Reading Spotlight
One of the easiest ways to be an advocate is to stay up to date and informed with current events that are happening in the world related to SGBV, the fight for gender equality, women’s health, and more. Check out what’s in the news that our lab members think is worth a read!
Life Threatening pregnancy complications are on the rise
The apparent spike in the decades-long rise of preeclampsia in America, and its correlation with COVID, is a case study in how politics wraps itself around the neck of health care.
Photo by The New Yorker
The Fight to Hold Pornhub Accountable
This article discusses how adult sites such as Pornhub need to be held more accountable for the videos posted on their platforms. Frequently, content is uploaded without an individual’s consent and are of minors.
Sierra Leone backs bill to legalize abortion and end colonial-era law
Ministers in Sierra Leone have taken a major step towards decriminalizing abortion and overturning the country’s colonial-era law, in a move hailed by campaigners and women’s rights activists.
Photo by The New Yorker
The Psychologists Treating Rape Victims in Ukraine
The need for mental healthcare to address SGBV in Ukraine has grown as a result of the Russian invasion. Some psychologists have started a grassroots movement to address this issue.
Texas gov busing asylum seekers to NYC may unintentionally offer them stronger safety nets
As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to send busloads of migrants to New York, he may unintentionally be giving them a better chance of obtaining asylum.
Photo by The New Yorker
The Last Abortion Clinic in North Dakota Gets Ready to Leave
As a result of a trigger law in North Dakota, The Red River Women’s Clinic, the last open abortion clinic in the state, will have to close. This article discusses the implications.
Photo by The Washington Post
The state of Ohio vs. a sex-trafficked teenager
The state of Ohio mishandled the case of Alexis Martin, a sex trafficking survivor. At 15 years old, she was involved in a robbery turned murder of her alleged trafficker. Although she was not even in the room where the murder occurred, she was still tried as an adult and was sent to prison.
Photo by The New York Times
A One-Woman Rescue Squad for Homeless Students
Norma Mercado works in the Texas education system as a liaison for homeless young people. Thanks to a temporary increase in funding in response to the COVID-19 school closures, Mercado and others have been able to expand their work with homeless youth.
Photo by AP Photo
Indonesian Parliament Passes Long-Awaited Sexual Violence Bill
In April 2022, the Indonesian government passed a law regarding sexual violence. This law will allow for sexual violence to be considered a punishable crime. Previously, there was no such law in the country.
Photo by the Los Angeles Times
USC fraternity parties can return, but with guards near bedrooms to prevent sexual assaults
Most USC fraternities will be open for parties in March if members abide by strict rules that include posting security guards at stairs or hallways leading to bedrooms, under new university polices enacted three months after allegations of sexual abuse and drugging at several houses roiled campus.
Photo by the New York Times
The Relentless Ego of Ghislaine Maxwell
The British socialite, who has been convicted of conspiring with her late partner, Jeffrey Epstein, to groom minors for sexual abuse, continues to act like she has nothing to be ashamed of.
Picture by The Intercept
She Asked the Army to Investigate a Rape Trial. They Fired Her
A victim advocate formerly assigned to the Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was placed on administrative leave, investigated for two years, and ultimately fired after she raised questions about the military’s handling of a Delta Force soldier accused of rape.
Photo by Getty Images
How abortion restrictions like Texas’ push pregnant people into poverty
A study of hundreds of pregnant women over a decade found that 72 percent of those who were denied care ended up living in poverty.
Photo by The New York Times
After Sexual Harassment Lawsuit, Critics Attack Harvard’s Release of Therapy Records
In 2020, after Lilia Kilburn, a graduate student, filed a formal complaint notifying Harvard University that an anthropology professor was sexually harassing her, an investigation was opened, as required by federal law.
What happened next stunned Ms. Kilburn, according to her lawyers.
Video of woman chained to wall in shack causes outcry in China
A video of a woman apparently locked against her will in a filthy shack has gone viral in China, prompting an investigation as well as a conversation about the country’s treatment of people with mental illness.
Let’s Talk About How Truly Bizarre Our Supreme Court Is
Legal scholar Jamal Greene shares a radical proposal to fix American courts.
Photo by NPR
Even divorce might not free you from your ex's student loan debt.
"While she physically got away, she couldn't get away from this mutual debt ... from an abusive husband. That's just wrong," said Warner.