EU : Many women across EU affected by domestic violence These reports are in todays UK news. Unfortunately it does not surprise me one bit, especially that it is worse in the countries which have comparatively high levels of gender equality, and young women are intelligent and assertive.
I regularly visit a lot of North European websites/social networks ranging from youth lifestyle/music forums to ones about technology/electronics, and got the impression that on the music/hedonism based ones or those with a younger age group there is a massive gender divide and a lot of tension/agression.
there are for instance a lot of young women across Europe with a very high level of tech knowledge (IBM seem to employ hundreds of female engineers in NL, something I only unearthed whilst looking for some info about a computer) but they still find many online communities and real life unpleasant and unsafe, and tend to only use the online resources where they have more control over their security (or there are big companies behind them keeping things "family friendly").
it also seems to be the "big/bad" corporates who do "boring" stuff who seem to be providing the safest and most secure environments for their workers rather than the small businesses/startups, but neither they nor the cops can (or should) delve too deeply into peoples personal lives outside work, and unfortunately bad things still happen even amongst middle class professionals especially when there are high workloads and layoffs.
I can also read the national and local news of NL, DE and (to some extent) DK, and get the impression that this is part of a wider rise in aggression/violence throughout the EU which also happens in public places and at crowd events across all genders; though amongst young men it is masked by a cultural acceptance that at such things like football matches or political protests, a certain amount of violence/criminality is expected. this has been to some extent reduced by the use of CCTV, data gathering, the removal of licenses from events with bad safety records, and unfortunately even preventing legitimate political expression, whilst not really addressing the causes of why young men may become aggressive in the first place
it is not surprising that this now occurs amongst couples, and other smaller groups. It is not simply due to "alcohol or drugs" as all of them have been readily available across Europe during the 1980s and 1990s, nor immigration or any particular race/religion as Europe has also been multicultural for those 30+ years. I am not sure the situation in DK really is that much "worse" than the UK - in Denmark it may be the case more women are prepared to report incidents than in the UK, there may be a lot more women in positions of authority (such as the Defence Minister, and maybe the ranks of Inspektør and Kommisær in the Police, where they have more power). Which could also account for many of the reports, as that can however cause a backlash amongst those who do not accept this equality.
Report reveals 'extensive' violence against women in EU | World news | The Guardian
BBC News - Violence against women: One-third of EU women affected - survey
original source of the info (with links to some very long detailed reports).
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights | Helping to make fundamental rights a reality for everyone in the European Union
This was in my local newspaper (I live in a part of England very near the coast which is culturally very similar to similar areas in DK, NO, DE and NL )
Suffolk: New pledge to help victims of domestic abuse - News - Ipswich Star
Model Sues Internet Brands for Complicity in Rape Case Sick fucks! :(
LOS ANGELES (CN) - A model claims in Federal Court that she was drugged and raped by two men who filmed the crime and sold it as pornography, and that defendant Internet Brands Inc. dba ModelMayhem.com did nothing to stop it.
Jane Doe No. 14 claims that Internet Brands Inc. owns and operates more than 100 websites, including ModelMayhem.com, where she had an account to market herself as a model. She sued the company and its dba, and only those two defendants, for negligence.
The headings of the three major sections of the complaint tell the story: "Internet Brands Knew of the Rape Scheme Targeting Modelmayhem.com Users ... Jane Doe was Raped in the Modelmayhem.com Scheme ... [and] Internet Brands Purposely Kept Modelmayhem.com Users in the Dark About the Rape Scheme."
Doe says in her complaint that the defendants were aware that Emerson Callum and Lavont Flanders mined their websites looking for victims.
Both men were convicted in December 2011 of drugging women and videotaping themselves having sex with them to sell as pornography. A Miami federal judge in February sentenced them to life in prison.
Flanders is a former Miami Beach police officer who had more than a dozen aliases in court records, according to the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
"At all relevant times, Internet Brands knew that Jane Doe was typical of the women who were targeted and horrifically raped in the scheme," Doe says in her complaint.
As indicated by "No. 14," many other women have made similar allegations.
Jane Doe 14 claims that Flanders contacted her in February 2011 and lured her to South Florida for a phony modeling audition. She claims that Callum and Flanders drugged her with a date-rape drug and that Callum raped her while Flanders videotaped the crime.
"The next morning, Jane Doe woke up in her hotel room feeling disoriented, sick and confused. Jane Doe then noticed that her mouth was swollen and that there was blood in her vaginal area and anal area, as well as blood in the bathtub," the complaint states.
It continues: "Jane Doe contacted the police and was taken by police to the hospital where she was examined and given blood tests. The blood tests revealed that Jane Doe had benzodiazepine in her blood stream. Upon information and belief, benzodiazepine is a common 'date rape' drug that, when combined with alcohol, has the effect of causing one to 'black out,' with the inability to control one's actions or remember anything that occurred while under the influence.
