Rape and Sexual Violence: Groups organise outreach against menace in Makoko Community

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso has imposed a state of emergency and called for a concerted fight against the rising violence of drug cartels. But observers suspect other reasons behind the measure.

Violence has been on the rise in the country's sprawling cluster of refugee settlements, with armed gangs vying for power and kidnapping opponents.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. ⁣

The Federal Criminal Police chief has warned that the huge increase in cases is stretching police resources. On the same day, a Catholic priest was fired over a probe into child sexual abuse images.

A teenager in the United States was rescued after flashing a hand signal that was popularized on TikTok indicating domestic violence. Experts say sharing such resources on social media can help those most at risk.

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso deployed police and the military to "take control of all the country's prisons" after scores of inmates were killed in gang clashes.

The number of people impacted by gun violence in the United States has surged dramatically recently. DW’s Ines Pohl reports from Washington DC, which has seen its highest number of shootings in 16 years.

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.

Every two-and-a-half days a woman in Germany dies at the hands of her partner or former partner, according to figures presented on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, GuardianTV's Ijeoma Thomas-Odia discusses 'Eliminating Violence Against Women' with Risikat Omolara Yusuff - Founding President, Organization Nonformal Education Foundation (ONEF), Amaka Chibuzo-Obi - Founder, Wivesroundtable Foundation, and Abimbola Ojosipe - Executive Director at Chamagne Foundation.

The NGO says authorities desperately need to do more to address the crisis of gender-based violence, particularly amid the pandemic. But hard data on the number of victims is still worryingly difficult to come by.

Police have used tear gas to disperse a crowd protesting gender-based violence in Istanbul. Many of the protesters called on the government to resign.