Photo credit: Mark Blinch/Reuters A Toronto police officer unwittingly sparked a movement when he told a group of students assembled for a personal safety talk: “You know, I think we’re beating around the bush here…I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” The officer later apologized, but his... [Read More]
On April 4, 2011, the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a “significant guidance document” intended to assist schools receiving Federal funding in meeting their obligations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”). Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex – including sexual harassment and sexual violence – in any... [Read More]
On April 4, 2011, Vice President Biden announced that the Administration has issued a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter withdrawing a 2005 interpretation of Title IX policy, returning to a more thorough test for assessing compliance with Title IX. Title IX is most frequently cited in the context of sports equality, but the law extends much further than sports. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in any form, which... [Read More]
UPDATE: LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles prosecutors have met with a British actress who claims she was sexually abused by director Roman Polanski when she was 16 in Paris. Forty-two-year-old Charlotte Lewis, speaking at a news conference Friday in Los Angeles, says Polanski abused her in 1982, four years before she appeared in Polanski’s “Pirates” film. District attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons... [Read More]
“George Huguely has been officially charged with the murder of 22-year-old University of Virginia student Yeardley Love. Love was killed early Monday morning. The Daily Progress reported Huguely admitted to police that, during an argument with Yeardley Love, he “shook Love and her head repeatedly hit the wall,” according to an affidavit requesting a search warrant. It was reported that Love was found face down... [Read More]
It’s now a rare event where a television franchise such as American Idol inspires the courage to question and challenge cultural ‘norms’. We thought it was important to bring you this great article from today’s New York Post. Bravery of Arab TV ‘Idol’ Veiled poetess hits ‘vicious, barbaric clerics’ By LUKAS I. ALPERT A burqa-clad contestant on the Arabic version of “American... [Read More]
The State Department’s annual report on human trafficking (“Trafficking in Persons Report”) found that the current economic crisis has increased the worldwide trade in human beings — including young children — for sex and labor. The report, released this week, estimates that at least 12.3 million adults and children are victims of forced sex and labor every single year. This number is almost certainly... [Read More]