VAWnet News Blog

Ireland tomorrow makes a significant first step in committing to eliminate violence against women and girls. The Istanbul Convention is expected to be signed which will define and ultimately criminalise forced marriage, female genital mutilation, stalking and physical, psychological and sexual violence among others.

Human Rights Watch research shows that police and prosecutors rarely pursue criminal charges against perpetrators, even in the most serious cases. Police often demand money from victims before they will act or simply ignore cases occurring in rural areas.

Young refugees and migrants arriving in Europe are being targeted by child sex trafficking gangs, an EU police chief has said. With hundreds of thousands fleeing their homelands for the EU, many minors are arriving unaccompanied by adults, making them extremely vulnerable to criminal organisations.

There’s now an easier way for people to get answers about court procedures related to domestic violence. The Mecklenburg County Courthouse recently opened a new window just for domestic violence cases. Clerk of Superior Court Elisa Chinn-Gary said “It’s a common occurrence that people come to our courts not knowing how to navigate our complex legal system.”

But here is what we know: resilience is an innate human capacity that can be learned and developed in anyone. It’s not a trait – something that people have or don’t have – rather, all people have the ability to develop the skills that will put them on the path to resilience

This week, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Project (NCAVP) released new data on intimate partner violence.  The findings indicate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), and HIV-positive individuals are victims of intimate partner violence at an alarmingly high rate.