Category: Sexual Harassment

Mum taking legal action against SA government after teen exposed to ‘bestiality’ and ‘incest’ in public school presentation | Sky News Australia

All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not originally generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.

A mother is taking legal action against the South Australian government over claims her 14-year-old daughter was exposed to a school presentation referencing bestiality and incest.

The impending lawsuit is being funded by faith-based legal organisation Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which is working with Ms Gaylard’s local Adelaide lawyers.

The hour-long presentation was part of a Respectful Relationships program meant to “promote LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and acceptance” that was delivered to year 9 girls by an external provider in March last year at Renmark High School in regional South Australia.

At the time of the incident, Renmark High School principal Mat Evans apologised for the “inappropriate material”, for not seeking parental consent ahead of the presentation and for breaching the school’s duty of care by failing to have a staff member present in the room.

The Department for Education in South Australia also suspended Headspace Berri from delivering the Respectful Relationships program to public schools.

A spokesperson for Headspace National – a youth mental health foundation funded by the federal Department of Health and Aged Care – acknowledged aspects of the presentation were inappropriate and it had conducted its own review of what was delivered in the presentation and how it had been vetted.

Source: Mum taking legal action against SA government after teen exposed to ‘bestiality’ and ‘incest’ in public school presentation | Sky News Australia

AI, Anonymity Drive Rise in Online Violence Against Women | Mirage News

All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not originally generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.

The alarm is being sounded this week by the UN agency for women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment ( UN Women ) as the 16 Days of Activism campaign begins, calling for urgent action against soaring digital violence.

The space has become a frontline in the fight for gender equality, with less than 40 per cent of countries having laws addressing cyber harassment or cyberstalking, leaving perpetrators largely unchallenged and victims without justice.

The rise of AI has dramatically amplified digital abuse , making it faster, more targeted, and harder to detect. According to one global survey, 38 per cent of women have experienced online violence, and 85 per cent have witnessed it.

AI-powered deepfake technology is being weaponised on a large scale: up to 95 per cent of online deepfakes are non-consensual pornographic images, and 99 per cent of those targeted are women.

Digital abuse isn’t confined to screens. Online attacks quickly spill into real life, escalating in severity.

Many deepfake tools, developed by male teams, are not even designed to work on images of men, underscoring the gendered nature of this technology.

Source: AI, Anonymity Drive Rise in Online Violence Against Women | Mirage News

President Donald Trump Tells Female Reporter ‘Quiet, Piggy’ – YouTube

Groping of Mexico’s president puts violence against women in spotlight | Reuters

All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.

MEXICO CITY, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday she filed a complaint against a man who groped her and tried to kiss her as she walked between meetings in the capital city, a day after a video of the incident went viral.

“If this happens to the president, where does that leave all the young women in our country,” said Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president. “No man has the right to abuse women’s personal space.”
Video of the incident quickly ricocheted across the internet before being taken down by some accounts, underscoring for many in Mexico the insecurity women face in a country steeped in machismo and gender-based violence.
It has also raised questions about Sheinbaum’s security detail. Like her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum travels with minimal security and makes herself widely available to the public, including wading into crowds of people.
The video shows a middle-aged man putting his arm around Sheinbaum, touching her chest and attempting to kiss her. She moves his hands away before a member of her staff steps between them. The president’s security detail did not appear to be near her in the moment.
Sheinbaum said the man appeared to be drunk.
In 2024, Mexico recorded 821 femicides, according to government data. There have been 501 femicides recorded through September of this year, and many advocates say the numbers are likely far underestimated.

Source: Groping of Mexico’s president puts violence against women in spotlight | Reuters

Survivor AI | Free AI-Powered Image Takedown Tool by Chayn

All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.

Get free, confidential help removing non-consensual images online. Our AI-powered tool creates personalized takedown requests for major platforms, with step-by-step guidance and trauma-informed support.

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Source: Survivor AI | Free AI-Powered Image Takedown Tool by Chayn

Tribunal for Darlington nurses in trans changing room row due to start today | The Northern Echo

All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.

A group of Darlington nurses are heading to an employment tribunal with their NHS trust over their concerns about sharing a changing room with a transgender woman.

Bethany Hutchison, Lisa Lockey, Annice Grundy and Tracey Hooper are four of the eight nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital who say they are being left feeling ‘unsafe’ when they are getting ready for work.

The nurses have filed the claim on the grounds of sexual harassment, discrimination, victimisation and breaches of the right to a private life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

They say that the transgender staff member spends a “longer time in the changing room than is necessary to change clothes” and continues “to stare at female colleagues, in particular at their breast area. as they are getting changed”.

Source: Tribunal for Darlington nurses in trans changing room row due to start today

NSW government loses music festival strip search case as woman awarded $93,000 in damages – ABC News

A woman who was subjected to an unlawful strip search at a 2018 music festival has been awarded at least $93,000 in damages, in a judgement that could see thousands of others also receive compensation.

WARNING: This article contains graphic content.

Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia handed down her judgement on Tuesday, finding Raya Meredith, who was 27 at the time, had been subjected to “humiliating” treatment at the Splendour in the Grass Music Festival in Byron Bay.

The Sydney woman launched the legal case after being searched at the event where an officer asked her to remove a tampon while naked.

Ms Meredith then became the lead plaintiff in a class action involving 3,000 people who were searched by NSW Police at music festivals between 2016 and 2022.

The legal team representing Ms Meredith previously described her experience of being strip searched as “akin to things that would happen during a sexual assault”.

