marital rape

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Pelicot Wore Sunglasses 'to Protect Herself.' No More

BBC essay describes Frenchwoman as 'global icon of courage and defiance' as husband stands trial

(Newser) - Throughout the rape trial of Gisele Pelicot's husband, Dominique Pelicot , and the dozens of other men of sexually assaulting her while she was drugged unconscious, the world has seen the Frenchwoman go through a series of stages—from "serene grandmother, to anguished and shame-haunted rape victim, to fearful...

India: Marital Rape Isn't Rape
India: Marital Rape Isn't Rape
Oct 4, 2024 9:28 AM CDT

India: Marital Rape Isn't Rape

Government argues for retaining marital rape exemption, dating back to 1860

(Newser) - Entering a marriage, a woman gives "implied" consent for sex with her husband, India's government told the country's Supreme Court on Thursday as it faces off against challengers to a 164-year-old law. Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, dating back to British colonial rule, notes "...

Lawmakers OK Bill Nixing Marital Loophole for Sex Assault

Legislation now heads to desk of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to sign

(Newser) - Certain sexual assaults against a spouse would be criminalized in West Virginia for the first time under a bill passed Friday by the Republican-dominated House of Delegates. The bill would remove marriage as a defense to first- and third-degree sexual assault. The House passed the bill without debate on a...

'Hugely Welcome News' for Teen Who Killed Rapist Husband

Sudan's Noura Hussein has death sentence overturned, gets 5 years in prison instead

(Newser) - The #JusticeforNoura hashtag and a Change.org petition didn't free an African teen from prison, but it may have helped save her life. The BBC reports an appeals court in Sudan has nixed the death sentence for 19-year-old Noura Hussein, who was sentenced by an Islamic court in May...

Death Sentence for Teen Who Killed Husband Who Raped Her

Supporters say 19-year-old Noura Hussein was acting in self-defense after forced marriage

(Newser) - Forced marriage and marital rape are under the spotlight once again, this time emerging from a case in Sudan. There, 19-year-old Noura Hussein was sentenced to death Thursday for the stabbing death of her husband, whom she says she was made to marry and who then raped her with the...

Marital Rape Often Not Treated Like 'Normal' Rape

Several states still prosecute sex crimes differently for married couples

(Newser) - "Marital privilege" sounds more pleasant than what it actually refers to: exemptions written into state laws that treat marital rape differently than the rape of someone other than the perpetrator's spouse. And while RAINN notes that marital rape has technically been illegal in all 50 states and DC...

Man Accused of Raping Wife 49 Years Ago Faces Trial

Marital rape wasn't legal in 1963, Australia's highest court decides

(Newser) - Australia's highest court has decided that an elderly man should stand trial for allegedly raping his then-wife nearly 50 years ago. Lawyers for the man, who is now 81, unsuccessfully argued that marital rape was legal at the time of the alleged offense in 1963, saying that at the...

Afghan Prez Confirms Re-Election Bid

Karzai promises to amend controversial 'marital rape' law

(Newser) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has confirmed for the first time that he will run for re-election in the country's elections this summer, the Times of London reports. Karzai repeated his pledge to amend a controversial law critics say condones marital rape and child marriage, surprising observers who believed he would...

Afghanistan Changing 'Legalized Rape' Law

Afghan prez says he hadn't been aware law was on the books

(Newser) - Afghanistan will revise a law that critics say legalizes marital rape, President Hamid Karzai tells CNN. Karzai said he was unaware of the provision, part of a 270-page piece of legislation covering the country's 6 million Shiite Muslims. "Now I have instructed, in consultation with clergy of the country,...

Crowd Attacks Afghan Women Protesting New Marriage Laws

(Newser) - A group of some 1000 Afghans today swarmed a demonstration of 300 women in Kabul protesting a new conservative marriage law. The women were pelted with small stones as police struggled to keep the two groups apart. The law, passed last month, says a husband can demand sex from his...

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