Criminalising Sex Workers Leaves Them Vulnerable to Attack
At around 12.30 am on June 24, a security guard opened the door to an apartment in Enfield, north London, and a group of five men wielding knives entered the premises. Ms Maria Benito (not her real name) was taken...
French Court Finds that Sex with Child Wasn’t Rape
In NSW, it is a crime for a person to have sexual intercourse with another who is under the age of 16-years, or 18 if there is a relationship of ‘special care’. Similar ‘age of consent’ laws apply in countries...
‘No’ Campaigners Fear Being Forced to Service Gay Weddings
Opponents of same-sex marriage are pushing for exemptions from discrimination laws which would require businesses to carry out services for gay weddings. The Coalition for Marriage claims that service providers such as bakers, caterers, florists and photographers are concerned about...
NSW Magistrate Charged with Indecent Assault on Teenager
It has been reported that sitting local court magistrate, Graeme Curran, was charged this morning with nine counts of indecent assault on a teenage boy between 1981 and 1983. The 67-year old magistrate is reported to have met detectives from...
Decriminalise the Sex Work Industry Now
The second Law and Sex Worker Health (LASH) report was released last Friday. And the study demonstrated overwhelmingly that the criminalisation of the sex work industry continues to negatively impact the health, safety and well-being of sex workers. The initial...
How Young is Too Young To Testify in Court?
A statement from a two-year old girl is being credited for leading to the child sexual assault conviction of her alleged abuser. The girl is believed to be the youngest person in the United Kingdom to give a statement to...
Weinstein Sacked Before Any Charges Are Laid
As the Harvey Weinstein saga continues to dominate global headlines, more Hollywood actors - both famous and not so famous - continue to come forward claiming they ‘knew’ of the movie mogul’s reputation for sexual misconduct, even if they had...
Tough New Laws for Child Sex Offenders
The Federal government has announced tough new laws for sex-offenders - purported to be the harshest since the establishment of the Criminal Code Act in 1995. The proposed legislation, called Crimes Legislation Amendment (Sexual Crimes Against Children and Community Protection...
Judge’s Decision Was a “Substantial Miscarriage of Justice”
Kenneth Bell was being held in prison awaiting trial on allegations of sexual assault, when he was savagely attacked on 16 June 2013, suffering a fractured eye socket, traumatic brain injury, and left in a coma for several days. Due...
Priests Should be Prosecuted for Failing to Report Child Sexual Assault
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has recommended that clergy who fail to report child sexual assaults disclosed during religious confessions should face criminal charges. The Commissioners heard evidence that confessions of child sexual abuse were...
