Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/tag/law-and-order/)
Nigerian sex workers and their allies are pressing for the decriminalization of commercial sex work. While officials talk about educational and job-training initiatives, they are silent on changing the criminal code.
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The media portrayal of the hotel housekeeper who is bringing sex-assault charges against DSK, former head of the IMF, has swung from angel to “maid-hooker.” Another possibility exists: she is a victim of trafficking.
It’s been 25 years since Phyllis Chesler wrote “Mothers on Trial” to help women fight their child-custody battles. In this excerpt from her revised book, she reviews what’s changed, for better and worse.
The High Court’s decision this week to disqualify about 1.5 million female Wal-Mart workers from bringing a class action gave mega corporations a big win over the workers. Three of the four dissenting justices were women.
The community around fighting street harassment is growing stronger and has pointed to its pervasiveness. K.C. Wagner and Emily May say more research is needed to lay the groundwork necessary to end this type of harassment.
Sex workers in Kolkata are enrolling their children in school. But the kids often don’t make it through secondary school, when derision from peers, along with pressures to earn a living, intensify.
Women from the most disadvantaged part of Nepali society say the government raised their hopes four years ago with promises of helping them out of the sex trade. But since then, many have returned to the only livelihood they can find.
The legal system’s ability to deter sexual violence could change overnight if the woman bringing sex assault charges against DSK stands firm against the power of money, says Wendy Murphy. “We need a heroic victim.”
The problem of child sex-trafficking is widely associated with foreign countries such as Thailand and India. Advocates hope new sex-trafficking laws like the one passed in Georgia will focus concern on U.S. girls.
A survivor of an acid attack recalls the slow, painful stages of recovery it took to turn her into a counselor for others. Acid attacks are punishable by death now in Bangladesh, but new victims continue needing her help.