VAWnet News Blog

As the world prepares to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15th, the UN independent human rights expert mandated with defending the rights of older persons, Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, has stressed that they are often victims of sexual abuse and rape, although it remains rarely detected, reported or exposed.

In addition to Alabama, only Minnesota has no law terminating parental rights in rape cases. Many states adopted such statutes after Congress passed the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act in 2015, granting additional funding to help sexual assault victims in states that allow courts to end parental rights when there is “clear and convincing evidence” that a child was conceived by rape.

Our favorite childhood stories tend to stick with us. In our June TA Question of the Month, Casey Keene discusses the power of children's books in creating social change.

The steps to end the violence, the report states, "must be no less monumental than the combination of systems and actions that has worked to maintain colonial violence for generations."

From Congo to Ukraine, efforts to end sexual violence in conflict and humanitarian crises will fail unless they empower survivors to speak up, victims of rape and abuse said on Friday.

As one of the few female delegates on the Navajo council, Amber Kanazbah Crotty is leading a campaign called "Start by Believing" to encourage communities to support survivors.