-nehisi Coates put it in <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/05/-this-is-how-we-lost-to-the-white-man/306774/">The Atlantic</a>: &quot;Instead of focusing on some abstract notion of equality, he argues,&nbsp;blacks need to cleanse their culture, embrace personal responsibility, and reclaim the traditions that fortified them in the past.&quot; Cosby lamented for a bygone era: &quot;I&quot;m talking about a time when we protected our women and protected our children.&quot;

&nbsp;

Establishing a pattern

Despite the fact that Cosby has more than 60 accusers, only one of those claims resulted in criminal charges, filed against Cosby days before the statute of limitations was to expire. Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at Cosby&#39;s alma mater Temple University, said he gave her pills before assaulting her at his Pennsylvania house in 2004.

Prosecutors have asked Judge Steven O&#39;Neill of Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania to allow 13 other women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault to testify at trial in order to show he engaged in a pattern of drugging and attacking his alleged victims.

Cosby has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. O&#39;Neill has scheduled two days of hearings on the proposed witnesses and other pre-trial matters.

In general, prosecutors are barred from introducing evidence of a defendant&#39;s unrelated prior bad acts for fear it could prejudice the jury. On rare occasions, however, judges will allow it if the evidence shows a clear and longstanding pattern of behavior.

Prosecutors are also seeking permission to use Cosby&#39;s sworn testimony from a deposition during Constand&#39;s 2005 civil lawsuit, in which Cosby acknowledged providing women with medication and then having consensual sexual encounters with them.

&nbsp;

Courtroom strategy

Cosby&#39;s lawyers have asked O&#39;Neill to bar that deposition from the trial, arguing that Cosby only agreed to testify after the then-Montgomery County district attorney assured him no criminal charges would be brought.

In addition, his lawyers have mounted yet another attempt to dismiss the case, this time based on the argument that prosecutors waited too long to bring the case.

In court papers filed last week, his attorneys said that Cosby is legally blind and has memory problems, preventing him from fully participating in preparing his own defense.

The trial is set for June 2017.

(With inputs from Reuters)

More than 60 women have accused the once beloved comedian and TV icon of plying them with drugs before committing rape

Bill Cosby's lawyers will ask a Pennsylvania state judge on Tuesday to keep more than a dozen women who have accused the comedian of sexual assault off the witness stand at his trial on charges of molesting a former basketball coach at his alma mater. More than 60 women have accused the 79-year-old entertainer, once beloved by Americans as the father on the 1980s TV hit "The Cosby Show," of sexually assaulting them, often after plying them with drugs and alcohol, in a series of attacks dating back decades. A surprising and sad fall from grace The Cosby Show was important for, among other reasons, portraying an African American family as upper-middle class at a time when American TV was acutely short of such depictions of black families. Cosby was known for being safe because of his fatherly image playing Doctor Huxtable on TV, and offscreen he had a habit of making moral pronouncements that now stand in stark contrast to his alleged crimes. In 2008 Cosby went on a nationwide tour emphasising the need for self reliance in the African American community rather than protesting systemic racism. As Ta-nehisi Coates put it in The Atlantic: "Instead of focusing on some abstract notion of equality, he argues, blacks need to cleanse their culture, embrace personal responsibility, and reclaim the traditions that fortified them in the past." Cosby lamented for a bygone era: "I"m talking about a time when we protected our women and protected our children." Establishing a pattern Despite the fact that Cosby has more than 60 accusers, only one of those claims resulted in criminal charges, filed against Cosby days before the statute of limitations was to expire. Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at Cosby's alma mater Temple University, said he gave her pills before assaulting her at his Pennsylvania house in 2004. Prosecutors have asked Judge Steven O'Neill of Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania to allow 13 other women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault to testify at trial in order to show he engaged in a pattern of drugging and attacking his alleged victims. Cosby has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. O'Neill has scheduled two days of hearings on the proposed witnesses and other pre-trial matters. In general, prosecutors are barred from introducing evidence of a defendant's unrelated prior bad acts for fear it could prejudice the jury. On rare occasions, however, judges will allow it if the evidence shows a clear and longstanding pattern of behavior. Prosecutors are also seeking permission to use Cosby's sworn testimony from a deposition during Constand's 2005 civil lawsuit, in which Cosby acknowledged providing women with medication and then having consensual sexual encounters with them. Courtroom strategy Cosby's lawyers have asked O'Neill to bar that deposition from the trial, arguing that Cosby only agreed to testify after the then-Montgomery County district attorney assured him no criminal charges would be brought. In addition, his lawyers have mounted yet another attempt to dismiss the case, this time based on the argument that prosecutors waited too long to bring the case. In court papers filed last week, his attorneys said that Cosby is legally blind and has memory problems, preventing him from fully participating in preparing his own defense. The trial is set for June 2017. (With inputs from Reuters)

