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“You Save as Long as You Have To”

Catherine Rentz

May 22, 2021 |

ProPublica |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

The first DNA database in unsolved rape cases was created at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center nearly 50 years ago by a forensic pathologist who was appalled by the callous treatment of rape victims and the impunity their attackers were granted. Dr. Rudiger Breitenecker's methodical storage of physical evidence and meticulous documentation enabled dozens of convictions, and some exonerations, decades later with the development of DNA testing. Baltimore County's use of the evidence became a model for other prosecutors and police around the country.

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There's a detective at the door; she wants to say 'sorry'

Caitlin Schmidt

May 22, 2021 |

Arizona Daily Star |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

Using a federal grant to reopen unsolved sexual assault cases, Tucson police and prosecutors have provided hundreds of victims with something they were denied when they first reported being attacked: a clear sense that authorities take their cases seriously. Dozens of possible serial rapists were identified when DNA testing was finally performed, and several suspects were prosecuted. When notifying victims their long-ago cases were getting a second look, detectives and victim advocates start with an apology for neglecting or mishandling the cases in the past.

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How WhatsApp became a tool for Indian police to fight harassment

Mahima Jain

April 22, 2021 |

Rest of World |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Hyderabad, Telangana

In India, where women face high rates of harassment by men but rarely report abuse because they view the police as hostile, the Telangana State Police encouraged more reporting by turning WhatsApp into an anti-harassment hotline. By using the country's most popular phone app rather than one of the many safety apps designed for this purpose, the police now get about 40% of their complaints through this channel. Turning complaints into prosecutions remains a challenge. But, when women decline to press charges, the police require alleged harassers to attend counseling.

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Bay Area Girls Lead Campaign Against Sexual Harassment on Public Transit

Sarah Holder

April 02, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

A coalition of groups advocating for young girls of color succeeded in winning new policies and financial support to combat sexual harassment on public transportation. By surveying middle and high school students about their experiences, the groups behind the "Not One More Girl" campaign convinced Bay Area Rapid Transit system officials to install posters, make reporting of incidents easier, and pay for non-police "transit ambassadors" and crisis intervention specialists to patrol trains.

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Solar lights help Kenyan women escape sex-for-fish trap

Kagondu David Njagi

March 16, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kendu Bay

A renewable energy project in Kenya is empowering women to catch their own fish instead of relying on “sex-for-fish” deals. Previously, men used to control the mechanisms for catching fish and would only sell to women who would have sex with them. About 400 women have received free solar lights, which allows them to fish at night. The batteries are lightweight and can run up to 120 hours on a single charge. For one woman, using the light also enables her to keep her fish stall open longer, earning her 10 times more than what she used to.

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Nigeria is using radio to provide support for SGBV survivors

Seun Durojaiye

March 13, 2021 |

International Centre for Investigative Reporting |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

To combat high rates of sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria, the Spotlight Initiative supports several organizations providing counseling and educational services to victims and to women and girls at risk of abuse. One program from the NEEM Foundation countered the pandemic shutdown by distributing transistor radios to continue its classes for women. Another, Save the Child Initiative, intervened in a child rape case that local authorities ignored, convincing national police to arrest the attacker and providing counseling to the victim and her mother.

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Human trafficking operations surrounding the Super Bowl result in dozens of arrests for prostitution

Kylie McGivern

March 04, 2021 |

WFTS-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Tampa, Florida

Law enforcement and a private organization, Rahab's Daughters, attacked human sex trafficking at the 2021 Super Bowl in Tampa by tracing leads from tens of thousands of advertisements for sexual services. While the private group says it provided housing, food, and clothing to 40 women, and the police said they identified six trafficking victims and connected them with needed protection and services, far more women were arrested on prostitution charges, along with a handful of men on trafficking charges. Critics say the harm from those arrests can overshadow the benefits from looking for actual victims.

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With women-only transport, South African city tackles sexual abuse

Kim Harrisberg

January 18, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

To combat high rates of sexual violence in the Cape Flats neighborhood, an entrepreneur steeped in activism founded a women-only driving school. Hundreds of women have learned to drive without having to fend off assaults or harassment from male instructors, while gaining a skill that frees them from the risks inherent in taking public transportation or taxis. To tackle the latter risk, the same entrepreneur, Joanie Fredericks, recently started Ladies Own Transport, an all-female taxi service.

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How 'emancipatory sex-ed' can help prevent rape

Sarah Treleaven

January 14, 2021 |

Maclean's Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Windsor, Ontario

Flip the Script is a course that teaches rape prevention without the usual blame-the-victim undertones. While teaching college-age women to assess and avoid risks, it places the responsibility squarely on the people who rape, not on women's behavior. The approach, also called Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act Sexual Assault Resistance Program (EAAA) is sex-positive, encouraging women to think about their own pleasure as much as guarding against victimization. It has been shown to reduce rape and lower women's feelings of self-blame.

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Outside/In: Everybody Knows Somebody

Laine Kaplan-Levenson

January 07, 2021 |

NPR |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

The story of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act starts with a young legal aide to Sen. Joe Biden who did not identify as a feminist and knew little about the issues, but whose methodical building of a coalition and a set of arguments led to the historic passage of the law in 1994. VAWA was the first U.S. federal law to address comprehensively the ancient problem of gender-based violence. A key provision, authorizing federal civil lawsuits by victims, helped many women for six years until the Supreme Court struck it down. The law's other effects, still ongoing, include funding victim-aid groups.

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