A week after Andrew Cuomo resigned as the governor of the state of New York, Jonathan Freedland revisits a conversation he had with Alexis Grenell back in March. The pair discuss how Cuomo rose to the top, and then fell spectacularly from grace.
Continue reading...Category Archives: Sexual harassment
‘I’m scared of being killed’: sex worker activists speak out
Rights defenders describe threats and abuse while working to protect their communities
A report has found that sex worker activists are among the most at risk human rights defenders in the world. Published on Thursday by Front Line Defenders following a four-year investigation, it found activists face multiple threats and violent attacks. Their visibility within their communities makes them more vulnerable to abuse, the report said.
Here, sex worker activists from Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and El Salvador share their experiences.
Continue reading...Andrew Cuomo resigns in wake of damning report on sexual harassment
New York governor announced that he was stepping aside and said his resignation will be effective in 14 days
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resigned following an investigation by the state attorney general that found he sexually harassed multiple women, most of whom worked for him, and also retaliated after some made complaints.
The governor made a public announcement on Tuesday morning that he was stepping aside and said his resignation will be effective in 14 days.
Continue reading...Time’s Up leader resigns after criticism for aiding Cuomo administration on sexual harassment allegations
Roberta Kaplan is latest prominent figure to quit in wake of scandal engulfing Cuomo
Roberta Kaplan has resigned as chairwoman of Time’s Up after facing widespread criticism for allegedly advising New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration on sexual harassment allegations against him.
Kaplan, a prominent lawyer who founded Time’s Up legal defense fund and represents the writer E Jean Carroll in a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump, resigned on Monday, becoming the latest prominent figure to quit in the wake of the scandal engulfing Cuomo.
Continue reading...Aide who accused Cuomo of groping says: ‘What he did to me was a crime’
Brittany Commisso, a former aide, identified herself publicly and is one of 11 women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment
A former executive assistant who filed a criminal complaint against New York governor Andrew Cuomo last week for allegedly groping her has said he “needs to be held accountable”.
Brittany Commisso is one of 11 women Cuomo is accused of sexually harassing, according to a devastating investigative report released by the state attorney general’s office last week.
Continue reading...Kris Wu arrest raises hopes for China’s #MeToo movement
Analysis: public opinion shifting, but reaction from authorities may have related more to crackdown on fame culture
It felt like a turning point. The arrest of one of China’s biggest pop stars on rape allegations had raised hopes that authorities were finally addressing the country’s #MeToo movement.
So many recent cases of harassment, abuse or violence against women had been swept under the carpet, excused or smothered by political censorship. But this was Kris Wu, known in China as Wu Yifan: a ubiquitous megastar with numerous international high-end brand endorsement deals.
Continue reading...Majority of NY assembly members support impeaching Cuomo if he doesn’t resign – live
- Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett calls for New York governor’s ouster
- Biden says Cuomo should ‘do the right thing’ and quit – spokeswoman
- Nearly six in 10 New Yorkers say Cuomo should resign, poll finds
- Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment: the key testimony from the report
The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.
The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico “has been their economic lifeblood”.
Related: Mexico sues US gunmakers in unprecedented bid to stop weapons crossing border
AP in Washington:
The state department has said that it is looking into the apparent disappearance of a nearly $6,000 bottle of whisky given more than two years ago to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by the government of Japan.
In a notice filed in the federal register, the department said it could find no trace of the bottle’s whereabouts and that there is an “ongoing inquiry” into what happened to the booze. The department reported the investigation in its annual accounting of gifts given to senior US officials by foreign governments and leaders.
Related: $5,800 whisky bottle given to Pompeo as gift missing, state department says
Continue reading...Two-thirds of women in UK military report bullying and sexual abuse
Landmark parliamentary report features evidence of gang rape, sex for career advancement and trophies to ‘bag the woman’
Almost two-thirds of women in the armed forces have experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination during their career, according to a parliamentary report that says the UK military is “failing to protect” female recruits.
Heralding its inquiry into the treatment of women in the armed forces as one of the most vital in its history, the defence subcommittee said 62% of the 4,106 veterans and current female personnel who gave testimony had either witnessed or received “unacceptable behaviour”.
Continue reading...Advertising sector has #MeToo moment as blog sparks women’s anger
Campaigner Zoe Scaman has collected women’s stories and is calling for policy change in the industry
Hundreds of women working in advertising have described being sexually assaulted, harassed and discriminated against, after a blog provoked an outpouring of fury that is being described as the industry’s #MeToo moment.