Bill Cosby's lawyers seek to bar some alleged victims from sexual assault trial

India&#39;s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into its custody three accused in the case of rape of a woman and her minor girl in northern India&#39;s Bulandshahr city last month. 
 
CBI sources refused to disclose the identity of the accused who were taken into custody by it but said they would be produced in the fast-track court of Bulandshahr on August 23. 
 
North India&#39;s Uttar Pradesh state police had arrested six persons, including the prime suspect, in connection with the rape of the woman and her 13-year-old daughter while they were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on the intervening night of July 29-30. 
 
The case was transferred to CBI on the instructions of the Allahabad High Court. The agency had registered a case yesterday and sent a team of forensic experts and deputy inspector general-ranked officer to the crime scene. 
 
UP police, which received flak from the Allahabad High Court, had claimed to have solved the blind case within nine days of the incident with arrest of Salim Bawariya, the head of a gang from &nbsp;north-western state of Rajasthan. 
 
On the basis of his interrogation, two other gang members - Zubair and Sajid - were arrested by the Special Task Force of UP police. Later, three more accused - Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) - were arrested. 
 
(PTI)

The agency refused to disclose the identity of the accused but said they would be produced in a fast-track court on August 23

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into its custody three accused in the case of rape of a woman and her minor girl in northern India's Bulandshahr city last month. CBI sources refused to disclose the identity of the accused who were taken into custody by it but said they would be produced in the fast-track court of Bulandshahr on August 23. North India's Uttar Pradesh state police had arrested six persons, including the prime suspect, in connection with the rape of the woman and her 13-year-old daughter while they were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on the intervening night of July 29-30. The case was transferred to CBI on the instructions of the Allahabad High Court. The agency had registered a case yesterday and sent a team of forensic experts and deputy inspector general-ranked officer to the crime scene. UP police, which received flak from the Allahabad High Court, had claimed to have solved the blind case within nine days of the incident with arrest of Salim Bawariya, the head of a gang from north-western state of Rajasthan. On the basis of his interrogation, two other gang members - Zubair and Sajid - were arrested by the Special Task Force of UP police. Later, three more accused - Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) - were arrested. (PTI)

Bulandshahr gang rape case: India's investigative agency takes custody of three accused

A billboard advertisement at Istanbul&#39;s international airport accused Sweden of having &quot;the highest rape rate worldwide&quot;, state media reported Friday just days after Stockholm accused Ankara of legalising sex with children. 
 
Printed in English and Turkish and displayed at the departures section of Ataturk airport, the huge banner ad reads: &quot;Travel Warning! Did you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?&quot; Anadolu news agency reported alongside a picture of the ad.&nbsp; 
 
Alongside it was an enlarged copy of the front page of Gunes, a pro-government newspaper, with a headline saying: &quot;Sweden, a country of rape.&quot; 
 
Anadolu said billboard advertisements at the airport were operated by a private company.&nbsp; 
 
The advert was largely seen as a tit-for-tat move after Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom caused a storm after writing a tweet which said the &quot;Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed&quot;, following a controversial ruling by the Turkish constitutional court.
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Printed in English and Turkish and displayed at the departures section of Ataturk airport, the huge banner ad reads: &quot;Travel Warning! Did you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?&quot;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Printed in English and Turkish and displayed at the departures section of Ataturk airport, the huge banner ad reads: &quot;Travel Warning! Did you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?&quot; " target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu blasted her remark as &quot;unacceptable&quot;, saying Wallstrom should have acted &quot;responsibly&quot;. 
 
