Sexual Assault

Experts say attacks, also carried out by settlers, are leading girls to quit school and enter early marriagesIsraeli soldiers and settlers are using gendered violence and sexual assault and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, human rights and legal experts say.Palestinian women, men and children have reported attacks, forced nudity, invasive and painful body cavity searches, Israelis exposing their genitals, including to minors, and threats of sexual violence. Continue reading...

Democratic representative from California has suspended gubernatorial campaign and resigned from CongressThe US Department of Justice (DoJ) has opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.The news of a federal investigation comes days after the Democratic representative from California stepped down due to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Continue reading...

Lonna Drewes alleges Democratic congressman drugged and raped her at Beverly Hills hotelAnother woman has come forward to accuse the California Democrat Eric Swalwell of sexual assault, claiming he drugged and raped her in 2018.At a press conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Lonna Drewes said she was working as a model in Beverly Hills, was interested in local politics, and owned a fashion software company when she met the now 45-year-old congressman. Continue reading...

Kepner’s body was found concealed under bed in a room she shared with two teens, including 16-year-old stepbrotherSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the 6 November death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival cruise ship, the US justice department said Monday.Timothy Hudson was initially charged in February and subsequently indicted on 10 March. But the breadth of the case was not known until a seal was lifted Friday, weeks after US district judge Beth Bloom in Miami said he would be prosecuted as an adult at the request of the government.Guardian staff contributed Continue reading...

Democratic congressman dropped out of California governor’s race after reports of sexual misconductThe House ethics committee on Monday announced it had opened an investigation into the Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell, a day after he dropped out of the California governor’s race amid reports of sexual assault and misconduct.The bipartisan committee said in a statement that it would scrutinize “allegations that [Swalwell] may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision”. Continue reading...

Democratic congressman, running to replace Gavin Newsom, has faced multiple accusationsRepresentative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday. Continue reading...

Allies of Democratic governor contender withdraw support after accusations in San Francisco Chronicle and on CNNCalifornia gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell’s campaign suffered a major blow on Friday as several staffers resigned and prominent political leaders withdrew their support in the wake of multiple allegations of past sexual misconduct.The San Francisco Chronicle published an account of a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by Swalwell on two separate occasions. Continue reading...

Woman assaulted after man was given key card to her room criticises CEO Jo Boydell over cancelled meetingA woman who was sexually assaulted by a man who was handed a key card to her room at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain’s boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case.More than 20 MPs had demanded the meeting this month to discuss the matter – including details of the chain’s security processes and procedures that led to it offering the victim an “insulting” £30 refund after the incident. Continue reading...

PM tells Jo Boydell of concerns about her lack of availability to discuss how staff gave man access to victim’s room• UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has written to the chief executive of Travelodge to press the hotel chain to “seriously engage” with MPs raising concerns about its protocols after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man who was given her room number and a key card by staff.MPs who had sought an urgent meeting with Jo Boydell said the case of Kyran Smith, 29, who was jailed for seven and a half years last month, raised “deeply concerning” questions. He attacked the woman after a party in December 2022. Continue reading...

The rapper discussed his 2024 sexual assault lawsuit and the Kendrick-Drake beef in a new GQ cover storyJay-Z has spoken out about his recent sexual assault lawsuit in a new interview.The suit alleged that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs raped a a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000. Combs and Jay-Z denied all allegations after the lawsuit was filed in late 2024, and the case was voluntarily dismissed in February 2025. Continue reading...

Donna Motsinger alleges she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1972 after he gave her a glass of wine in his limoSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA California jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sexual assault in a civil trial on Monday, awarding Donna Motsinger $19.25m in damages. Motsinger alleged in the case that while working as a restaurant server in 1972, she was drugged and raped by Cosby after he gave her a glass of wine in his limousine.Motsinger sued Cosby after California amended its laws to change the statutes of limitations on when accusers can file sexual assault cases. In remarks after the jury’s verdict, she described the trial as a five-decade-long effort to get justice. Continue reading...

• A New York Times investigation on March 19, 2026, alleges civil rights icon Cesar Chavez groomed and sexually abused teenage girls in the farmworkers movement. • Sources detail multiple accounts of abuse during the 1970s, challenging Chavez's legacy as a labor hero. • The revelations prompt reevaluation of U.S. civil rights history and calls for institutional accountability.

Irish rape crisis charities call display ‘an act of public grooming’ that normalises sexual violenceRape crisis charities in Ireland have condemned a St Patrick’s Day float that mimicked a sexual assault and had signs saying “Epstein files”.Rape Crisis Ireland called the display “an act of public grooming” that normalised sexual violence. Politicians branded it a disgrace. Continue reading...