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Repealing ban would mean return of ‘one of the most pernicious forms of violence committed against women and children’A team of UN experts has urged Gambian lawmakers not to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation, saying such a move would set a dangerous global precedent.In a letter dated 8 April and made public on Thursday, the experts, led by Reem Alsalem, the UN...

Court rules 4-3 to overturn law that had allowed victims to file civil suits over sexual abuse that took place decades agoIn a split ruling that has major implications for hundreds of child sexual abuse victims, the Louisiana state supreme court has struck down a law that had allowed victims to file civil lawsuits over molestation that happened decades ago.Child molestation victims and their...

Prospect of Israel facing war crimes charges has moved closer after UN condemnation of Gaza aid restrictionsThe accusation by the UN and other humanitarians that Israel may be committing a war crime by deliberately starving Gaza’s population is likely to significantly increase the prospect of legal culpability for the country, including at the international court of justice.Amid reports that the Israel Defense Forces are...

Father calls on judge to block medically assisted death in case that highlights limits on family members’ ability to interveneA Canadian man has called on a judge to block his 27-year-old daughter’s medically assisted death, arguing she lacks the ability to fully consent to the procedure in a case that highlights the limits on family members’ ability to intervene when a person has decided...

Progress to prevent female genital mutilation needs to be ‘27 times faster’, says UNThe number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) has increased by 15% in the past eight years according to new data.Figures released by the UN children’s agency, Unicef, show that more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, compared with 200 million...

Exclusive: Guardian investigation for podcast series Black Box reveals names connected to app that generated nonconsensual images of underage girls around the worldPrologue: the collision – podcastThe first Miriam al-Adib learned of the pictures was when she returned home from a business trip. “Mum,” said her daughter. “I want to show you something.”The girl, 14, opened her phone to show an explicit image of...

Women and children suffering acute malnutrition as territory faces ‘catastrophic conditions’, according to UNOne in five pregnant women treated at a central Gaza clinic are malnourished, doctors have warned, as fuel and medical supply shortages closed the last hospital operating in the north of the strip.“Every day, we see women and children coming into our clinic suffering from acute malnutrition,” said Dr Maram, the...

Rise of femicide follows country’s 2021 withdrawal from Council of Europe convention on preventing violence against womenSeven women were killed by their partners or ex-partners across Turkey on Tuesday, according to the television station Habertürk.“In total, seven women were savagely killed in İzmir, Bursa, Sakarya, Erzurum, Denizli and Istanbul,” Habertürk reported, listing the country’s major cities. Continue reading...

Carla Dejonghe has persuaded her municipality to consider impact of its policies on single peopleFor much of the past decade Carla Dejonghe has worked to highlight the ways in which single people are often disadvantaged, whether through higher household expenses or the assumption that they are available to work evenings and weekends.However, in recent weeks the Belgian councillor has taken matters into her own...

Activists will cross the continent visiting areas where the practice is prevalent to revive progress in protecting women and girlsAfrican female genital mutilation survivors will lead thousands of campaigners in a two-year “caravan campaign” across the continent, calling for an end to the practice.Organised by #FrontlineEndingFGM, a group of grassroots activists and organisations in Africa will cover about 7,400 miles (12,000km) across 20 countries,...

Children’s parents and those who performed the procedure are in police custody, according to local reportsPolice in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports. Continue reading...

MSF begins vaccine drive against incurable disease, which is spread via dirty water and kills thousands of pregnant womenA push to tackle an outbreak of hepatitis E in South Sudan is being hampered by flooding that has isolated populations and turned villages into islands.A pioneering vaccination drive has begun to protect people against a spate of cases but the true scale of the disease...

Shop will be open only to non-Muslim diplomats – but some fear it is first step to wider availability of alcohol in teetotal kingdomThe news that Saudi Arabia will allow its first alcohol shop has citizens and foreigners alike mulling one question: is this a minor policy tweak, or a major upheaval?Sources familiar with preparations for the store disclosed details of the plan on...

At least four women have been murdered since the start of the year, leading to accusations of government inactionRights groups are calling for the Kenyan government to urgently investigate and prosecute cases of femicide, after the brutal murders of two women.“This is a national crisis – we are not doing enough as a country to protect women,” said Audrey Mugeni, the co-founder of Femicide...

After being elected to Valencia’s regional assembly, Galcerán says she wants to be seen as a person, not for her disabilityFor decades she battled to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities were part of the conversation. The extent of the progress she had made, however, was laid bare recently when Mar Galcerán became Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down’s syndrome.“It’s unprecedented,” the 45-year-old told the...