Nobel Peace Prize winners demand global action on mass rape

Jineth Bedoya was kidnapped, tortured and raped by paramilitaries 21 years ago. After fighting for years, she has now finally found justice in the form of an international verdict.

Three-year-old Saba died from malnutrition in Ethiopia's Amhara last month. Conflict in neighboring Amhara has spread to the region, forcing thousands to flee their homes - carrying with them stories of hunger and brutality.

"It's a day of triumph," says Colombian journalist Jineth Bedoya, hailing the decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which ruled that the Colombian State was responsible for her kidnapping, rape and torture at the hands of paramilitaries in 2000.

The Pakistani parliament has approved the law against sexual assault to allow courts to order chemical castrations — a punishment rights groups and lawyers called cruel.

A brutal conflict in the West Africa nation of Cameroon has resulted in the rape and sexual assault of hundreds of women and girls. Also why do women bear the responsibility of contraception and why is the medical and scientific community seemingly reluctant to research options for men? Plus the amazing tale of India's Bandit Queen who went on to become a women's rights activist and a politician.

The UN's Human Rights Office has called for a prompt and independent probe into reports of rape and sexual harassment at Sudan's anti coup protests on Sunday. Also, the French army announced that it killed a top member of a jihadist organization in an airstrike in Niger. The man was a key suspect in the murder of eight people visiting a giraffe park, including six French citizens. And Egyptian authorities have banned shishas in cafes as a part of their fight against Covid 19.

In India, a loophole in the penal code states that rape within marriage is not against the law if the wife is over 14 years old. Two rights organisations have now filed a petition with the New Delhi's High Court seeking to criminalise marital rape, but the move has polarised public opinion.

In January, two women's rights organisations filed a petition with the New Delhi's High Court seeking to criminalise marital rape in India. They want to strike down a legal loophole in the Indian penal code which stipulates that rape within a marriage is not against the law. Indian law states that intercourse between a husband and wife over the age of 15 cannot be considered as rape.

The war in Ethiopia has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, as government troops and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front battle over territory. A UN investigation found all sides in the conflict had committed atrocities, including rape. Warning: This report contains descriptions of sexual violence.

In this special edition, we once again focus on the war in Ukraine where allegations are emerging of a systemic, coordinated campaign of sexual violence by Russian forces. Annette Young talks to Maxime Forest, a gender policy specialist, on how the war is reinforcing outdated gender stereotypes; in particular the very worst of toxic masculinity. Plus the women leaders from Russia's neighbouring countries who are standing up to Vladimir Putin.

The war in Ethiopia has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, as government troops and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front battle over territory. A UN investigation found all sides in the conflict had committed atrocities, including rape. Warning: This report contains descriptions of sexual violence.

French prosecutors said on Wednesday they were investigating a junior minister in President Emmanuel Macron's government after two allegations of rape were brought against her.