The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for LRW-LAW-2

Feb. 20, 2024, 9:55 a.m.
Countries: Qatar
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, DSFMF-PRACTICE-3, DSFMF-LAW-1, DTCP-PRACTICE-1

"The country’s penal code also criminalises sex outside marriage. Police often do not believe women who report sexual violence, says Rothna Begum, a senior women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, instead siding with men who claim it was consensual, which can lead to the survivor facing charges" (para 25).
Feb. 16, 2024, 4:44 p.m.
Countries: Honduras
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, DV-PRACTICE-2

"One, designed to increase the government’s capacity to prevent violence against women and improve the attention given to survivors by the justice system, was expected to meet resistance in a legislative body dominated by men and social conservatives. Another, more limited, bill that would fulfil a campaign promise to create more shelters for survivors of violence languishes as well" (para 12).
Jan. 4, 2024, 10:41 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, LRCM-LAW-2, DV-PRACTICE-1

"[P]enalties for select offences committed against persons that were in a 'close relationship' or 'intimate relationship' with the offender at the time of the offence; or children under 14 years of age[] may be punished with up to twice the maximum punishment for the offence" (35).
Nov. 6, 2023, 11:49 p.m.
Countries: China
Variables: LRW-LAW-1, LRW-LAW-2

"[Amendment IX to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, adopted in August 2015] abolished the crime of soliciting underage prostitutes. All such criminal acts are considered rape and will receive severe punishment." (7).
Nov. 3, 2023, 11:41 a.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

“Then last month, Yuna, the bank clerk, got a call from the government. Their investigation concluded the bank had broken the law, by committing sexual harassment and discrimination. It has been ordered to pay a fine and she is being transferred to a different branch” (para 37).
Sept. 25, 2023, 8:02 a.m.
Countries: Guyana
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The law provides stringent penalties for rape, with life imprisonment as the maximum penalty" (8). "Acts of sexual harassment involving physical assault are prosecuted under relevant criminal statutes" (8-9).
Sept. 22, 2023, 8:51 a.m.
Countries: Angola
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Rape, including spousal rape, is illegal and punishable by up to eight years’ imprisonment if convicted" (18). "Sexual relations between an adult and a child younger than 12 are considered rape, and conviction carries a potential penalty of eight to 12 years’ imprisonment" (20). "Sexual relations with a child between the ages of 12 and 17 are considered sexual abuse, and convicted offenders may receive sentences from two to eight years in prison" (20-21)
Sept. 7, 2023, 12:33 p.m.
Countries: Lebanon
Variables: LRW-LAW-1, LRW-LAW-2

" 'If the rapist is a family member, he would be treated as any normal rapist, meaning he might get out in three or five years depending on the judge and the lawyers,' [Mohammad] Mansour [director of the Resource Center for Gender Equality] explained" (para 33).
Aug. 15, 2023, 5:22 p.m.
Countries: Bahamas
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The maximum penalty for an initial rape conviction is seven years. The maximum sentence for subsequent rape convictions is life imprisonment; however, the usual maximum was 14 years in prison" (12). "The offense of having sex with a minor carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment... The penalties for rape of a minor are the same as those for rape of an adult" (13).
Aug. 15, 2023, 5:31 a.m.
Countries: Canada
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, IIP-LAW-2

"...Days before the attack, he had been released after being charged with stalking and sexual assault of unrelated women" (Para. 13).
Aug. 8, 2023, 12:20 p.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The provisions of articles 300 and 305 of the Criminal Code that discriminate against women have been factored into the proposed revision of discriminatory laws." (4)(NF - CODER COMMENT - Act. 300 states that consummation of a marriage between a child and an adult is considered statuatory rape for children under the age of 13. This comes with a sentence of 2-5 years and if the child is injured, the sentence can be increased from 5-10 years. As for Act. 305, this act prohibits abortion unless a physician states that it is medically necessary).
July 25, 2023, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Cambodia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, LRCM-PRACTICE-1, DV-LAW-2

"[T]he law on the prevention of domestic violence [needs to be reviewed] and criminalize all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence and marital rape, to facilitate the process of obtaining protection orders and to ensure that victims/survivors of domestic violence have access to effective remedies and that perpetrators are held accountable" (8). This indicates that some forms of violence are criminalized and protective orders are not currently available to victims (MV- coder comment).
July 10, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Maldives
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The Government notes that Special Procedures Act on Sexual Abuse which states that no child under the age of 13 years can give consent, and that any child between the ages of 13–18 has an excusable defence to defer the sentence of flogging." (33).
June 27, 2023, 11:16 p.m.
Countries: Algeria
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The law criminalizes rape but does not specifically address spousal rape. Prison sentences for rape range from five to 10 years" (27). "The law stipulates a prison sentence of between 10 and 20 years for rape when the victim is a minor" (30).
June 20, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
Countries: Nicaragua
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The Criminal Code (Act No. 641)... punishes sexual exploitation, pornography and paying for sex with adolescents, prohibits and punishes all forms of sexual exploitation, including tourism for purposes of sexual exploitation, punishes procuring and pandering as separate offences and prohibits the use of mediation, suspended sentencing and other benefits in cases where a sexual offence has been perpetrated against children or adolescents." (13). "In Nicaragua, persons under 16 years of age may not marry or enter into a stable de facto union. Similarly, under the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (No. 896), a series of provisions is set forth impeding, limiting or totally prohibiting marriage or stable de facto unions between...more
June 14, 2023, 7:56 p.m.
Countries: Bolivia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"[N]o penalty shall apply when an abortion has been the result of an offence of rape, abduction not followed by marriage, statutory rape or incest" (25).
May 12, 2023, 11:14 a.m.
Countries: Indonesia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Sex outside marriage, which under the code could be reported only by limited parties such as close relatives, could lead to up to a year in prison, while unmarried couples would be banned from living together." (Para.5).
April 1, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Uzbekistan
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"To prevent domestic violence, the Protection of Women against Harassment and Violence Act was adopted on 2 September 2019. It defines the concepts of 'sexual violence', 'physical violence', 'economic violence', 'psychological violence', 'harassment' and 'protection order' (article 3)...[T]he following measures are applied to the person who has committed the violence: compensation for the costs of treatment, consultations, placement of the victim in a special centre for assistance, material damage and compensation for moral damages; restrictions on the right of the person who committed the violence to keep and bear arms or a prohibition against owning and bearing arms (except for service firearms)." (36-37).
March 18, 2023, 10:20 p.m.
Countries: Ethiopia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, DV-LAW-2

