Sexual assault News

Review: Soulpepper rides a streetcar to success with bold new remount Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - What a work of art “A Streetcar Named Desire” is. Brutal yet sensitive; poetic and tragic, but loaded with raw, frightening energy – Tennessee Williams’ classic play is no less powerful now than it was in 1947, even as norms have changed.

Justice Dept. declares public-safety emergency in rural Alaska By Karen Graham Anchorage - U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Friday declared a public-safety emergency in rural Alaska and pledged $10.5 million in federal funds to combat some of the nation’s worst rates of sexual assault, child abuse, and other violent crimes.

Increase in genetic testing could clear rape case backlog By Tim Sandle There is a huge volume of biological evidence related to suspected rape cases languishing in laboratories tied to courts in the U.S. This has led to calls for authorities to accelerate testing and address the backlog.

Global Women's March on January 19 focuses on sexual assault By Karen Graham A date has been set for the next Women's March — and organizers say they are expecting a big turnout amid outrage over Brett Kavanaugh and the support he has been receiving despite sexual harassment allegations.

Alleged gang rape of Chicago teen filmed on Facebook Live By Arthur Weinreb Chicago - Police allege a missing 15-year-old Chicago girl was the victim of a gang sexual assault broadcast on Facebook Live. The video was reportedly viewed by 40 people, none of whom bothered to contact police. The girl has since been found.

Judge Robin Camp, the 'knees together judge,' resigns from bench By Arthur Weinreb Ottawa - Justice Robin Camp, known as the “knees together judge,” announced his resignation from the Federal Court of Canada. The resignation came after the Canadian Judicial Council recommended to Parliament he be removed from the bench.

Protests and graffiti after Nfld. cop acquitted of sex assault By Arthur Weinreb St. John's - There were protests and graffiti in St. John’s, Newfoundland after a police officer was acquitted of sexually assaulting a drunk women he met while on duty. Although the constable was acquitted of the criminal charge, he still faces disciplinary action.

CPC bill: New judges must undergo training in sexual assault By Arthur Weinreb Ottawa - The bill requires all lawyers appointed to the bench undergo extensive training on sexual assault issues before they are allowed to assume their judicial duties. The bill follows a high profile case where a judge made improper comments to a victim.

Report: High number of sex assaults in Canada marked 'unfounded' By Arthur Weinreb Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale called on police services across the country to review sexual assault cases. The Minister’s statement comes after the Globe and Mail reported a high number of sexual assault complaints were marked as “unfounded."

Accused in 'knees together' trial acquitted again after retrial By Arthur Weinreb Calgary - Alexander Wagar was found not guilty of sexual assault for a second time after a retrial. He was previously acquitted by Judge Robin Camp whose demeaning comments led to a successful appeal and a committee recommending the judge's removal from the bench.

Senior Vancouver detective charged with sexual exploitation By Arthur Weinreb Vancouver - Charges brought against a senior officer with Vancouver PD's Counter Exploitation Unit may result in charges being dropped against people he investigated and might make abused women less likely to go to police for help

Inquiry finds 'knees together' judge should be removed from bench By Arthur Weinreb Calgary - A committee of the Canadian Judicial Council recommended Justice Robin Camp be removed from office for remarks he made during a 2014 sexual assault trial that included asking the complainant why she didn't just keep her knees together.

Police put dummy in hotel bed, catch sexual assault suspect By Arthur Weinreb Manassas - Police put a dummy of a woman in a bed in a Manassas, Virginia hotel room in attempt to lure a sexual assault suspect. A 31-year-old man was arrested during the first day of the sting operation.

Op-Ed: Sexual assault is dividing America after release of Trump tape By Karen Graham About the only campaign issue being talked about in the country today is where we stand on sexual assault. The national discussion stems from Donald Trump's "Grab 'em by the p***y," comment heard on a leaked video last week.

