Sexual Harassment

US to pay $116 mn to settle lawsuits over sexual abuse at California prison

The U.S. government will pay nearly USD 116 million to resolve lawsuits brought by more than 100 women who say they were abused or mistreated at a now-shuttered federal prison in California that was known as the rape club because of rampant staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct. Under settlements approved Tuesday, the Justice Department will pay an average of about USD 1.1 million to each of 103 women who filed individual lawsuits against the Bureau of Prisons over their treatment at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. The settlement follows one in a separate class-action last week in which the Bureau of Prisons agreed to open some of its facilities to a court-appointed monitor and publicly acknowledge pervasive abuse and retaliation at FCI Dublin. We were sentenced to prison, we were not sentenced to be assaulted and abused, lawsuit plaintiff and former Dublin prisoner Aimee Chavira said. I hope this settlement will help survivors, like me, as they begin to hea

Delhi HC rejects PIL alleging sexual harassment in film industry

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to examine a PIL raising allegations of sexual harassment in the "Indian film industry". A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said in the absence of a complaint by an aggrieved party, it couldn't order a "roving and fishing" inquiry. The petitioner, who relied on the Justice Hema Committee report with respect to instances of sexual exploitation in the Malayalam film industry, sought a direction to the National Commission for Women to inquire into the alleged violation of fundamental and human rights in the "Indian film industry" as well. "We will examine when there is a complaint. Your petition is structured on the report of Justice Hema Committee which is being looked into by another court," the bench said, "we will not direct any roving and fishing inquiry". The petitioner, Ajeesh Kalathil Gopi, alleged that sexual harassment was present in the "entire film industry" and he has even made complaint to .

Migrant workers in Lebanon trying to return home after alleged abuses, war

Isatta Bah wakes up from a nap in a crowded shelter on the outskirts of Beirut, clutching her baby, Blessing. The 24-year-old from Sierra Leone spends her days waiting for an exit visa that could put her and her 1-year-old on a plane back to the West African nation. She wants to reunite with her family after what she called exploitative work conditions and sexual violence, along with the recent horrors of war in Lebanon. My experience in Lebanon is not good for me. I am really tired, Bah said. I want to go home. Hundreds of migrant workers in Lebanon are waiting to be repatriated after the ceasefire ending the 14-month war between the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Israel went into effect last month. Lebanon has long drawn migrant workers dreaming of building better lives for their families. Enticed by promises of stable jobs and decent pay, they enter Lebanon via recruitment agencies under a sponsorship-based labour system known as Kafala only to find themselves often trapped with .

Probe into cases related to Hema Committee report progressing well: HC

The Kerala High Court on Thursday said the investigation into the various cases in connection with the revelations of sexual assault and harassment in the Justice Hema Committee report was progressing well. A special division bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha made the observation after the state government filed a report indicating the progress in the probe in 26 FIRs registered in connection with the revelations in the report. The court also appointed an amicus curiae to collect and coordinate the various reports, suggestions and draft legislation relating to the issue of sexual harassment in the film industry. The bench was hearing several petitions related to the report of the panel. The Advocate General (AG) appearing for the state and the police told the court that of the 26 FIRs registered in connection with the revelations in the report, in five, the complainants are refusing to cooperate with the investigation and in three, the complainants said their

Brij Bhushan sexual harassment case: Court records statement of witness

A Delhi court on Monday recorded the statement of a witness in a case of alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot recorded the statement of the witness and posted the matter on October 19 for further proceedings. The court on May 10 ordered framing the charge of sexual harassment and other charges against Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, in the case lodged on a complaint from six female wrestlers, observing that there was "sufficient evidence" against him. It had directed framing of charges against Singh, a six-time former Lok Sabha MP, under Indian Penal Code sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The magistrate framed the charges on May 21 after Singh pleaded not guilty.

Left govt 'defensive' on harassment incidents in Hema Committee report: UDF

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Friday claimed the Left government in Kerala was on the "defensive" about the incidents of sexual harassment and abuse mentioned in the Justice K Hema Committee report and that is why it was not being discussed in the state Assembly. The opposition allegation came after Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission to a notice moved by the UDF MLAs to adjourn the House and discuss the issue of alleged lack of further probe in connection with findings in the report. Shamseer said that permission was being denied as the issue was under the active consideration of the Kerala High Court. Raising strong protest against the Speaker's decision, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, claimed the notice was moved as Shamseer himself had said the issue should not be raised as a question in the House and to move a submission or something else. "It is an insult to the House if we do not discuss this issue which concerns women. We are strongly protestin

BJP MLA Munirathna, 6 others booked for rape and sexual harassment

A case of rape, sexual harassment and criminal intimidation has been registered against BJP MLA Munirathna and six others, police said on Thursday. It was registered following the complaint of a 40-year-old woman who alleged that the incident took place at a private resort within the Kaggalipura police station's jurisdiction. "We received a complaint on Wednesday night and based on it, we have registered case against seven people, including the BJP MLA under various sections for rape by public servant, sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, voyeurism, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, Information Technology Act, and others," a senior police officer said. The matter is being investigated, he said. The fresh FIR against the BJP MLA, also a former Minister, comes days after he was arrested by the Bengaluru Police in connection with the two cases filed against him for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse, police said.