Turkey&#39;s constitutional court in July annulled a criminal code provision punishing as &quot;sexual abuse&quot; all sexual acts involving children under the age of 15, responding to a petition brought by a lower court.&nbsp; 
 
The top court has given parliament a six-month period to draw up new rules based on its ruling. 
 
The lower court that brought the petition was worried there was no distinction between cases of sexual acts involving a young teenager or a toddler. 
 
The legal age of consent in Turkey remains 18 and was not affected by the ruling. But it sparked outrage among activists worried it would open the way for unpunished child sexual abuse. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The advert was largely seen as a tit-for-tat move after Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom's tweet caused a storm

A billboard advertisement at Istanbul's international airport accused Sweden of having "the highest rape rate worldwide", state media reported Friday just days after Stockholm accused Ankara of legalising sex with children. Printed in English and Turkish and displayed at the departures section of Ataturk airport, the huge banner ad reads: "Travel Warning! Did you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?" Anadolu news agency reported alongside a picture of the ad. Alongside it was an enlarged copy of the front page of Gunes, a pro-government newspaper, with a headline saying: "Sweden, a country of rape." Anadolu said billboard advertisements at the airport were operated by a private company. The advert was largely seen as a tit-for-tat move after Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom caused a storm after writing a tweet which said the "Turkish decision to allow sex with children under 15 must be reversed", following a controversial ruling by the Turkish constitutional court. Printed in English and Turkish and displayed at the departures section of Ataturk airport, the huge banner ad reads: "Travel Warning! Did you know that Sweden has the highest rape rate worldwide?" Her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu blasted her remark as "unacceptable", saying Wallstrom should have acted "responsibly". Turkey's constitutional court in July annulled a criminal code provision punishing as "sexual abuse" all sexual acts involving children under the age of 15, responding to a petition brought by a lower court. The top court has given parliament a six-month period to draw up new rules based on its ruling. The lower court that brought the petition was worried there was no distinction between cases of sexual acts involving a young teenager or a toddler. The legal age of consent in Turkey remains 18 and was not affected by the ruling. But it sparked outrage among activists worried it would open the way for unpunished child sexual abuse. (AFP)

Turkey airport ad accuses Sweden of 'highest rape rate'

Police in India&#39;s northern state of Uttar Pradesh have held three men they say were involved in the brutal gang rape of a woman and her minor teenage daughter by robbers at gunpoint on Friday night, even as the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) government came under intense flak. 
 
A total of 15 men had dragged the family -- travelling from Noida, a suburb of the Indian capital Delhi, to Shahjahanpur -- out of a car near here, tied up the men, and raped the mother and daughter.&nbsp; 
 
Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Javeed Ahmed, who was rushed to Bulandshahr by state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav after the incident, identified the three detained as Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28). 
 
He said police had interrogated&nbsp;15 people, all of them belonging to a nomadic tribe, last evening. 
 
The three men held belonged to the Bawariya community and have been identified by the victims, he said, adding that all the culprits would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA). 
 
As the incident acquired a political hue, the chief minister went into fire-fighting mode and suspended the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vaibhav Krishna, the superintendent of police (SP) Rammohan Singh, and the station house officer (SHO) Ramsen Singh, amid allegations of laxity by the police. 
 
The DGP, accompanied by the principal secretary (home), visited the site of the incident on the directions of the chief minister. 
 
The police chief however rubbished the charge that police had not acted swiftly, saying they reached the spot 20 minutes after they heard about the incident. And that the SSP had also got to the spot. 
 
Taking cognisance of the case, the national commission for women (NCW) said it has sent a member to meet the victims and officials in Uttar Pradesh but it added that it gets little cooperation from the state administration in cases like these. 
 
NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam also questioned the detentions made by police, wondering whether the police had arrested the people actually involved in the gang rape.&nbsp; 
 
The Opposition alleged that the &quot;barbaric&quot; incident showed that &quot;goonda raj&quot; (lawlessness) was at its peak in the state; the state will go to the polls early in 2017. 
 
The ruling party at the centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), criticised the state government for laying down expressways and highways without caring for the safety and security of users, while the state opposition said heinous crimes like these pointed towards the deteriorating law and order situation and &quot;jungle raj&quot; (rule of the jungle) in the state. 
 
&quot;The SP government and its head must tell the people if they can return the modesty of women in such a painful and henious crime,&quot; the opposition Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said in a statement, adding comnon people, especially women, were not safe under the present dispensation. 
 
(PTI)

The CM suspends the senior superintendent & superintendent of police after allegations of laxity by the cops

Police in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh have held three men they say were involved in the brutal gang rape of a woman and her minor teenage daughter by robbers at gunpoint on Friday night, even as the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) government came under intense flak. A total of 15 men had dragged the family -- travelling from Noida, a suburb of the Indian capital Delhi, to Shahjahanpur -- out of a car near here, tied up the men, and raped the mother and daughter. Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Javeed Ahmed, who was rushed to Bulandshahr by state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav after the incident, identified the three detained as Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28). He said police had interrogated 15 people, all of them belonging to a nomadic tribe, last evening. The three men held belonged to the Bawariya community and have been identified by the victims, he said, adding that all the culprits would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA). As the incident acquired a political hue, the chief minister went into fire-fighting mode and suspended the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vaibhav Krishna, the superintendent of police (SP) Rammohan Singh, and the station house officer (SHO) Ramsen Singh, amid allegations of laxity by the police. The DGP, accompanied by the principal secretary (home), visited the site of the incident on the directions of the chief minister. The police chief however rubbished the charge that police had not acted swiftly, saying they reached the spot 20 minutes after they heard about the incident. And that the SSP had also got to the spot. Taking cognisance of the case, the national commission for women (NCW) said it has sent a member to meet the victims and officials in Uttar Pradesh but it added that it gets little cooperation from the state administration in cases like these. NCW chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam also questioned the detentions made by police, wondering whether the police had arrested the people actually involved in the gang rape. The Opposition alleged that the "barbaric" incident showed that "goonda raj" (lawlessness) was at its peak in the state; the state will go to the polls early in 2017. The ruling party at the centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), criticised the state government for laying down expressways and highways without caring for the safety and security of users, while the state opposition said heinous crimes like these pointed towards the deteriorating law and order situation and "jungle raj" (rule of the jungle) in the state. "The SP government and its head must tell the people if they can return the modesty of women in such a painful and henious crime," the opposition Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said in a statement, adding comnon people, especially women, were not safe under the present dispensation. (PTI)

3 held for brutal gang rape of mother, daughter in India's UP

A low-caste Indian who survived a gang-rape aged 17 only to be raped again, allegedly by men awaiting trial for the first attack, said today she feared she and her family would never be safe again. 
 
Police say the 20-year-old student from India&#39;s lowest Dalit caste was abducted from outside her college on July 13, drugged and raped before being dumped on a highway. 
 
Three men have been arrested in connection with the attack, two of whom had been charged with raping her in 2013, and only released on bail a few months ago. 
 
&#39;Latest attack was act of revenge&#39; &nbsp; 
 
Relatives say they believe the latest attack was revenge for her refusal to drop her complaint against the men, who they say were able to evade justice because they belonged to higher castes and had political connections. 
 
&quot;I will have to spend my entire life in constant fear of being raped again or killed,&quot; said the woman, who AFP is not naming for legal reasons. 
 
&quot;My life will never be the same. I am worried about my family&#39;s safety. They can harm us any time,&quot; she told AFP by telephone from her hospital bed in the northern Indian state of Haryana. 
 
India promised to speed up rape trials in the wake of a fatal gang-rape in 2012 that shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of violence against women in India. 
 
But rape and sexual assault remain commonplace and cases are often slow to come to court -- especially if the defendants are wealthy and well-connected. 
 