Senior advertising industry player Zoe Scaman said she had been inundated with emails from women across the world describing incidents ranging from sexist comments in meetings to sexual assault and rape. She is now working with leaders of bodies representing women in the advertising sector to try to effect real change and “not just another policy pledge”.
Continue reading...Mischa Barton on success, paparazzi and survival: ‘I’m not broken’
As party girl Marissa in The OC, Barton found fame at a time when young female stars were being hounded by the press. She talks about strength, resilience and her battle against revenge porn
For some actors, the roles they have played stick to them like shadows, long after they should have been left behind. Just ask Mischa Barton. It is 15 years since she starred as Marissa Cooper in the teen drama The OC, and yet still she can’t shake her off. When Barton appeared in the reality show The Hills in 2019 – inspired by The OC’s privileged young Californians but featuring real-life people – she was supposed to be herself, but the producers expected Cooper. “It is the constant mistake,” she says wryly. “They were even calling me by my character name. Seriously? Like, this far down the line they can’t get my name right?”
The parallels, though, are irresistible. Marissa was a troubled party girl with a love of fashion who met a tragic end. Mischa (even their names are similar) was also a troubled party girl with a love of fashion, whose life at times seemed out of control. There was the extreme fame, the breakdown, the reported threats of suicide, estrangement from her parents and a “revenge porn” court case. Barton has weathered it all with a sense of humour and now, at 35, a bit of perspective.
Continue reading...End all legal barriers to abortion, say leading European politicians
Belgium’s prime minister among signatories to open letter backing global right to safe abortions and reopening of clinics closed in pandemic
Government ministers from five European countries, including Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander de Croo, are among 29 politicians, healthcare and women’s rights activists who have signed an open letter calling for the removal of all legal barriers to abortion.
The letter, signed by gender and equality ministers from France, Canada and Norway, and international development ministers from Sweden and the Netherlands, states that women’s right to safe, legal abortion is being eroded by misinformation and attacks on services. It calls for the reopening of abortion clinics closed during the pandemic.
Continue reading...‘You’re toxic!’ Can TV shows survive when their star becomes a scandal?
From Jeffrey Tambor to Joss Whedon, high-profile accusations of improper behaviour are a minefield for TV makers – especially if the A-listers go rogue
In 2018, HBO breathlessly announced a brand-new drama from one of television’s most celebrated auteurs. The network was, it said, “honoured” to be providing a home for The Nevers, Joss Whedon’s long-awaited return to the small screen. A complex Victorian-era fantasy led by tormented female protagonists with supernatural powers, it had the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator’s fingerprints all over it. Whedon would be writer, director and executive producer, and described his “odd, intimate epic” as “the most ambitious narrative” he had ever created.
Then, in November the same year, Whedon abruptly abandoned his passion project. He attributed his exit to tiredness (“I am genuinely exhausted, and am stepping back to marshal my energy towards my own life”). In a statement, HBO said: “We have parted ways with Joss Whedon. We remain excited about the future of The Nevers and look forward to its premiere.” But behind the scenes, a reputation-destroying storm appeared to be brewing. In July last year, the actor Ray Fisher claimed Whedon had been abusive while directing the blockbuster Justice League. Then he was accused of being “casually cruel” and perpetuating a “toxic” atmosphere on the Buffy set by the actors Charisma Carpenter and Amber Benson. Michelle Trachtenberg, who was 14 when she was cast as Buffy’s younger sister, claimed that Whedon was not allowed to be in a room alone with her. (In February, HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys said that the company had received “no complaints or no reports of inappropriate behaviour” against Whedon. Representatives for Whedon did not immediately respond when approached for comment for this piece.)
Continue reading...Noel Clarke accused of sexual harassment on Doctor Who set
Exclusive: BBC faces questions as further allegations made about Clarke – and co-star John Barrowman is accused of exposing himself
The Noel Clarke sexual harassment controversy threatens to embroil the BBC after several sources came forward to allege they were sexually harassed or inappropriately touched by the actor on a flagship show, Doctor Who.
Another Doctor Who actor, John Barrowman, has also been accused of repeatedly exposing himself to co-workers on two BBC productions, prompting questions about whether the corporation allowed a lax culture on its sets during the mid-2000s.
Continue reading...Billie Eilish says all her age group have suffered sexual misbehaviour
US singer, 19, made claim in Vogue interview when discussing new single about abusive relationship
Billie Eilish has spoken about the prevalence of sexual exploitation of minors in an interview, saying “it’s everywhere”.
