Sexual Abuse

Diddy acquitted of sex trafficking, convicted of lesser charges, no bail

US music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who has been in prison since his arrest in September last year, was denied bail, pending sentencing

Pope Leo XIV: No tolerance for any form of abuse in Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV has said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse sexual, spiritual or abuse of authority -- and called for transparent processes to create a culture of prevention across the church. Leo made his first public comments about the clergy sex abuse scandal in a written message to a Peruvian journalist who documented a particularly egregious case of abuse and financial corruption in a Peruvian-based Catholic movement, the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae. The message was read out loud on Friday night in Lima during a performance of a play based on the Sodalitium scandal and the work of the journalist, Paola Ugaz. It is urgent to root in the whole church a culture of prevention that does not tolerate any form of abuse - neither of power or authority, nor abuse of conscience, spiritual or sexual abuse, Leo said in the message. This culture will only be authentic if it is born of active vigilance, of transparent processes and sincere listening to .

Beyonce, Jay-Z removed from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sexual assault lawsuit

The change came after attorneys for the celebrity couple presented credible documentation proving they were not at the Miami party in question

Delhi police set to launch 'Shistachar' squads to curb eve-teasing

Each district will have a squad of 15 trained personnel, who apart from responding to such crimes, would also work towards prevention and deterrence

Israeli tourist among two women raped, male traveller killed in Karnataka

Two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist, were allegedly gang-raped and assaulted while stargazing near Hampi, police said on Saturday. Three male tourists who were with the women were also assaulted and pushed into a canal and one of them was found dead, they added. No arrests have been made yet, but efforts are underway to apprehend the three identified suspects, the police said. The incident occurred around 11 pm on Thursday. After dinner, a 29-year-old homestay operator, along with the Israeli tourist and three male tourists, was sitting by the left bank of the Tungabhadra Canal near Sanapur Lake, playing the guitar, enjoying music, and stargazing, police said. Among the male tourists, one was from the United States, while the others were from Odisha and Maharashtra, police said. According to police, in her complaint, the homestay operator alleged that while they were stargazing and playing music, three men on a motorcycle approached them, asking where they could get

Grooming gangs: Eight men jailed in UK for sexually abusing teenagers

The survivors, aged 13 and 16 at the time, endured years of abuse that came to light after one came forward as an adult

Badlapur sexual assault victims very young, trial must be fast-tracked: HC

The Bombay High Court on Monday said the trial in the last year's Badlapur school sexual assault case should be fast-tracked and conducted expeditiously as the victim girls are very young. In August last year, a male attendant sexually assaulted the two girls - aged four and five - inside the toilet of their school located in Badlapur area of Maharashtra's Thane district. He was arrested and later killed in a shootout with police when he was being taken from jail for questioning. The Special Investigation (SIT), set up by the Maharashtra government to conduct a probe into the case, has filed its chargesheet. The chargesheet was filed against the attendant, the school's headmaster and two members of its management for "failing to report" the sexual assault, as required under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The high court took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the incident after it came to light that the local Badlapur police had not take

14 arrested, 5 cases registered in connection with Kerala sexual abuse case

Seven more people were arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping a Dalit girl, who is an athlete, at various locations when she was a minor, taking the total number of those apprehended so far to 13, police said here as the case sparked outrage. The girl, who is now 18 years old, has alleged in her complaint that she was sexually abused by 62 individuals since the age of 13. The police said that they received evidence indicating that the girl was exploited by her sports trainers, fellow athletes and classmates. Calling for immediate arrest of all the accused, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought a detailed action-taken report from authorities within three days and emphasised on a fair and time-bound investigation to deliver justice. The Kerala Women's Commission (KWC) has registered a case on its own and its chairperson P Sathi Devi has directed the Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police to immediately submit a report in this regard, the Commission said in a ...

UK lawmakers vote against new inquiry into 'grooming gangs' scandal

Grooming gangs scandal: The ruling Labour Party criticised the Conservatives for attempting to derail the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Appeals court upholds $5 mn award in sexual abuse verdict against Trump

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a jury's finding in a civil case that Donald Trump sexually abused a columnist in an upscale department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written opinion upholding the USD 5 million award that the Manhattan jury granted to E. Jean Carroll for defamation and sexual abuse. The longtime magazine columnist had testified at a 2023 trial that Trump turned a friendly encounter in spring 1996 into a violent attack after they playfully entered the store's dressing room. Trump skipped the trial after repeatedly denying the attack ever happened. But he briefly testified at a followup trial earlier this year that resulted in an USD 83.3 million award. The second trial resulted from comments then-President Trump made in 2019 after Carroll first made the accusations publicly in a memoir.

