As a society, the way we think about most social phenomena—including sexual assault—is influenced by both facts and morals. But in the United States, the way we think about rape has, for decades, been operating with an outdated version of both.
This week, millions of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a war-ravaged African country, voted in their second ever presidential and parliamentary election. As Congolese (and Egyptians) cast votes, they speak out for all rights.
For many committed to intercountry adoption, it is unfortunate that since the year 2004 the practice has declined more than 50%. An important question is: what is happening? The answer is complex. To begin with, the unfortunate reality is that intercountry adoption has a mixed history.
This is a story about Roxanne, a fictitious young single mother who thinks she found the man of her dreams. It turns out he is a nightmare–a child sexual predator. But after initial denial, Roxanee trusts her instincts, and protects her daughter from sexual abuse. What if this were the norm post-Penn State?
The most surprising thing about the cover-up and riots over the Penn State child rape scandal is how surprised we are. If you’ve been paying attention, you might notice that our society has a habit of not taking sexual violence seriously.
In any particular abuse situation there is an abuser, a victim, and (almost always) bystanders. This is true in bullying, street violence, as well as child sexual abuse. One of the most important questions that the Penn State situation, and cases like it, raise is — what is it about the nature of intimate sexual violence that stops so many bystanders from taking action?
In their righteous search to control women’s lives thank GOD Congressmen have the guidance the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the group that has covered for child rapists, pornographers, adulterers and others.
Ester Abeja wants to show her face as a victim of gang rape, of abduction, of torture and daily violence, to be the image of a woman who has been forced to kill her own child and her own people.
How do you tell a partner that you’re not comfortable with something they want to do, whether you have sexual abuse in your history or not? You tell them you’re not comfortable with something they want to do.
How do you get out of an abusive situation and get yourself safe? By doing all you can to get sound help as soon as you can and to leave as safely as possible. It’s so easy to feel stuck in abuse or other unsafe situations, but we can get unstuck.
