Latest news with #sexualviolence
Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Fresh anger in Kolkata as law student gang-raped, just half-a-year after doctor's rapist get life sentence
NEW DELHI, June 28 — Indian police have arrested three men accused of gang raping a law student in Kolkata, officials said yesterday, a case that has reignited anger in a city still scarred by the rape and murder of a doctor last year. The survivor said she was assaulted on Wednesday evening inside a room on the college premises, Indian media reported, with the three accused including two current and one former student. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), the ruling party in West Bengal state, said the 'full weight of the law will be brought to bear'. The case again highlights the chronic issue of sexual violence in the world's most populous country, where an average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022. It has also sparked fresh political clashes between the AITC and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP accused the AITC-led state government of failing to protect women. West Bengal had become a 'breeding ground for crimes against women', the BJP said in a statement. 'State machinery continues to fail its daughters'. The AITC rejected the accusations. The assault comes after a Kolkata court in January sentenced the rapist and murderer of a 31-year-old doctor to life in prison. Her killing in August 2024 at a state-run hospital in Kolkata triggered protests, with candlelight marches and nationwide outrage over the continuing violence against women. The brutality of that attack drew comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi, a crime that shocked the country and led to widespread demonstrations. — AFP
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
India arrests three accused of gang raping law student in Kolkata
Indian police have arrested three men accused of gang raping a law student in Kolkata, officials said Friday, a case that has reignited anger in a city still scarred by the rape and murder of a doctor last year. The survivor said she was assaulted on Wednesday evening inside a room on the college premises, Indian media reported, with the three accused including two current and one former student. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), the ruling party in West Bengal state, said the "full weight of the law will be brought to bear". The case again highlights the chronic issue of sexual violence in the world's most populous country, where an average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022. It has also sparked fresh political clashes between the AITC and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP accused the AITC-led state government of failing to protect women. West Bengal had become a "breeding ground for crimes against women", the BJP said in a statement. "State machinery continues to fail its daughters". The AITC rejected the accusations. The assault comes after a Kolkata court in January sentenced the rapist and murderer of a 31-year-old doctor to life in prison. Her killing in August 2024 at a state-run hospital in Kolkata triggered protests, with candlelight marches and nationwide outrage over the continuing violence against women. The brutality of that attack drew comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi, a crime that shocked the country and led to widespread demonstrations.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Sinn Féin proposes orders to protect victims of sexual violence after offenders released
Victims of sexual violence could get increased protections from any potential threat by their attackers upon their release from prison under proposed legislation being put forward by Sinn Féin . Judges would be able to issue civil protection orders to apply after the offender's release under the Bill being put forward by the party. Protection orders typically ban contact with a victim, using or threatening to use violence against them, and watching or being near a victim's home. Sinn Féin's justice spokesman Matt Carthy was due to introduce the Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025 at first stage in the Dáil on Thursday. READ MORE He said the legislation came about as a result of engagements he had had with a number of victims of sexual assault who 'have got increasingly worried and anxious as the date of the release of the perpetrator comes closer'. [ Ireland was a place where ruthless husbands were free to 'bounce a boot off' their wives Opens in new window ] Mr Carthy said recourse available to the victims 'has been incredibly limited', and that victims are 'dependent on the gardaí to follow up on other provisions in place'. His party colleague, Dublin South Central TD Máire Devine, said there is an 'epidemic' of violence against women, much of it perpetrated by former partners. She said protection of women and children, once offenders are released from custody, is 'of the utmost importance'. Mr Carthy said Sinn Féin's legislation would allow for a judge to apply a post-release civil protection order for offenders at the time of the initial trial, when a suspect is found guilty and sentenced. [ Anti-stalking protection orders: 'There are a lot of people who have been waiting a long time for this' Opens in new window ] He said: 'At present under the harassment law there is a provision for judges to apply these types of orders post-release, but this isn't there in terms of the civil protection orders in relation to sexual violence cases, so there's an anomaly there.' The Cavan-Monaghan TD said he is hopeful of support from all political parties and particularly the Government so the legislation can be enacted 'as a matter of priority'.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Judge moves Andrew Tate's sexual violence trial forward