P Diddy's arrest: Why your favourite Hollywood stars may be in trouble

Jay-Z to Justin Bieber: Silence on the arrest of US rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs has sparked outrage on social media as allegations of sexual assault, trafficking, and abuse surface

Abuse, fear, and silence: Female health workers at risk in Pakistan

A report by the US National Institutes of Health in 2022 revealed that up to 95 per cent of nurses in Pakistan had faced workplace violence at least once during their careers

Trump lawyers challenge Jury's finding in E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

While Donald Trump campaigns for the presidency, his lawyers are fighting to overturn a verdict finding him liable for sexual abuse and slander. Three judges of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled to hear arguments Friday in Trump's appeal of a jury's finding that he sexually assaulted the writer E. Jean Carroll. She says the Republican attacked her in a department store dressing room in 1996. That jury awarded Carroll $5 million. For several days, preparations have been underway in a stately federal courthouse in lower Manhattan for Trump to attend the arguments in person. Trump's lawyers say the jury's verdict should be tossed because evidence was allowed at trial that should have been excluded and other evidence was excluded that should have been permitted. Trump, who has denied attacking Carroll, did not attend the 2023 trial and has expressed regret he was not there. The court is unlikely to issue a ruling before November's presidential election. The civil ca

MeToo in Malayalam cinema explained: Inside the Hema Committee findings

The Hema Committee report exposes the Malayalam film industry's dark side and has revived the #MeToo movement, calling for urgent reform and accountability

Malayalam actors Jayasoorya, Maniyanpilla Raju booked for sexual assault

Separate cases have been registered in Kerala against popular Malayalam actors Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju following an allegation raised by a female actor that they had sexually assaulted her, police said on Thursday. A senior police official from Ernakulam said an FIR under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Fort Kochi police station against Raju. The Cantonment police in Thiruvananthapuram confirmed that a case under the same section was registered against Jayasoorya. Multiple FIRs have been registered against many high profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report. The complainant, who has appeared in a handful of movies, levelled sexual abuse allegations against prominent actors M Mukesh, who is also an MLA, Jayasurya and Maniyanpilla Raju, as well as small-time actor Idavela Babu who held a prominent role in the

Hema Committee report paves way for #MeToo movement in Mollywood

What was the MeToo movement and how has the Hema Committee report, delayed by five years, reignited the fight against sexual harassment in the film industry

Clear Shakti bill to ensure punishment for crime against women: Deshmukh

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday demanded the clearance and implementation of the Shakti bill with provisions for the death penalty for atrocities against children and women, referring to the Badlapur school incident. Both the House of Maharashtra legislature had passed the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the Special Court & Machinery for Implementation of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020, three years ago when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power. Addressing a press conference, Deshmukh said, When I was the home minister, I had formed a 21-member committee of legislators from all parties to draft the Shakti bill on the lines of an act in Andhra Pradesh. The bill was approved by the cabinet headed by Uddhav Thackeray and passed in the state legislature. It is pending before the Central government for approval. The NCP (SP) leader said the committee had drafted the Shakti bill after consultations with all ...

Badlapur school chose cover-up over helping parents: MSCPCR chief

The Badlapur school, where two young girls were allegedly sexually abused, preferred to cover up the crime instead of helping their parents file a police complaint, said Susieben Shah, chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, on Wednesday. The alleged crime by a male attendant created a volatile situation in the town of Thane district on Tuesday, with protesting parents and locals crippling rail services and clashing with police. Shah stressed the urgency of the matter, saying that the alleged sexual abuse of the two kindergarten students is a clear case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act. After learning about the incident, the state child rights panel chief said, she contacted the Thane District Child Protection Unit about the parents' concerns. They (child protection unit) took them to the police to file the complaint. When I asked the school management about the case, they tried to cover it up. I even asked them wh

Court extends custody of Badlapur sexual abuse case accused till Aug 26

A local court on Wednesday extended till August 26 the police custody of the man arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra's Thane district. The accused, who was employed as an attendant at the school where the incident took place last week, was produced before a magistrate at Kalyan in the district this morning amid tight police security. The court ordered the extension of his police custody till August 26, following which he was taken away by the police in a van, a senior official said. The police had arrested the accused on August 17. As per the complaint, he abused two kindergarten girls in the toilet of the school, the police have said. A massive protest broke out on Tuesday after parents of the school children and local citizens blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and ransacked a local school building to protest against the incident and to demand strict punishment for the accused. Following the protest, the ...

Internet suspended, schools shut in Badlapur after protest on sexual abuse

In the wake of a massive protest at Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls, internet services in the town were suspended while most schools remained shut on Wednesday, officials said. At least 17 city police personnel and around eight railway cops were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting at the railway station and other parts of Badlapur during the protest on Tuesday and the investigators have arrested 72 persons in connection with the violence, they said. According to officials, additional police force has been deployed in the town to maintain law and order, and the situation in the town is limping back to normalcy. Entire Badlapur town virtually came to a standstill on Tuesday after thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks at the station and stormed a local school building after the alleged sexual abuse of two girls by the school sweeper in the washroom last week. The protesters hurled stones at police ...