In US, DC Police Improve Response to Sexual Assaults

THE WEEK IN RIGHTS May 9, 2013 Follow us on: In US, DC Police Improve Response to Sexual Assaults Photo © 2012 Mariam Dwedar/Human Rights Watch  Although the man held a knife to her throat when he tried to rape her, Eleanor managed to escape. When she reported the attack to Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police, she thought the worst was over – but that was before the police refused to consider the attack an “attempted sexual assault.” Nothing she said could convince them otherwise. She felt betrayed by the people whose job it was to protect her, and she lost her faith in law enforcement. Her attacker remained at large.  For nearly two years, Human Rights Watch investigated how Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) handles sexual assault cases like Eleanor’s. The MPD responded to our findings, laid out in the report Capitol Offense, by changing certain aspects of its sexual assault investigations. Because of these improvements, today’s assault survivors have a better chance of being taken seriously by police. But more changes are needed to secure justice for the victims.  Read Eleanor's story >> share on:   US Should Mark Mother’s Day by Reforming Family Leave Laws  by Janet Walsh Thomson Reuters Foundation Diana T. worked full-time for a large retail store in the US when she became pregnant. Her manager was unhappy about her pregnancy and about Diana’s six-week unpaid maternity leave. Diana’s baby was born with asthma, and doctors suspected she had cystic fibrosis. But her employer threatened to terminate her when she asked for time off for doctor visits. Diana is one of millions of US workers with no paid family leave.  See the Latest News in the United States >> share on:   Despite Reforms, Myanmar's Ethnic Violence Continues by Matthew Smith  CNN.com While the European Union is celebrating the "new Myanmar," Rohingya Muslims in the western part of the country are targets in what appears to be an ongoing campaign of government-supported crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.  See the Latest News in Asia >> share on:   Saudi Arabia Should Let All Girls Play Sports Saudi Arabia announced that female students enrolled in private girls’ schools could take part in sports so long as they wear “decent clothing” and are supervised by female Saudi instructors within the tight regulations of the country’s Education Ministry. Now the government should give girls in publicly funded schools the same benefit.  See the Latest News in the Middle East/North Africa >> share on:   PHOTOS Burma: Ethnic Cleansing in Arakan State. View Now >> VIDEO “I started to feel like a victimbecause of my interactions with police,” said Eleanor, who successfully fought off a rape attempt. Hear her story >> LET THEM PLAY In Saudi Arabia, millions of women and girls are still banned from taking part in sport in state schools. View Now >> Thank you for supporting Human Rights Watch. Follow us on: Home | Take Action | Donate | Privacy Human Rights Watch - 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118 USA Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700 | news@hrw.org