"Benzodiazepine also has the unique effect of allowing someone under the influence to appear normal and coherent, despite being unable to control one's actions or remember what occurred."
According to the complaint, the two men were first arrested in 2007 for using ModelMayhem.com to lure and victimize at least five women. The complaint states that Internet Brands bought ModelMayhem.com from Donald and Taylor Waitt in 2008, and in 2010, Internet Brands sued the Waitts in Los Angeles Federal Court, claiming that the Waitts had failed to disclose the potential for lawsuits against ModelMayhem because of the actions of the rapists.
"Accordingly, on Internet Brands' own admission, it had actual knowledge no later than Aug. 2010 that:
"a. ModelMayhem.com was being used as a means of luring unsuspecting female ModelMayhem.com users, like Jane Doe, to drug and rape them;
"b. Lavont Flanders and Emerson Callum, in particular, had used ModelMayhem.com on multiple occasions to lure unsuspecting women to drug, rape and videotape them for pornography; and
"c. Flanders and Callum used ModelMayhem.com as an essential element of the scheme, horrifically victimizing ModelMayhem.com's members," the complaint states.
Doe 14 claims that Internet Brands knew enough to stop the attacks by warning ModelMayhem.com users about Flanders and Callum, but chose to do nothing.
"With this actual knowledge, Internet Brands had a duty to make adequate disclosures and warn ModelMayhem.com users of the danger presented, and inform them of the need to screen and verify the legitimacy of persons using ModelMayhem.com to contact them for modeling services," the complaint states.
"Internet Brands knew that plaintiff, in using ModelMayhem.com, was exposed to an unreasonable risk of harm from the foreseeable acts of sexual predators, particularly Callum and Flanders."
Doe claims says that Internet Brands breached its duty to warn her about the rapists' scheme and that its negligence resulted in the sexual assault - even while Internet Brands went after ModelMayhem.com's former owners for failure to disclose.
"With willful and wanton disregard for the health and safety of its users, Internet Brands brazenly sought compensation from the Waitts for failing to disclose the Flanders/Callum charges in 2008, while leaving its users vulnerably in the dark and exposed to heinous sexual batteries. Upon information and belief, Internet Brands was purposely silent to its users in an effort to evade or limit negative publicity and civil claims and liabilities arising from the acts and conduct of Flanders and Callum," Doe alleges.
She seeks more than $10 million in damages, medical expenses and lost earnings. She is represented by Kevin McGuire, of Temecula.
Laws on rape Things like this makes me really really really angry:head_bang :head_bang :head_bang
Quote:
Pakistan rape law reform debated
Hudood laws can punish women for extra-marital sex
The Pakistani parliament has resumed debating a controversial women's rights bill which seeks to change existing strict Sharia laws on rape.
The bill was tabled but withdrawn in September in face of angry opposition.
Pakistani religious parties have warned of protests if they deem attempts to revise the laws to be "un-Islamic".
Currently, all sex outside marriage is illegal. Women alleging rape must produce four male witnesses - if not they can face prosecution for adultery.
The government's attempts to pass the legislation are being seen as a crucial test of President Pervez Musharraf and his stated commitment to an enlightened, moderate form of Islam.
On the eve of the debate, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani said the government meant to see the bill through "no matter what the opposition".
But the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Karachi says the signs are that the government has watered down the legislation in the face of opposition from the powerful religious lobby.
'Lewdness'
A woman is raped every two hours and gang-raped every eight hours in Pakistan, according to the country's independent Human Rights Commission.
Correspondents say these figures are probably an under-estimation as many rapes are not reported.
Campaigners say the way current laws are framed makes it virtually impossible to prosecute rape.
The version of the Women's Protection Bill put before legislators in the summer caused such an outcry that parliament was prorogued.
It would have allowed alleged rapists to be tried under civil as well as Islamic law.
Human rights activists said this would create confusion, allowing powerful religious lobbies to manipulate what is seen as a weak judicial system.
Pakistan's religious parties called the legislation "a harbinger of lewdness and indecency in the country", and against the strictures of the Koran and Sharia law.
They are now threatening nationwide protests if the revised bill is not to their liking.
Addressing parliament on Wednesday, the leader of the six-party MMA Islamic alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, said without changes the bill would "turn Pakistan into a free-sex zone".
Law Minister Wasi Zafar, meanwhile, told a television station that "some of the MMA's proposals had been included in the bill".
Lashings
Rape and adultery in Pakistan are dealt with under the Hudood Ordinance, a controversial set of Islamic laws introduced from 1979 by Gen Zia-ul-Haq.
They include sections prescribing lashing and stoning as punishments for adultery.