UDF to hold protest in Kerala capital on Monday over Hema Committee report

Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) will hold a protest on Monday in front of the Secretariat, the administrative hub here, accusing the Left government of protecting culprits reportedly mentioned in the Justice K Hema Committee report. The opposition would also protest against the alleged protection given by the Pinarayi Vijayan government to those who had created and propagated the controversial "kafir" screenshot in Vadakara constituency during the time of the recent Lok Sabha polls. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, V D Satheesan, would inaugurate the agitation in front of the Secretariat on September 2 morning, a statement said on Sunday. UDF Convenor M M Hassan, KPCC president K Sudhakaran, other prominent front leaders including P K Kunhalikutty, P J Joseph, C P John, Anoop Jacob and Sibu Baby John would take part in the protest, it added. The opposition has been accusing the state government of protecting predators and ignoring the revelations of

Emails, social media posts lowering dignity of woman an offence, says HC

Written words, either through email or on social media, that could lower the dignity of a woman constitutes an offence, the Bombay High Court said while refusing to quash a case against a man. A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Neela Gokhale dismissed the petition filed by a man seeking to quash the 2009 case lodged against him under section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. The man had allegedly written offensive and insulting emails to the complainant who lives in the same south Mumbai society as he does. The emails, as per the complainant, made comments on her character and were forwarded to several other society members too. The man sought quashing of the FIR contending that, as per section 509, the word 'uttered' would only mean 'spoken words' and not words 'written' in an email or social media posts and so on. The HC, however, dismissed his arguments observing courts must adopt a purposive approach of interpretation. "Advent of moder

Top Indian cos sees a 40% jump in sexual harassment complaints in FY24

Data from Complykaro shows a 40.4% increase in sexual harassment complaints, with 268 more cases filed than in the previous financial year

SC to examine governor's immunity in molestation case: What is Article 361?

West Bengal molestation row: Raj Bhawan staff member has accused Governor CV Ananda Bose of sexual harassment, filed plea challenging immunity

Elon Musk accused of 'unusual attention' by SpaceX women employees

A report by The Wall Street Journal alleges several text messages, emails, and documents, along with interviews from over 48 individuals, including the women's friends, family members, and former empl

Entry barriers

Workplaces still fall short on women's safety

BJP MP Brij Bhushan charged with sexual harassment of 5 women wrestlers

A Delhi court has formally levelled charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, head of Wrestling Federation of India, for sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation of 5 women wrestlers

Why women would prefer to be alone in the woods with a bear over a man

Many women participating in a new viral debate on social media say they would rather be alone with a bear than a man in the woods. Here's why

Former minister H D Revanna booked in sexual harassment, stalking case

A case of sexual harassment and stalking was registered on Sunday against former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's son and former minister H D Revanna and his grandson Prajwal Revanna, who is Hassan MP. The case was registered in Holenarasipur police station in the district based on a complaint by their cook. This comes after the Karnataka government today constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe an alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal following a letter by the Chairperson of Women's Commission Dr Nagalakshmi Chowdhary to the government. The 33-year-old Prajwal was the NDA candidate in the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on April 26. The JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year.

Police urges court to frame charges against ex-WFI chief in harassment case

Delhi Police on Saturday urged a court here to frame charges against BJP MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a case of alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers. The police opposed the contention of the accused that since some of the alleged incidents took place overseas, they do not fall in the jurisdiction of courts in Delhi, as it concluded arguments on framing charges against Singh. The police submitted before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot that the incidents of sexual harassment, allegedly committed by Singh, overseas and inside India, including Delhi, are part of the same offence. "Delhi court has jurisdiction to try this case," the police told the judge. The court will further hear the matter on January 20. The city police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Singh, a six-time MP, on June 15, 2023 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D

'Over 28k complaints of crimes against women received in 2023, 50% from UP'

The National Commission for Women (NCW) registered 28,811 complaints of crime against women last year and about 55 per cent were from Uttar Pradesh. The highest number of complaints were received in the right to dignity category that involves harassment other than domestic violence and it stood at 8,540, according to NCW data. This was followed by 6,274 complaints of domestic violence. Dowry harassment complaints stood at 4,797, molestation complaints at 2,349, police apathy against women complaints at 1,618, and rape and attempt to rape complaints at 1,537, the data showed. There were 805 complaints of sexual harassment, 605 of cyber crime, 472 of stalking and 409 of honour crimes, it stated. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of complaints at 16,109 followed by Delhi 2,411, Maharashtra at 1,343, according to the data. Bihar recorded 1,312 complaints, Madhya Pradesh 1,165, Haryana 1,115, Rajasthan 1,011, Tamil Nadu 608, West Bengal 569 and Karnataka 501. The number of ...

#MeToo beyond the Global North

A collection of essays explores the nuanced dynamics of the MeToo movement in India and South Africa, delving into questions of origin, evolution, and the appropriation of the narrative

New Bill to empower women even as NCW complaints see a rising trend

Union Cabinet introduced the bill to reserve one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for increased participation in the country's development