Speaking about her new single, Your Power, which addresses an abusive relationship between a minor and an older person, the 19-year-old singer told Vogue that all her peers had experienced some sort of sexual impropriety.
Continue reading...‘Stop the Breast Pest’: MP’s ‘horror’ at being photographed while breastfeeding
Stella Creasy launches campaign to change law after a boy took pictures of her feeding her baby on a train
An MP has described her “horror” after she was photographed while breastfeeding on public transport, as she and a fellow MP launch a campaign to criminalise the taking of such pictures.
Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, said she was breastfeeding her then four-month-old on a overground train near Highbury and Islington in north London when she noticed a teenage boy laughing and taking pictures.
Continue reading...One in six Australian public servants sexually harassed in workplace, survey finds
Exclusive: Survey of Australian public sector found two-thirds of incidents went unreported due to fears they would not be impartially investigated
Almost one in six public servants have experienced sexual harassment but only one-third of incidents were reported, according to a new union survey.
The results of a survey of 3,280 workers by the Community and Public Sector Union, released on Friday, will add pressure to the Morrison government to do more to combat workplace harassment.
Continue reading...‘Sexual predator’: actor Noel Clarke accused of groping, harassment and bullying by 20 women
- Actor-producer categorically denies allegations from all 20 women
- Bafta suspends outstanding contribution award and actor’s membership
- Alleged misconduct including claims he secretly filmed naked audition
- Doctor Who and Kidulthood star allegedly showed colleagues sexually explicit photos and videos of women
When Noel Clarke appeared on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on 10 April to collect his Bafta, the typically self-assured actor looked a little on edge. Viewers might have concluded that Clarke was simply overwhelmed: he was clutching one of the most prestigious accolades bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the prize for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.
Yet there were other reasons why Clarke – and Bafta – may have felt preoccupied.
Continue reading...Billie Eilish: Your Power review – chilling ballad seeps under your skin
For the first single from her hugely anticipated second album, Eilish uses a disarmingly dreamy sound to confront a man preying on a young woman
To say that Billie Eilish’s forthcoming third album is eagerly-awaited is an understatement. It wasn’t just that 2019’s triple-Grammy winning When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was incredibly popular, although it was. Eilish was already a phenomenon among tweenage girls, but its commercial success – it went platinum or multi-platinum in 17 countries – catapulted her into a different sphere of fame, where everyone from Tyler, the Creator to Pete Townshend expressed their approval, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it among the greatest albums of all time and the producers of the James Bond franchise commissioned Eilish to sing the theme to No Time To Die.
What invites quite so much anticipation, though, is that its success clearly impacted on the music industry: you don’t have to look too far in 2021 to find Eilish acolytes, hastily signed in an attempt to mimic her success. The question of what the 19-year-old and her brother and co-collaborator Finneas do next – on an album that was apparently hastened by the Covid pandemic and the cancellation of Eilish’s world tour – is an intriguing one.
Continue reading...The UK’s femicide epidemic: who’s killing our daughters?
In the latest part of our End Femicide campaign, we examine how stalking, coercive control and pornography lie behind so many of the killings of 272 young women in 10 years. Will the domestic abuse bill, due to become law this week, do enough to keep women safe?
Alice Ruggles was described by her friends and family as vibrant, witty and “sharp as a tack”. She loved life. Then, in January 2016, aged 24, she met Lance Corporal Trimaan “Harry” Dhillon, who was 26. She didn’t know that he had a restraining order taken out on him by a previous girlfriend.
Dhillon began to coercively control Ruggles, isolating her from friends. In July, having learned that he was cheating on her, she ended their seven-month relationship. Dhillon turned into a stalker. He frequently drove 100 miles from his camp in Edinburgh to spy on her, leaving unwanted flowers and chocolates. He continually texted and threatened to post intimate photographs. He told her on voicemail that he didn’t want to kill her, he wouldn’t kill her.
Continue reading...Husband walks in on wife being allegedly sexually assaulted at Sydney aged care home
José says he hasn’t been able to sleep since alleged assault, which was described as ‘cuddling’ in incident report
A man who walked in on his 70-year-old wife with dementia being allegedly sexually assaulted by a fellow resident at her Sydney aged care home has blamed under-staffing for failing to properly monitor residents.
The 75-year-old man, José, said he has not been able to sleep properly since the alleged 20 March assault on his wife, Shannon, and that he wants answers about why his wife was able to wander off alone down a corridor and into the man’s room.
Continue reading...