- Bill Cosby’s lawyers filed a motion asking the judge presiding over his sexual assault trial to recuse himself. Because Judge Steven O’Neill’s wife, Deborah, is an advocate for victims of sexual assault, Cosby’s lawyers say that he is incapable of being impartial. Meanwhile:
“In the past week, Judge O’Neill has made two major decisions in the case that complicated matters for Mr. Cosby’s defense team. Last week, he ruled that five accusers could testify in addition to Ms. Constand. And on Monday, he denied Mr. Cosby’s request to delay the retrial.”
- The U.S. Senate has passed legislation making it possible for prosecutors and victims to take legal action against websites that facilitate sex trafficking.
- Inuit girls and women in Nunavik report being sexually assaulted by men who come to their territory from the South to work on construction projects. “Men come here, feel free and are convinced that nobody will be aware of what they are doing,” said Lizzie Aloupa, a crime prevention officer with the Kativik police force.
- In Afghanistan, the government is seeking to take financial control of independently run shelters for abused women.
- Toronto Police have announced that Essozinam Assali, who was found “with obvious signs of trauma” in her apartment on March 6, was killed by her boyfriend. He was found dead on her balcony. More than a dozen women have been murdered in “domestic” incidents in Ontario this year, overwhelmingly by current or former intimate male partners.