Category: Violence & Harassment

The War on Women Report: Republicans Blame Unmarried Women for Midterm Results; 80% of Pregnancy-Related Deaths Can Be Prevented

U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

This month: Brittney Griner is released from a racist and homophobic penal colony; abortion access is still in shambles despite midterm victories; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to step down; three high-profile mass shootings in a matter of weeks; and more.

Ending the Global Child Sex Abuse Crisis

For the first time in history, the United Nations General Assembly has designated a new annual World Day for the prevention of child sexual exploitation—and it couldn’t come soon enough.

One in five women and one in 13 men worldwide have been sexually abused as children, and 120 million girls and young women under 20 years old have been victims of forced sexual contact. Countless victims around the globe are silenced by bad laws and some countries’ legal agreements with the Roman Catholic Church that weaken, and at times completely dismantle, their opportunity for justice.

‘We Stand With You, Megan’: Feminist Leaders and Women in Music Rally Around Megan Thee Stallion

The Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium has published an open letter in support of rapper Megan Thee Stallion, denouncing violence against women.

“There is no amount of power or prestige that can prevent a woman from becoming a victim of violence and there is no level of achievement that exempts women from our society’s complacency with that violence.”

Deny, Attack, Blame: The Prosecution of Women Reporting Rape

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DARVO is an acronym—Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. It was first identified by trauma researcher Jennifer Freyd in the late 90s, who noticed sex offenders tend to respond with a specific pattern when confronted or held accountable: deny their involvement in any wrongdoing, or deny their actions caused any real harm; attack victim credibility by inserting doubt about their accusers’ motives and psychological soundness; and promote a narrative positioning themselves as victims of false, reputation-ruining accusations.

Being betrayed by the institutions meant to protect them discourages victims from seeking justice. DARVO should have no place in investigations of rape.

As We Lament Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover, We Miss the Bigger Problem for U.S. Democracy

Feminists and social justice activists lament Elon Musk’s platform purchase. Right-wing pundits praise it. But the debate about the future of the platform—especially Donald Trump’s and other previously banned users’ return to Twitter—is only a symptom of a much deeper set of issues brought on by the digital age.

A lack of public consensus on digital freedom of speech, digital discrimination and big tech monopolies affects all proponents of democracy, particularly in the United States.

Antisemitism Is Not a Partisan Issue. Why Are We Treating It Like One?

Antisemetic attacks have increased 34 percent over the past year, and one in four Jews said they experienced antisemitism in the U.S. during that same time period.

We feel alone and scared, and we’re calling on you—our friends and neighbors—for help. It’s time for all of us, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity, to stand together and denounce the recent rise in antisemitic attacks.

Publicly Arresting Formerly Incarcerated Voters Is Voter Intimidation—Not ‘Election Integrity’

Under the direction of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in August arrested 20 people with felony records for breaking Florida’s elections laws during the 2020 election—even after several officials had explicitly told them that they could legally cast ballots. Some fear these public arrests will have a chilling effect on voter turnout in future elections. Already, the 2022 midterms were the first election in Florida’s history in which registered Republicans outpaced Democrats at the voting booth.

“It’s jarring to think about a grandfather getting pulled from his house by SWAT team for voting in our state,” said Neil Volz, deputy director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

Media Coverage Misses the Gender Issues at the Heart of Mass Shootings 

People think it’s so obvious the shooters are young men that there’s literally no point in saying so. In that sense, ‘gunman’ is internally redundant; everyone knows that ‘man’ follows ‘gun.’ 

As long as men, young and old, have easy access to high-capacity killing machines at the same time their society furnishes them with endless heroic masculine narratives about redemptive violence, the next tragedy is always going to be just around the corner.