Church of England: why the archbishop’s resignation isn’t justice for abuse survivors: Justin Welby resigned as archbishop of Canterbury following a damning report about a prolific child abuser in the Church of England. The report into decades of abuse of more than 100 boys perpetrated by the barrister John Smyth QC in the UK, South …
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker: a tumultuous examination of the impact of domestic abuse on motherhood: Clove is a young woman with a seemingly good life. She has an adoring husband, two healthy, happy children and a comfortable home in Portland, a pleasant US city. She is a perfectionist with an obsession with clean eating and …
Human trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation: the ‘loss and damage’ from climate change a fund will not compensate: A child's doll discarded during a storm. Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson Violence against women and children, including sexual abuse and exploitation, remains a taboo subject in the policy debates attended by international delegates at COP28, the latest round of …
Kenya at 60: the shameful truth about British colonial abuse and how it was covered up: It is fairly well known that the lives of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans were affected by terrible acts of violence under the British colonial administration. The British government and King Charles have acknowledged it, and some victims of …
Reports of ‘honour-based’ abuse increased following lockdowns and change to police recording rules: Alexey_M/Shutterstock Cases of so-called honour-based abuse (HBA) are on the rise in England and Wales. Home Office figures show 2,905 HBA offences in 2022-23 – an increase of 1% in the year ending March 2023 from the year before. This is a …
India: how COVID enabled new forms of economic abuse of women: During lockdown many Indian women were isolated and suffered both domestic and economic abuse from the menin their families. Radiokafka/Shutterstock In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the United Nations (UN) identified what it called a “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence against women. The …
Deaths and abuse in UK immigration detention – my research shows extent of mental health problem: The death of 39-year-old Frank Ospina, a Colombian man in immigration detention in the UK, shocked his family. Ospina was awaiting deportation, and his mental health appeared to deteriorate rapidly. He is thought to have taken his own life …
Shouting at children linked to depression – but defining what counts as verbal abuse is what will help prevent harmful parenting: fasphotographic/Shutterstock A recent research paper has found that verbal abuse of children, including shouting at them and calling them names, is linked to low mood, drug abuse and delinquency (antisocial behaviour). The authors of …
Even before deepfakes, tech was a tool of abuse and control: William Perugini/Shutterstock Of the many “profound risks to society and humanity” that have tech experts worried about artificial intelligence (AI), the spread of fake images is one that everyday internet users will be familiar with. Deepfakes – videos or photographs where someone’s face or …
Online abuse could drive women out of political life – the time to act is now: Shutterstock/vchal It is becoming increasingly evident that life in modern politics is presenting women with a stark choice – endure almost constant online threats and abuse or get out of public life. Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of …
In sport, abuse is often dismissed as ‘good coaching’: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock The head coach of the Welsh men’s rugby squad, Warren Gatland, has built a reputation as one of the best coaches in the world. But his “intense training methods” have drawn comparisons to waterboarding, and his training programmes have included “psychological challenges” such as players …
Russell Brand: how the comedy industry uses humour to abuse and silence women: Over the last ten years I have been researching the barriers to women’s participation in the UK comedy circuit. During that time, it became clear to me that the live comedy industry has a particular susceptibility to fostering spaces of abuse. Recent …
How to support someone who is experiencing domestic abuse: Chay_Tee/Shutterstock It is likely that you know someone in a harmful or unhealthy relationship. Domestic abuse is common. For example, estimates suggest that one in three women globally will experience abuse in their lifetime. But many people do not know how to respond when a friend, …
Linking police and healthcare data could help better identify domestic abuse – new research: Healthcare professionals can play a vital role in identifying and helping people who are experiencing domestic abuse. HTWE/Shutterstock Identifying domestic abuse victims earlier could help to reduce future emergency medical admissions. Our new research shows how this could be done before …
Dele Alli abuse revelations highlight how professional footballers suffer greater mental health risks: Dele playing for England in 2018. Dokshin Vlad/Shutterstock Everton footballer Dele Alli released an emotional interview with pundit and former player Gary Neville, on July 13. The video was a poignant reminder of the difficult upbringings experienced by many professional footballers and …
How the legal tools to prevent forced marriage can lead to further abuse: KieferPix/Shutterstock Forced marriage – marriage that lacks the consent of one or both parties – is a serious issue which affects 22 million people around the world – predominantly women and girls. In England and Wales, it is a crime that is …
Tina Turner: the singer’s resilience and defiance were typical of a survivor of intimate partner abuse: There was something elemental about the ferocity of Tina Turner’s stage strut and the grit in her voice. Her death last week, aged 83, was met with an outpouring of tributes celebrating her musical prowess. But as we mourn …
‘They just ignored my tears, they ignored my unhappiness’: former Irish nuns reveal accounts of brainwashing and abuse: Shutterstock/Thoom Any thoughts of escaping to a more natural life was regarded as being sinful. The idea of being unfaithful to your vocation was a step on the way to hell. It would be a mortal sin. …