Rape Definition Expands; Female Detainees Abused

By WeNews staff

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Uniform Crime Report Subcommittee of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services voted on Oct. 18 to expand its definition of rape, reported Ms. Oct. 19.

(WOMENSENEWS)--

Cheers

The Uniform Crime Report Subcommittee of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services voted on Oct. 18 to expand its definition of rape, reported Ms. Oct. 19. The vote to update the definition came after many years of lobbying by groups such as the Women's Law Project and the recent viral "Rape is Rape" campaign started by the Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. in partnership with Change.org.

The previous definition (unchanged since 1929) defined "forcible rape" as "the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will," excluding victims of forced anal or oral sex, rape with an object, statutory rape and male rape. The new definition--of "rape," no longer "forcible rape"--defines the crime as "penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." The FBI will maintain data on "forcible rape" only for research and comparison.

More News to Cheer This Week:

A coalition of activists has taken the Ugandan government to court in a landmark lawsuit regarding the cases of two women who bled to death unattended while giving birth in hospitals, reported Al Jazeera Oct. 21.

Radiation therapy after a lumpectomy reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and improves survival in women with early stage breast cancer, according to a study published in the Lancet, reported ABC Oct. 20. This research helps validate the belief that women in the early stages of the disease don't have to lose their breasts.

A study found that a vaginal gel that sharply reduces a woman's risk of infection with the AIDS virus is even more effective against genital herpes, a much more common risk for young American women, reported The New York Times Oct. 21.

On Oct. 19 an Oklahoma judge temporarily blocked a new law designed to reduce the number of abortions performed in the state by restricting the ways in which doctors can treat women with abortion-inducing drugs, Associated Press reported Oct. 19.

On Oct. 18 Nobel Laureate Tawakkul Karman joined a rally in front of the United Nations in New York where she urged the U.N to stop the bloodshed in Yemen, reported WeNews correspondent, Hajer Naili. The Nobel Laureate said that she will not return to her country until Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh's file is transferred to the International Criminal Court and his regime's assets are frozen. On Oct. 17 thousands of women demonstrated in front of Yemen's foreign ministry, demanding U.N. intervention in the ongoing unrest in the Persian Gulf nation, CNN reported.

The Somali national women's basketball team captain, Suweys Ali Jama, said she would continue to play basketball despite death threats by Al-Shabaab militants, IPS reported Oct. 18.

Malaysian police busted a sex slave ring and rescued 21 Ugandan women who were forced into prostitution after being lured to Malaysia with promises of jobs as maids, Time Magazine reported Oct. 18.

On Oct. 17 U.S Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., announced a statewide mentorship program to help young women succeed in their careers.

Germany's 30 top public companies presented the government with a plan aimed at increasing the number of women in the highest levels of management as politicians consider legislating gender equality, The Washington Post reported Oct. 17.

At a conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, last weekend Fiza Gilani, the daughter of the Pakistani prime minister, called for an end of the country's mindset of male dominance, The Pakistan Today reported Oct. 15.

Jeers

The American Civil Liberties Union released government documents Oct. 19 showing 185 allegations of sexual abuse against female immigration detainees in federal detention centers since 2007, The Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 18. However, the assaults described in the documents do not represent the full scope of the problem because sexual assault is "notoriously underreported," the ACLU said.