The bill tabled in the summer has since been reviewed by a panel of ulema, or Islamic scholars, who suggested three revisions.
The government says it wants to achieve consensus. Observers say much depends on which draft has been tabled in parliament.
"The version which they distributed in the assembly appears to be the ulema committee's version," a senior ruling coalition MP told the BBC on the eve of the debate. The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says the women's bill is also being seen as an indication of what political alliances might contest elections next year.
:you_crazy :you_crazy :you_crazy :you_crazy
AAARRRRGHGGGHHHHHHHHH !!!:head_bang :rant: :wtf: :frown: :noway: :mad_curse :blackeye: :annoyed: :cry: :awe: :apathy: :argue_mad :argue_cur :you_smart
Is Statutory Rape Harmful? Is there any evidence that an adult having consensual sex with a teenager results in harm of any kind? I can't find any.
For example many states in the USA have an age of consent of 18. However many European nations have an age of consent of 14 (Italy, Germany, Portugal, Austria) - do these nations condone child abuse? I doubt it.
Another idiosyncrasy is that once of age (i.e. 18 in California) no one can object to an exploitative sexual relationship. A 40 year old man can have sex with this young adult, who has little experience of life, and even degrade them in pornographic films. Meanwhile a 20 year old will be arrested and labelled a 'pedophile' for having a loving relationship with a 15 year old girl.
In fact it could even be argued that adults having sex with prepubescents isn't necessarily harmful, although I don't want to discuss that here.
Can anyone here justify the age of consent being what it is? Can anyone here provide evidence that sex before a certain age is harmful?1234
Date Rape Drug Summertime's here, take care of yourself and each other :group_hug
Found this Danish article, I'm not sure how known GBL is "out there", sounds like nasty sh*t to me :hopeless:
It requires no more than a few clicks to order potentially fatal drugs online.
GBL (gamma-Butyrolactone) is generally used to clean and remove paint or super glue,
but in recent years is the substance has become a widespread drug in night life.
It can be purchased legally, because it is not defined as a narcotic.
Chemicals which have the same effect as the illegal drug GHB (Fantasy),
has been known as a 'drug-rape means, because the liquid can be mixed up with alcohol
and used as an anesthetic.
Danish internet users have ordered substances
Therefore, warns UN International Narkotikaråd now in a report on it is too easy
to obtain anesthetic drugs, writes Metro.
Although it is relatively new, the phenomenon of date rape is developing fast.
Sexual abusers circumvent drug control by using substances that are not constrained by
international drug conventions.
Steffen Steffensen, who is head of the narcotics department of the Copenhagen Police,
said that the police regularly find the substance in the pockets of young people
- We encounter it in nightlife, where young people have such a small bottle with the city
filled with either GBL or GHB, "says Steffen Steffensen. -
Tax does not separate statistics on seizures of GBL, but customs officers say that they sometimes
detain suspicious canisters in Copenhagen Airport.
Because it is basically lawful, it is small Quantities, we seize.
But we have some cases where individuals have ordered larger quantities,
and when we questioned whether we as an ordinary consumer needs five to 10
liters of GBL, says Axel Grønkjær has the duty in Smuggling Group in treasure.
Rigshospitalet Center for Sexual Assault has spoken to several female victims who,
according to them have been victims of drug rape.
Center for Sexual Assaults at Rigshospitalet that
has spoken several two female victims who, according to them have
been victims of drug rape.
I've talked with many rape victims who believe they have been sedated with drugs.
But the problem is that the substances effects disappear quickly from the body so we can not get to record
it in a blood sample, said afdelingssygeplejerske Hanne Nielsen.
Pinned
Violence / Hate / Gender crimes – Getting Worse and can we stop it? just read that shocking report from the North of England, where 4 young people drove out to a remote part of Sheffield, an argument ensued, a pistol was drawn and a young couple is now dead from gunshot wounds. None of the people involved were older than 20 and the youngest is 16 - two lives ended, another two people traumatised.
I constantly see reports of nasty assaults, racist attacks, even the fireside chats at raves (particularly from young girls) are often about failed relationships which have ended in physical violence :( some of the posts I see on this board are also really harrowing. I used to think domestic violence was something old codgers did - now it seems teenagers are bad if not worse!
I also see a lot of posts and hear banter at raves which indicates that people today now think misogyny and racism are not only OK, but that violence of all kinds is an acceptable way to solve things.
I grew up in the early 80s before "political correctness"; and I think that society is worse than those days, there has been such a backlash against equality that society has moved backwards! Its not even the odd saucy joke (hell, I used to watch Benny Hill and find it funny!) but a real anger and hatred hidden behind the humour - a determination to "put certain groups back in their place"
Violence is increasing throughout our community; loads of my friends have been involved in actual fights, sometimes with each other! I was myself involved in a (minor) scuffle with a friend in 2003 which was the first time I had been involved in anything like that for 15 years
Thankfully another friend broke it up, but he has himself since had a nervous breakdown and himself had violent outbursts against his own flatmates, triggered in part by situations where he was increasingly using physical force to get his way.