Relatives of the victim said the alleged perpetrators of the 2013 rape had offered them money to withdraw the case, and threatened to attack her again if they did not. 
 
&quot;We were offered five million rupees ($75,000) to withdraw the case. They are rich people and have strong political links,&quot; her cousin told AFP. 
 
&quot;We didn&#39;t give in to their demands and pursued the case, but we were let down by the court, which gave them bail in May,&quot; he told AFP in the city of Rohtak in Haryana, where the family moved to after the first attack.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Only rich get justice&#39;&nbsp; 
 
He said he believed his cousin was originally attacked because she had spurned the advances of one of the alleged rapists. 
 
&quot;He must have thought, they are poor and helpless, and we will get away with the crime,&quot; he added. 
 
The relative said police only moved to arrest the alleged perpetrators after weeks of protests by the Dalit community, who face widespread discrimination in India even though this is illegal. 
 
&quot;We were tossed from one police station to another, but no one was listening. The accused were bribing them and were getting all help from the authorities,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;This country is only for rich and for upper castes, only they get justice,&quot; said the cousin, adding that the entire family had now converted to Buddhism to escape discrimination under the Hindu caste system. 
 
&#39;Justice system failing sexual assault survivors&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Local police say they are using all their resources to track down another two men accused in last week&#39;s attack, and have set up a special investigation team. 
 
&quot;We are collecting all evidence and will investigate the case in a fair and transparent manner,&quot; Rohtak police chief Rakesh Arya told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
But rights activists say the case shows the justice system is still failing victims of sexual assault, more than three years after the Delhi gang-rape that sparked mass protests. 
 
&quot;We need action now to end this brutality that has become routine and to give the victims of violence the justice and protection they deserve,&quot; said Anju Malhotra, gender advisor to the UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

'My life will never be the same. I am worried about my family's safety'

A low-caste Indian who survived a gang-rape aged 17 only to be raped again, allegedly by men awaiting trial for the first attack, said today she feared she and her family would never be safe again. Police say the 20-year-old student from India's lowest Dalit caste was abducted from outside her college on July 13, drugged and raped before being dumped on a highway. Three men have been arrested in connection with the attack, two of whom had been charged with raping her in 2013, and only released on bail a few months ago. 'Latest attack was act of revenge' Relatives say they believe the latest attack was revenge for her refusal to drop her complaint against the men, who they say were able to evade justice because they belonged to higher castes and had political connections. "I will have to spend my entire life in constant fear of being raped again or killed," said the woman, who AFP is not naming for legal reasons. "My life will never be the same. I am worried about my family's safety. They can harm us any time," she told AFP by telephone from her hospital bed in the northern Indian state of Haryana. India promised to speed up rape trials in the wake of a fatal gang-rape in 2012 that shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of violence against women in India. But rape and sexual assault remain commonplace and cases are often slow to come to court -- especially if the defendants are wealthy and well-connected. Relatives of the victim said the alleged perpetrators of the 2013 rape had offered them money to withdraw the case, and threatened to attack her again if they did not. "We were offered five million rupees ($75,000) to withdraw the case. They are rich people and have strong political links," her cousin told AFP. "We didn't give in to their demands and pursued the case, but we were let down by the court, which gave them bail in May," he told AFP in the city of Rohtak in Haryana, where the family moved to after the first attack. 'Only rich get justice' He said he believed his cousin was originally attacked because she had spurned the advances of one of the alleged rapists. "He must have thought, they are poor and helpless, and we will get away with the crime," he added. The relative said police only moved to arrest the alleged perpetrators after weeks of protests by the Dalit community, who face widespread discrimination in India even though this is illegal. "We were tossed from one police station to another, but no one was listening. The accused were bribing them and were getting all help from the authorities," he said. "This country is only for rich and for upper castes, only they get justice," said the cousin, adding that the entire family had now converted to Buddhism to escape discrimination under the Hindu caste system. 'Justice system failing sexual assault survivors' Local police say they are using all their resources to track down another two men accused in last week's attack, and have set up a special investigation team. "We are collecting all evidence and will investigate the case in a fair and transparent manner," Rohtak police chief Rakesh Arya told AFP. But rights activists say the case shows the justice system is still failing victims of sexual assault, more than three years after the Delhi gang-rape that sparked mass protests. "We need action now to end this brutality that has become routine and to give the victims of violence the justice and protection they deserve," said Anju Malhotra, gender advisor to the UN children's agency UNICEF. (AFP)

India: Gang-raped twice by same men, survivor in Haryana lives in fear

The German parliament is set to pass a new law on Thursday broadening the definition of sex crimes and making it easier to deport foreign nationals who commit them. 
 
