I had the honor of attending today’s CEDAW discussion on women in conflict & post-conflict situations. The room was packed with both UN experts and NGO representatives to kick off the Committee’s process of developing a general recommendation on the… Read More ›
Sexual assault
Demanding Justice for Rape Survivors
I just returned from the rally to demand justice for rape survivors and maximum sentencing for NYPD rape cops Mata and Moreno. What an inspiring event with an amazing turnout — dozens of men and women gathered to lend their… Read More ›
Local Activism Alert: Rally in NYC on June 28th
Last month, two NYPD cops — Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata — were found not guilty of raping a woman who they were called to help. Despite the fact that they made three unauthorized return trips to the woman’s apartment,… Read More ›
Are SlutWalks Awesome…Or Offensive?
It seems you can’t read a paper or blog these days without articles about SlutWalks — protests against victim-blaming and rape culture — popping up. I’ll take this opportunity to add to that growing pile of stories. I admit, when… Read More ›
Rape Prevention 101: Don’t Dress Like a Slut, Obvs
Looks like victim blaming is still all the rage. How many times have you ever heard guys (and sometimes girls) say in response to reports of rape/sexual assault/sexual harassment, “well, what was she wearing?” Cue my vomit. This is something… Read More ›
Military Rape Culture
Rape has been in the news lately — from Lara Logan’s sexual assault in Egypt to Justin Bieber’s Rolling Stone interview in which he claims everything, including rape, “happens for a reason.” And as newsworthy as those incidents are, there’s… Read More ›
Justice Served?
In my very first post, Taking Rape Seriously, I reported on the NYC case of Tony Simmons, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting youths under his care as a city employee. Today, he was sentenced. Simmons received 4 years… Read More ›
Taking rape seriously
Rape is a horrific crime, one that globally affects women regardless of age, ethnicity, class, religion and race. Sadly, it is a crime that is not always taken seriously or given the same weight as other criminal acts. Recently, in… Read More ›