Other friends of mine have been involved in scuffles; none of us are thugs so nothing major happened but it does affect the friendship, there is always a lingering mistrust and wariness and that will never go away.
A lot of the relationships friends have been involved in are breaking up now, sometimes very acrimoniously.
I've heard things about people I know I'd never have thought they were capable of, a very nasty incident happened amongst a couple I know recently which has destroyed so many positive things they were both trying to do and is causing friction amongst others - (a lot of the time domestic violence goes way further than a couple as each partners friends take sides)
Even at raves there has been bare ruckus - I don't even mean the known violence at "London raves" but the idyllic outdoor surroundings; people are bringing old scores and beef to these events and fighting it out on the dancefloor, there is also a predatory attitude towards girls that wasnt there as much in the mid 90s.
Girls have had drinks spiked at house parties, girls in k-holes have been molested; any young female at some raves is constantly harrassed (including on-line harrasment), I've even had to warn my younger sister away from parties as they weren't safe (and I don't want to do time in HMP or Broadmoor because I deal myself with someone harrasing her!)
And when bad things happen in many cases cops, doctors, press, families and parents are all get involved and our scene is getting a bad name.
I used to think that this was just an "outside society" problem; and it wasn't that prevalent on the rave scene - but I was just being hopelessly over-optimistic and naive. It appears to be worse than wider society; I know people in "conventional" society, even those who are highly religious and bound by strict cultural rules who are coming across as more tolerant and less aggressive than so called "ravers/hippies"!
(some of the stereotypes about gender roles in British Asian communities are complete rubbish - they turn out to be some of the most committed people to equality I have ever met!)
On our scene there is a real problem with "midweek aggression" - I've seen it loads amongst people I know particularly couples and communities in shared houses (its broken up many a squat) and it goes as far as actual agression against strangers including road rage (including hit and run RTCs where the driver clearly doesn't care if he/she has injured/killed somebody!) - people are simply using anyone close to them as a punchbag on comedowns. the ends of large outdoor raves have a distinct "lord of the flies" mentality about them sometimes....
We claim our scene and lifestyles (hedonism, drug use, re-use via hijacking of others resources) should be tolerated because we are an open minded, tolerant and loving community (all that PLUR malarkey) - yet a proportion of party people (although by no means all) are doing exactly the opposite. This divides us and saps our power far worse than any "babylon system" ever can - and needs to stop before it stops our community.
Date Rape & Drink Spiking This is another post I wished I didn't have to write...
But last night in the Reading area there was at least one incident of a young lady getting her drink spiked (with a fast acting tranquiliser) at a local students' house party.
Thankfully she noticed the effects quickly and got to safety before anything really bad could happen to her (this is sometimes done as a precursor to sexual assault including rape and/or unwanted appearance in porn videos).
Even though nothing bad happened she and her boyfriend were understandably badly shaken; again it totally fucked up what would have been the start to a brilliant weekend (our crew mates 21st birthday)
Whilst this nasty practice happens fairly often in "townie" pubs and commercial clubs, this incident was a worrying escalation as the crowd we all hang around with are the young raver crowd, not beer-boys/townies; we never used to have scummy things like this happen on the rave scene but sadly society appears to have regressed insofar as respect for others is concerned...
Furthermore, its not just girls either who are targeted, blokes are sometimes also victims. Sometimes its a predatory gay male; but its even been known for a girl to come on to a lad and offer them a spiked drink. They think they've pulled but they end out passing out in some random place and being rinsed of all their valuables.... (worse still this sometimes done by a number of male accomplices who will use violence if the person wakes up during the attack)
Please be careful - all of you. I don't want raves to become places where people are becoming increasingly paranoid of each other and people can't share stuff freely like they used to - but clearly some predators are trying to muscle in on our scene and we all need to be vigilant. Keep an eye on yourselves, and your friends!
This site explains more about the dangers (its aimed more at pub/club type people...)
http://www.roofie.com/main.htm
Note to mods: I'll move this into the Drugs or Lifestyle section (whichever is most appropriate) after a week or so; but it is really a "hot issue" in our area at the moment.
Rohypnol There has been a few cases of rape/sexual assualt involving Rohypnol in my area recently,there has even been a couple of police warnings in the local paper.
I've heard of this off and on for years,but worryingly it now seems bigger than ever and far more widespread than before-theres some relevent info in the drugs section on here and some more detailed stuff can be found at www.urban75.com/drugs/rohypnol.html
be safe when you go out folks!
