Muslim Woman Wants to Appear Veiled in Canadian Court

The Supreme of Canada has heard the case of a Muslim woman who wants to appear veiled in court while she testifies against the two men she has accused of sexual assault.

Lawsuit Brought Against Egyptian Military for Alleged ‘Virginity Tests’

An Egyptian woman is suing the Egyptian military for conducting so-called “Virginity Tests.” The military allegedly arrested female protesters and sorted them into two groups — one for virgins, one made up of non-virgins. The World’s Matthew Bell reports.

Exposing The Brutality Of Sexual Violence In Congo

A journalist in Congo encourages rape survivors to share their stories to publicize the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Rape Skyrocketing in Congo

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A new study in the American Journal of Public Health shows rates of rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo are skyrocketing. Lisa Shannon, Congo activist and author of “A Thousand Sisters” tells anchor Marco Werman that the study points to the need for Washington to leverage its aid to Congo with an eye toward accountability and protecting women. Download MP3

Libyan woman who spoke of rapes

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Anchor Marco Werman has an update on the story of Iman al-Obeidi. It’s been nearly a week since she burst into a Tripoli hotel where foreign journalists were gathered and told them she had been raped by Muammar Gaddafi’s soldiers. Her whereabouts since then are unknown, but her family is fighting for her honor.
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South African political cartoonist Zapiro

Jonathan Shapiro has been known as Zapiro since he was a teenager. South Africa’s best-known political cartoonist learned the power of visual expression in the 1980s as a propagandist for the anti-apartheid movement. Today, he’s regarded across South Africa’s diverse population as the moral compass of his country, trying to keep the still-developing democracy well, democratic.

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Former Israeli president convicted

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Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was convicted Thursday of raping an employee when he was a Cabinet minister, the most serious criminal charges ever brought against a high-ranking official in Israel. Lisa Mullins speaks with Gil Hoffman of The Jerusalem Post about how the case is reverberating across Israel. Download MP3

Assange on leaking private information

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We hear an excerpt from a BBC interview in which WikiLeaks head Julian Assange complains that information about his legal case in Sweden has been leaked to newspapers. Download MP3

Preparing for Elections in Congo

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There will be elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo a year from now. Some Congo experts say free and fair elections are paramount but others say the international community focuses too much on elections and not enough on other issues. The World’s Jeb Sharp reports. (Photo: Michael Kavanagh) Download MP3
Jeb Sharp’s Congo stories on The World

The UN’s fight against sexual violence in Congo

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A top UN official is briefing the Security Council today on her recent trip to eastern Congo to investigate the mass rape of civilians in the Walikale region in late July and early August of this year. The World’s Jeb Sharp looks at what UN peacekeepers can do to better protect civilians and prevent sexual violence by armed groups in the eastern DRC. (UN Photo/Marie Frechon) Download MP3
>>>Harvard University video: armed groups in Congo

‘De-baptism’ on the rise in Belgium

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Last month, the Catholic Church in Belgium had to face revelations of widespread sexual abuse of children by priests. A report determined that the abuse was widespread, taking place over decades. For many Catholics in Belgium, the report was the last straw. More and more are even going so far as to formally leave the Church, in a process called “de-baptism.” Clark Boyd reports from Brussels. Download MP3

Pervasive abuse in Belgian Catholic Church

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The new head of Belgium’s Catholic Church has pledged to focus on the victims of alleged sexual abuse in a first attempt to rebuild public trust. An independent body to investigate the alleged abuse found it had occurred in every diocese over decades. The World’s Clark Boyd reports from Brussels. Download MP3

• BBC coverage with analysis from Jonty Bloom
• Crisis for Pope Benedict

Rape as a weapon of war

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The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to tackle a particularly disturbing tactic of war this week: the use of rape as a weapon. Perhaps the worst recent cases have been in places like eastern Congo, where armed groups have used rape to terrorize communities. Jeb Sharp talks with Anne-Marie Goetz of UNIFEM, the UN’s development agency for women. Download MP3 (Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)

• Jeb Sharp on Clinton’s demand for an end of the sexual abuse (Aug)
• Jeb Sharp’s award-winning series on rape in Congo (2008)
• UNIFEM homepage

Clinton in Congo

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has demanded an end to widespread sexual abuse in war-ravaged eastern DR Congo, during a visit to the country. Secretary Clinton spoke out during a tour of a crowded refugee camp in the eastern city of Goma. Earlier, following talks with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, she said there should be no impunity for the perpetrators of sexual violence. The World’s Jeb Sharp reports. (photo: AP/Etienne Kokolo) >>>Click here for Jeb’s award winning series on rape in Congo (Jan 2008)

Darfur refugees still suffering in Chad

A new report from Physicians for Human Rights documents the impact of rape and sexual violence on Darfuri women refugees living in Chad. Many women live with the trauma of attacks that happened when they first fled Darfur. But those are compounded by the ongoing daily threat of rape in and around the camps where [...]