"[J]udges are required to increase the lower end of the penalty in sentencing gender based violence crimes covered under articles 555–560 of the Criminal Code and sexual violence crimes covered under articles 620–628 of the Criminal Code" (4).
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:58 a.m.
Countries: South Korea
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"The staff sergeant has been on emergency leave for over three months, unable to return to her unit. Because her return was ultimately not approved, she recently requested to be assigned to a different unit" (Para.10). CC(The staff sergeant was put on leave after she reported being sexually harassed by her male superior).
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:44 a.m.
Countries: Bahamas
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, ATC-DATA-6

"It has been five years since the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Dubravka Šimonović pointed out that The Bahamas has failed to live up to obligations under the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women as it has failed to criminalize all forms of marital rape" (Para.31).
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:34 a.m.
Countries: Nepal
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Dechen Lama, a human rights lawyer who also works for the Forum for Women, Law and Development, a Nepali rights organisation, said: 'The law is not comprehensive …… It leads to so much unfairness and injustice. It has to be changed. There are so many loopholes in the rape law, most particularly the statute of limitation and the definition of rape.' " (Para.5). "Nepal’s 2017 penal code extended the statute of limitations on reporting rape allegations from 35 days to a year. A report by the international women’s rights organisation Equality Now found that in comparison with five other south Asian countries, Nepal has the shortest statute of limitations on...more
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:25 a.m.
Countries: China
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"[15] hours later, after the video had already spread widely — the local police issued a statement saying they were 'going all out to arrest the suspects, prompting some observers to accuse them of responding only because of the public outcry. By Sunday, the authorities said they had arrested seven men and two women. The suspects, who are in detention, could not be reached for comment" (Para.11). "One state media outlet, The Paper, examined legal records of similar cases of men assaulting women after being rebuffed. It found several instances of men being sentenced to one or two weeks of detention. In some cases, the men spent less time in...more
Feb. 5, 2023, 7:50 p.m.
Countries: Qatar
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Last year, a female World Cup official was facing a sentence of 100 lashes and seven years in prison for ‘extramarital sex’ after she reported being assaulted while working in the Gulf state." (para 4).
Feb. 4, 2023, 6:14 p.m.
Countries: Namibia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"On the amendments of the Combating of Rape Act, Act No.8 of 2000, Cabinet recommended that the Ministry of Justice introduce legislation aimed at imposing longer prison sentences to persons who are convicted and sentenced of gender based violence offences. The Law Reform Development Commission reviewed the current legal position and clarified that there is no impediment in the law that prescribes a limit on the period of imprisonment which can be imposed. The LRDC also found that the Courts can use their discretion to impose stiffer sentences based on the merit of the case." (13).
Jan. 13, 2023, 3:26 p.m.
Countries: France
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Until then, French law had required an accuser under the age of 15 to show there was 'violence, constraint, threat or surprise', in the absence of which investigators classified the incident as the lesser offence of sexual abuse. Now the law deems sex with anyone under the age of 15 as automatically non-consensual, and therefore rape." (para 5)(NF - CODER COMMENT - Prior to this case, rape had to be proven by the victim and had to fit a certain criteria. Thus, in some cases the law did not view what had occured as statuatory rape, but instead a less charge such as sexual abuse).
Jan. 6, 2023, 4:14 p.m.
Countries: Estonia, Poland, Russia, South Korea, United States
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Sex offenders will be offered chemical castration in Thailand in a bid to cut down reoffending after lawmakers approved the controversial procedure...If approved, Thailand would join a small group of countries that use chemical castration, among them Poland, South Korea, Russia and Estonia, plus some U.S. states" (para 1, 6).
Jan. 6, 2023, 4:14 p.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Last year, Pakistan announced that rapists convicted of repeat offences would face castration" (para 11).
Jan. 6, 2023, 4:10 p.m.
Countries: Thailand
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"Sex offenders will be offered chemical castration in Thailand in a bid to cut down reoffending after lawmakers approved the controversial procedure. Criminals who are considered likely to commit more sex attacks after their release will be given the option of the injection, which lowers their testosterone levels, in return for a reduced prison sentence. The procedure will require the approval of two doctors and the offenders will still be monitored for 10 years and made to wear electronic bracelets. The bill, which the lower house passed in March, was approved late on Monday by 145 senators, with two abstentions. It still requires another house vote, then royal endorsement" (para...more
Dec. 28, 2022, 8:06 p.m.
Countries: Indonesia
Variables: LRW-LAW-2

"[Indonesia's] new law includes 15-year prison sentences for sexual exploitation, nine years for forced marriage and four years for circulating non-consensual sexual content.It also stipulates that a court must compel convicted abusers to pay compensation to victims, who must also be offered counselling" (para 3, 4).