Andrew Tate is a former kickboxer and reality TV show contestant. (EPA Images pic) LONDON : Self-avowed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate who is being sued by four women in a UK court over claims of sexual violence today had his trial brought forward. The civil case had been listed for trial in February 2027 but a judge at London's High Court said she was 'very keen to get on' with the case and fixed the trial start date for June 22, 2026. 'We just need to make this happen, really,' High Court judge Christina Lambert said. 'It is not in anyone's interests that this case goes into the long grass of 2027,' she added. Tate, 38, a former kickboxer and reality TV show contestant, moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in Britain. He became famous in 2016 when he appeared on the 'Big Brother' UK reality television show, but was removed after a controversial video emerged. He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful. In court documents, one woman claimed Tate 'would strangle her or grab her by her throat if she spoke back to him or said anything that he did not like'. The documents also alleged that Tate 'had weapons, including firearms, which were often pointed at her' and that he had 'indicated to her that he would like to kill someone if he could'. A lawyer for Tate previously told the court there was a 'total denial of wrongdoing' by his client. After the hearing, the four claimants welcomed the judge's decision. 'We've already spent years waiting for justice, and so it's of some comfort to hear that Andrew Tate will face these allegations in a court earlier than the original plan of 2027,' they said in a statement. A spokesman for Tate previously said: 'He denies ever threatening anyone with a firearm, engaging in non-consensual acts or subjecting any individual to physical or psychological harm.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Now controversial transgender ex-Rape Crisis boss launches bid to become an MSP
The mother of an abused teenager who was told to accept rape crisis boss Mridul Wadhwa as a woman said it was 'no surprise' to her that the shamed CEO was bidding to be an MSP. Ms Wadhwa, who was born a man, resigned as chief executive of the controversial Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) last year but now wants to stand as a Scottish Greens candidate for Holyrood. The ERCC was found to have 'damaged' victims of sexual violence in a damning report by hindering their access to biologically female counsellors. One mum, whose daughter was raped and had sought help from the centre when the trans woman was in charge, said: 'They tried to gaslight us into accepting that men like Mridul were female and should be able to counsel survivors while attempting to conceal their sex. 'My daughter, who was 14 at the time of the attack, was one of the females that self excluded from Rape Crisis. Maggie Chapman [Green MSP] was a board member when this man became CEO. 'It comes as no surprise that the Scottish Green party would try and inflict this man and their shared ideology on the wider Scottish public.' Ms Wadhwa is on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list for next May's Holyrood elections. Party members will begin to vote on candidates next week. The Greens have refused to say whether Ms Wadhwa has passed their vetting process. The investigation into the ERCC last year found that Ms Wadhwa 'failed to set professional standards of behaviour' and 'did not understand the limits on her role's authority'. In 2021, Ms Wadhwa caused outrage by claiming some rape victims were 'bigoted people' who needed to be re-educated if they didn't agree trans women are female. Scottish Tory equalities spokesman Tess White said: 'It speaks volumes about the extremist Greens that they believe this individual is even remotely suitable to be an MSP. 'Following the shocking findings of the independent review, Mridul Wadhwa had to resign in disgrace as CEO. After gaslighting survivors of sexual abuse by telling them to 'reframe their trauma' and vilifying gender-critical staff, it was clear Wadhwa shamefully prioritised the Greens' militant gender ideology over the needs of vulnerable women. 'The Greens must explain why they find it acceptable to possibly select as a candidate someone whose words and actions have caused such huge distress.' The review into ERCC was ordered by umbrella body Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) in May 2024, after a scathing employment tribunal judgment ruled that staff member Roz Adams was subjected to a 'heresy hunt' for suggesting a rape victim should know the biological sex of her counsellor. RCS said the review had found a 'significant breach of its standards' at ERCC under Ms Wadhwa's leadership. The rape crisis centre boss, a high-profile trans ally of ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, said any staff member who did not think all trans women were women should be fired. According to the employment tribunal, Ms Madhwa was on a mission to 'cleanse the organisation of those who did not follow her beliefs'. A Scottish Greens spokesman said: 'We have robust guidance and internal processes to oversee internal elections.'