After years of debate on the need for tougher treatment of rape by the criminal justice system, the new legislation finally came together following a rash of sexual assaults in crowds on New Year&#39;s eve in the Western city of Cologne. 
 
Dubbed the &quot;No means No&quot; law by the media, it explicitly covers cases in which a victim withheld consent but did not physically fight back. 
 
The legislation, entitled &quot;improving the protection of sexual self-determination&quot;, also lowers the bar for deporting sexual offenders, classifies groping as a sex crime and targets assaults committed by large groups. 
 
&quot;It is crucial that we finally embed the principle &#39;No means No&#39; in criminal law and make every non-consensual sexual act a punishable offence,&quot; said deputy Eva Hoegl of the Social Democrats, one of the law&#39;s sponsors.&nbsp; 
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s cabinet signed off on the measure in March after the attacks in Cologne, where more than 1,000 women reported sexual assaults and robberies on New Year&#39;s Eve. 
 
The attacks were blamed largely on Arab and North African men. 
 
The city&#39;s police chief conceded that most culprits may never be caught over the spate of assaults, which ranged from groping to rape and which inflamed public debate about a record influx of refugees and migrants. 
 
Justice Minister Heiko Maas acknowledged that under German law there were &quot;unacceptable gaps in protection&quot; against sexual coercion and assault. Currently, victims reporting a rape to police must not only demonstrate that they verbally declined sex but also that they physically resisted their assailant. 
 
The new law is intended to cover &quot;the actual situations in which most attacks occur&quot;, Maas said. 
 
These include cases in which the victim is taken by surprise, intimidated or threatened with other violence, for example in an abusive relationship. 
 
Parliament had already in January made it easier to expel migrants and refugees convicted of crimes.&nbsp; 
 
But along with sexual offences, it required proof of additional &quot;violence, threats or physical endangerment&quot; and generally a prison sentence of at least one year before an attacker could be deported.&nbsp; 
 
The reform means any sexual assault can be used against an applicant in an immigration or asylum hearing. 
 
It also specifically upgrades groping to a sex crime with sentences of up to two years&#39; jail or a fine. 
 
Merkel&#39;s conservative parliamentary group included a stipulation making it illegal to be part of a group committing assaults in a crowd, rather than requiring proof that a specific person attacked a victim. 
 
Anyone &quot;who at least tacitly accepts that crimes are committed by a group they are a part of&quot; can now be prosecuted. 
News agency DPA cited figures that 8,000 rapes are reported in Germany each year but that only one in 10 victims files charges. Moreover, only one in 10 rape complaints leads to a conviction. 
 
The latest reform drive began in 2011 with the passage of a Council of Europe convention on preventing and combatting violence against women, requiring signatories including Germany to penalise all &quot;non-consensual&quot; sexual acts. 
 
(AFP)

More than 1000 women had reported sexual assaults and robberies, mostly against Arab and North African men on New Year's Eve