Judge: Video evidence shows victim too drunk to consent to sex By Arthur Weinreb Toronto - Surveillance video from a bar and a hotel helped convict a Toronto man of sexual assault where the victim was so drunk she could not remember much of what happened to her. The judge ruled she was too drunk to have the capacity to consent to sex.

Twitter on fire with Tweets and re-tweets over vulgar Trump tape By Karen Graham The one news story that pushed Hurricane Matthew into second place on the major news channels this evening was the release of a 2005 tape of a conversation about "banging" women between Donald Trump and Billie Bush, using extremely vulgar language.

Substitute teacher accused of having sex with student in cemetery By Arthur Weinreb Easton - While female teachers caught having sex with students is far from unusual these days, a 49-year-old Easton, Pennsylvania substitute teacher was caught by a police officer having sex with a 17-year-old boy in a cemetery in the middle of the day.

Op-Ed: Ghomeshi, rape, and the lesson learned By Ben Morris Toronto - This is the time when emotions are high, and accusations are thrown around with the velocity of a Major League fastball. Teams are created and loyalties are rigidly set. Jian Ghomeshi is a rapist; he is innocent, his acquittal was a gross injustice.

German mayor blames young girls for 'provoking' migrants By Arthur Weinreb The mayor of a small German town caused outrage when he suggested young girls should not provoke migrants by passing a refugee centre while walking to school.

Canadian Military members confidentially report sexual assault By Kavelle Christie The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), has opened the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre (SMRC) to fight sexual assault within its ranks.

New Mexico: Why 5,341 untested rape kits are a nationwide problem By Megan Hamilton After repeated complaints from victim advocates about the burgeoning backlog in testing sexual assault evidence kits in New Mexico, the state's Department of Public Safety began surveying police agencies in order to find out how big the backlog really is.

Calgary: Federal Court judge faces review in sex assault case By Megan Hamilton Calgary - A former Calgary provincial court judge faces disciplinary action that may range from reprimand to possible dismissal for comments he made to an alleged victim during a sexual assault trial last year, according to the Canadian Judicial Council.

Aid agencies accused of not supporting sexually assaulted workers By Phyllis Smith Asinyanbi Bentiu - Female international aid agency workers have accused employers of ignoring requests for help after sexual assault. One worker in Bentiu, South Sudan said she was fired for criticizing her agency's lack of support.

Nearly one in four college women sexually assaulted: Survey By Karen Graham Almost one quarter of all female college students have experienced sexual assault or unwanted fondling or kissing during their time in school, according to a national survey released on Monday.

Girl's sex abuse not detected despite 2 abortions before age 13 By Caroline Leopold Winnipeg - The repeated sexual assault of a Winnipeg girl who had been impregnated by her stepfather twice and had two abortions before she was 13 raises questions about why her abuse had gone undetected.

Family members beat 14 yr old girl, induce abortion By Brian Booker Dallas - A total of five people have been arrested for brutally beating a 14 year old girl for several hours in order to induce an abortion. The girl was allegedly raped by a family member.The assault took place in Dallas, Texas.

Woman bites attacker's tongue during sex assault, gets DNA sample By Marcus Hondro A courageous woman from a town north of London, England described to a television interviewer Monday how she managed to get DNA evidence from a man who was sexually assaulting her. Adele Barber bit into his tongue, hard, actually biting off a piece.

Op-Ed: Want to end rape culture on campus? Dismantle the Greek system By Calvin Wolf As America continues to grapple with the alleged "rape culture" on college campuses, schools and the Greek system have been forced to alter their policies...but is the Greek system itself an incubator of rape culture?

Prince Andrew facing allegations of sexual abuse By KJ Mullins British Royal Prince Andrew has been named in a United States sexual abuse case involving minors. Initial word from Buckingham Palace says that "suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

Op-Ed: Rape, use of force, and torture: 2014's autumn of tough questions By Calvin Wolf A perfect storm is brewing this autumn over three agonizingly difficult questions: Responsibility in our alleged "rape culture," appropriate police use of force, and the alleged torture committed by the CIA. What does this mean for, and about, America?

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