- On Tuesday, a trial began, wherein 22 women are suing San Diego-based pornography company, GirlsDoPorn. According to court documents, the women were flown to California after responding to advertisements for a modelling agency, where they were coerced into the sex industry by means of financial extortion, drugs, and alcohol. In addition, their names and personal contact information were released online without their consent, causing several plaintiffs to suffer depression and attempt suicide.
- Women in Liberia gathered outside of the President’s office to protest violence against women and girls. Recent statistics from Liberia’s Gender Ministry show that a total of 803 sexual violence cases were reported during the first quarter of this year, with 605 of those cases involving children less than 17 years old.
- An investigation into the commercial surrogacy industry in Ukraine has revealed at least 10 children were surrendered to adoption agencies by their intended parents. Ukraine’s Children’s Rights Ombudsman, Nikolai Kuleba, told ABC News there have also been incidents of children being smuggled out of the country.
- A man has been arrested in Madrid on suspicion of taking upskirt videos of more than 550 women and posting much of the content online. According to police reports, he uploaded at least 283 videos to pornographic websites, racking up millions of views.
- New York state’s Child Victims Act has gone into into effect, extending the statute of limitations for reports of child sexual abuse. The legislation, passed in January after facing opposition from the Catholic Church, extends the time survivors have to file civil suits against perpetrators from 21 to 55 years old. The enactment of the new law resulted in over 385 lawsuits against perpetrators being reported in a single afternoon.