The German parliament is set to pass a new law on Thursday broadening the definition of sex crimes and making it easier to deport foreign nationals who commit them. After years of debate on the need for tougher treatment of rape by the criminal justice system, the new legislation finally came together following a rash of sexual assaults in crowds on New Year's eve in the Western city of Cologne. Dubbed the "No means No" law by the media, it explicitly covers cases in which a victim withheld consent but did not physically fight back. The legislation, entitled "improving the protection of sexual self-determination", also lowers the bar for deporting sexual offenders, classifies groping as a sex crime and targets assaults committed by large groups. "It is crucial that we finally embed the principle 'No means No' in criminal law and make every non-consensual sexual act a punishable offence," said deputy Eva Hoegl of the Social Democrats, one of the law's sponsors. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet signed off on the measure in March after the attacks in Cologne, where more than 1,000 women reported sexual assaults and robberies on New Year's Eve. The attacks were blamed largely on Arab and North African men. The city's police chief conceded that most culprits may never be caught over the spate of assaults, which ranged from groping to rape and which inflamed public debate about a record influx of refugees and migrants. Justice Minister Heiko Maas acknowledged that under German law there were "unacceptable gaps in protection" against sexual coercion and assault. Currently, victims reporting a rape to police must not only demonstrate that they verbally declined sex but also that they physically resisted their assailant. The new law is intended to cover "the actual situations in which most attacks occur", Maas said. These include cases in which the victim is taken by surprise, intimidated or threatened with other violence, for example in an abusive relationship. Parliament had already in January made it easier to expel migrants and refugees convicted of crimes. But along with sexual offences, it required proof of additional "violence, threats or physical endangerment" and generally a prison sentence of at least one year before an attacker could be deported. The reform means any sexual assault can be used against an applicant in an immigration or asylum hearing. It also specifically upgrades groping to a sex crime with sentences of up to two years' jail or a fine. Merkel's conservative parliamentary group included a stipulation making it illegal to be part of a group committing assaults in a crowd, rather than requiring proof that a specific person attacked a victim. Anyone "who at least tacitly accepts that crimes are committed by a group they are a part of" can now be prosecuted. News agency DPA cited figures that 8,000 rapes are reported in Germany each year but that only one in 10 victims files charges. Moreover, only one in 10 rape complaints leads to a conviction. The latest reform drive began in 2011 with the passage of a Council of Europe convention on preventing and combatting violence against women, requiring signatories including Germany to penalise all "non-consensual" sexual acts. (AFP)

Germany to bolster rape law after Cologne mob assaults

Eight members of Cuba&#39;s national volleyball team, playing a tournament in Finland, were questioned on Sunday in connection with an aggravated rape case, local police said. 
 
Three of the unnamed players were picked up by police on early Saturday, after a complaint was made, and questioned with the aid of an interpreter. 
 
The other five, including the national team captain, were brought in for questioning on Sunday after a match in the Volleyball World League taking place in the southern Finnish town of Tampere. 
 
The police did not divulge the circumstances of the alleged rape attack. 
 
According to local press, the alleged crime took place in the Tampere hotel where the Cuban team are staying. 
 
The first three players questioned on Saturday will appear before a judge on Monday or Tuesday who will free them or place them under provisional detention. 
 
Three Cuban players were notable by their absence from the match on Saturday when they lost to the Finnish team.&nbsp; 
 
Their no-show led some media outlets to suspect that they had defected. &quot;That&#39;s not the case,&quot; said police commissioner Joni Lansipuro. 
 
(AFP)

According to local press, the alleged crime took place in the Tampere hotel where the Cuban team are staying

Eight members of Cuba's national volleyball team, playing a tournament in Finland, were questioned on Sunday in connection with an aggravated rape case, local police said. Three of the unnamed players were picked up by police on early Saturday, after a complaint was made, and questioned with the aid of an interpreter. The other five, including the national team captain, were brought in for questioning on Sunday after a match in the Volleyball World League taking place in the southern Finnish town of Tampere. The police did not divulge the circumstances of the alleged rape attack. According to local press, the alleged crime took place in the Tampere hotel where the Cuban team are staying. The first three players questioned on Saturday will appear before a judge on Monday or Tuesday who will free them or place them under provisional detention. Three Cuban players were notable by their absence from the match on Saturday when they lost to the Finnish team. Their no-show led some media outlets to suspect that they had defected. "That's not the case," said police commissioner Joni Lansipuro. (AFP)

Cuban volleyball players questioned over alleged rape case in Finland

sexual-assault

Sexual Assault, News on Sexual Assault, stories on Sexual Assault, articles on Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault stories at Wion, Sexual Assault news, Sexual Assault latest news