Justice Yehia said it was confounding that NSW Police had still not offered an apology to Ms Meredith.

She ordered the state pay $93,000 in compensation and aggravated damages for assault, battery and false imprisonment and for the way police had conducted the case.

The judge reserved a decision on how much the state should also have to pay in additional exemplary damages because senior police failed to ensure officers were adequately trained to conduct strip searches, saying it would be better assessed after all the class action members had their claims determined.

If the class action is successful, the NSW government argued it could be liable to pay $150 million in damages, the court heard.

Speaking outside court, lawyers behind the class action said no young person should be subjected to such “egregious” and “humiliating” behaviour.

Senior associate William Zerno said the outcome would have significant and far-reaching implications for police searches conducted on “mere suspicion” and through drug detection dogs.

“We believe this could render thousands of strip searchers unlawful,” he said.

Supervising solicitor Samantha Lee said Justice Yehia’s decision should act as a deterrent to the state and to the police.

“What [the] message from this case is ‘police get your hands off young people and children’s bodies’,” she said.

The class action relating to thousands of more strip searches at music festivals will return to court at a later date.

Source: NSW government loses music festival strip search case as woman awarded $93,000 in damages – ABC News

Alan Jones to avoid jury trial in indecent assault case | SMH

The details of the allegations were outlined in updated court documents tendered in Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching case, as it was revealed the matter will not be heard before a jury and two complainants will no longer be involved in the case.

On Thursday, John Maddison Tower Local Court also heard some charges against Jones had been downgraded or amended, with the factor of aggravation removed from several counts.

Jones was initially charged with dozens of offences and now faces 27 counts, as the number of complainants dropped from 11 to nine. He faces 25 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching. It comes days after nine charges were added.

His high-profile solicitor, Bryan Wrench, told the court that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had decided the matters would not be heard in front of a jury – as they previously said would happen – but would instead be dealt with in the local court.

There was no explanation heard in court as to why two victims were no longer part of the prosecution’s case.

Source: Alan Jones to avoid jury trial in indecent assault case

From threats and abuse to deepfakes, X is not safe for women | Women’s Agenda 

My Collective Shout colleagues and I have been subjected to a sustained, intense campaign of misogynistic abuse, writes Caitlin Roper.

Why? Because we successfully campaigned to get rape, incest and child sexual abuse games off a few popular gaming platforms.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been on the receiving end of threats of violence, harassment and abuse, given I’m a woman on the internet speaking out against men’s violence against women. Or just, given I’m a woman on the Internet. But this time is the most extreme it’s ever been. And while the abuse has occurred across platforms, it is the most intense on X (formerly Twitter.)

These misogynistic gamers have sent us rape and death threats, and images of weapons like guns and knives accompanied by descriptions of how they intend to use them on us. They send us violent porn depicting women being tortured and tell us this is what they will do to us. They send us CSAM [child sexual abuse material]. They threaten our families, our children. They encourage us to kill ourselves. They call us “c**ts” and “rapemeat”. They distribute whatever personal info about us they can dig up. They turn us into porn which they post on the public platform.

The abuse has been so extreme it has been condemned by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, who described it as “horrific” and some of the most serious she had seen.

First, where previously X users could block individuals they didn’t want to engage with, or who were harassing or abusing them, the block function no longer prevents the blocked party from viewing the tweets. This allows for continued stalking and surveillance by abusers, leaving victims with little recourse if they want to remain on the platform.
Blocking also only applies to a single profile. When one user sent me death threats, I blocked him. He came back with a new account. I blocked him again. It became a game for him – he would taunt me, reappearing from behind new accounts with little hints for me, like the same image of a knife he had sent previously, or the same pornographic image he had made of me, and the words “Guess who!” To date, I have blocked and reported 22 accounts from this user who has made it his mission to terrorise me – enabled by X. Even if X terminates his account, he is permitted to make another, and another, and another.
In a state of emotional exhaustion and utter exasperation, I posted a screen capture of some of the threats and abuse I was being sent. What happened next? X punished me.
X was theoretically supposed to function as a “digital town square” where people could come together and discuss ideas. But X is so openly hostile to women it’s becoming clear that we are not welcome.

Source: From threats and abuse to deepfakes, X is not safe for women

Uprooting Male Domination: Dispatches from the Sex Wars — Spinifex Press

A brilliant overview of the oppression all women face – the system of male domination – and how feminists have fought back against it. Sheila Jeffreys provides a sometimes startling, always incisive, picture of the struggles she and other radical feminists have faced to protect the rights of women and girls over decades of activism. As well as outlining the many recognisable forms of oppression faced by women today – including pornography, violence, reproductive slavery and domestic servitude – Jeffreys highlights others that are sometimes ignored, such as the subordination of women through the cultural imposition of femininity and sexual harassment.

She dares to challenge the modern orthodoxy that ‘equality’ should be a goal of feminism. She points out how men’s power and status is acquired from the subordination of women, and nothing less than a radical transformation of society is required for women to achieve liberation. Sheila Jeffreys takes on the men’s sexual rights movement. She considers the new cult of gender ideology: the insult of transgenderism with its promotion of ‘womanface’ – the fetish of imitating and insulting women as comparable to blackface. She calls out the threat posed by men pretending to be women which risks reversing the hard-won gains made by feminists in the last 50 years.

Source: Uprooting Male Domination: Dispatches from the Sex Wars — Spinifex Press