FinallyPakistani High Court Calls Two‑Finger Virginity Test of Rape Survivors “Unconstitutional” The Lahore High Court referenced previous Indian judgments in calling for an end to the abusive practice. By Aditi Murti
MisguidedPakistan Passes Ordinance Allowing Chemical Castration of Sex Offenders The misguided move is a knee-jerk attempt to placate public outrage over a gang-rape outside Lahore. By Rajvi Desai
Curious TimingPornhub Promises to Ban Unverified Uploads, Expand Content Moderation Efforts The company's abrupt change in policy comes after a damning New York Times exposé of its violent and non-consensual content. By Aditi Murti
Corridors of PowerOppressor‑Caste Solidarity Drives Culture of Silence Around Rapes of Dalit Girls in Haryana: Report Khap panchayats, the police, and politicians are complicit in keeping Dalit survivors of abuse silent and afraid, finds a new report. By Rajvi Desai
Intersections of ViolenceThe Dalit Caste Identity of Hathras Victim Is Vital to Recognizing Her Rape as a Casteist Crime This is not the first time dominant castes have used sexual violence as a means to wield power over Dalit women's bodies. By Aditi Murti
No More Fifty ShadesUK Announces Ban On “Rough Sex Gone Wrong” As A Defense to Murder The defense has been increasingly used by men in court to claim that the fatal injuries they inflicted upon women were the result of consensual acts. By Devrupa Rakshit
Another ViolationFrance Opens Sexual Harassment Investigation Against Former President A German journalist alleged that President Valery Giscard d’Estaing groped her during a 2018 interview. By Aditi Murti
Protect The StatelessLockdowns, Quarantines Put Refugee Women at Risk for Gender‑Based Violence: UN Refugee Agency With reduced access to movement and shelters during the lockdown, undocumented refugee women have no opportunity to distance themselves from potential abusers. By Aditi Murti
Not The Right Move4 Nirbhaya Rapists Hanged to Death Today. It Won’t Change Anything. The death penalty might appease anti-rape bloodlust; it does little to counter rape culture. By Rajvi Desai
'The Rapist Is You'Why Indian Women Protesters Sang a Chilean Anti‑Rape Anthem The feminist anthem has become a symbol of resistance for women across the world. By Rajvi Desai
Death Penalty Doesn't DeterRapists Increasingly Killed Their Victims in 2018: NCRB The recent gang rape and murder case in Modasa, Gujarat, is a microcosm of the country's broader trends in violence against women. By Pallavi Prasad
It's Not About Sex‘Mardaani 2’ Portrays Rape as a Tool Men Use to Curb Women’s Potential While the sequel suffers from the same vigilante-justice catharsis as the first, its insight into rape's power dynamics diverges from typical Bollywood fare. By Rajvi Desai
What Is Justice?Harvey Weinstein Nears $25M Settlement, Won’t Be Required to Admit Guilt The deal, which would also not require Weinstein to pay personally, speaks to the limited means of justice available to most sexual harassment and assault survivors. By Liesl Goecker
A Bleak Seven YearsWhere Is the Safer Environment for Women the Government Promised in 2012? Despite a flurry of reforms following the 2012 Delhi gang-rape/murder, the State has done nothing to ensure women's safety. By Gunjeet Sra
Crime and PunishmentWhy the Police Killing the Hyderabad Rape Accused Isn’t Justice 150 years ago, society moved from executing criminals to trying and imprisoning them for a reason. By Pallavi Prasad
Beautiful Day To Save Lives‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Episode Spiked Calls to Sexual Assault Hotline by 43%: Study A study on the effects of just one television episode shows what responsible television-making can accomplish for viewers. By Rajvi Desai
Big PictureWhat It Will Take to End Gang Rapes in India Even the harshest penalties imposed on rapists will not dismantle the rape culture that conditions them in the first place. By Pallavi Prasad
Messy MovementsStop Looking for the Perfect #MeToo Victim Imperfect humans will birth imperfect stories, but that shouldn't stop us from attempting to perfect the #MeToo movement. By Rajvi Desai