sexual abuse

Flashing flashers

Julien — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:49:00 +0200

Tired of seeing people turn a blind eye on sexual assault and intimidation in India, one woman has decided to tackle the taboo subject head on. Her answer to a flasher is to snap a photo of him and post it online. And somebody has.

Jasmeen Patheja founded the website Blank Noise in 2003 to tackle sexual intimidation through active protest. She encourages women to post their accounts of assault online, no matter how "trivial" they may seem. She's also asking women to document men who "eve tease" them - an Indian phrase used to cover anything from unwanted glances to spitting. Her initiative has already attracted a collection of photos. One step further is to snap a man who indecently exposes himself. One woman was brave enough to take the step, and post the pic on Flickr.

The return of the chastity belt

Julien — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:55:34 +0200

Photo: AFP (we didn't manage to find an amateur image of the trouser padlock)

A belt with lock and key is the newest accessory in some Indonesian massage parlours. But it’s not out of choice that the masseuses don these chastity belts.

Drummed up by the local authorities of Batu, a tourist resort to the east of Java, this stern measure was hoped to prevent prostitution and keep up local appearances. Despite strong criticism from Meutia Fardia Hatta Swasono, minister for women’s rights, the new measure could even be on its way to the capital. Indeed, according to the Jakarta post, the city’s tourism agency is now thinking of following’s in Batu’s footsteps.

"Polygamous relationships tend to be very successful"

Julien — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:07:58 +0200

Image taken from Mormon Polygamy: A History

Following a call from a 16-year-old girl claiming she was sexually abused and assaulted by her 50-year-old husband, a fundamentalist Mormon compound where men have several wives has been raided and 419 children taken into temporary custody by Texan authorities.

The raid took place last Thursday after a teenager called social services on March 19, saying she was forced to marry at 15 and was beaten and choked by her husband while he forced her to have sex with him. The ranch is the base of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day (FDLS), an off-shoot of the mainstream Latter-day Saints (LDS) who denounced polygamy over 100 years ago.