Around the World In 5 is a recurring weekly series spotlighting news concerning women across five different countries. This week’s edition spans June 17 to June 22.
Nigeria
Hundreds of teenage girls, aged 11 to 17, staged a peaceful protest in Magboro, Obafemi/Owode local government area of Ogun State on Wednesday against sexual harassment.
The girls carried placards and banners with messages such as “Let Girls Walk in Peace,” “Sexual Harassment is Not Fun. It is a Crime and You Will be Punished by the Law,” “Street Harassment is Not a Compliment,” “Say No to Sexual Harassment,” and “Stop Them Before They Stop You.”
Sudan
The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan is investigating crimes against humanity, including reports of sexual slavery. The mission was established shortly after the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023, although members were not appointed until December.
The three-member mission, which presented its first report this week, is examining various violations and abuses, including reports of “sexual slavery and sexualized torture in detention facilities, including against men and boys.”
France
Authorities charged two 13-year-old boys with the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a Paris suburb. The girl reported that three boys, aged 12 to 13, approached her while she was in a park near her home with a friend. They dragged her into a shed in the northwestern suburb of Courbevoie. The suspects beat her and forced her to undergo anal and vaginal penetration and fellatio, while making death threats and antisemitic remarks, according to a police source.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s Electoral Commission reported that female candidates faced a higher incidence of online harassment. From a survey of 430 individuals who participated in May’s local elections, it was found that 43 percent encountered some form of abuse. Among these cases, 55 percent involved intimidation, harassment, and online threats. Due to these threats, 56 percent of female candidates avoided campaigning alone, compared to 19 percent of male candidates.
The United States of America
New Hampshire has become the thirteenth U.S. state to prohibit child marriage under the age of eighteen. Governor Chris Sununu recently signed a bill stating, “No person below the age of 18 years shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage, and all marriages contracted by such persons shall be null and void.”
According to Unchained at Last, a non-profit dedicated to ending child marriage, over two hundred minors have been married in New Hampshire since 2000, with nine marriages occurring since the legal age was raised to sixteen in 2019.
