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Women around the world are encouraged to report to authorities when they have been assaulted but in many cases they are not believed. Many times their voices go unheard, especially if the rapist is in a prominent position.

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As long as you marry the woman you rape, you will not be treated as a criminal

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As long as you marry the woman you rape, you will not be treated as a criminal

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In many countries, there are laws that allow a rapist to escape conviction if the rapist marries his victim. Rapists are often allowed to marry underage women when otherwise, underage marriage is against the law.

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A male can assert his ecoomical power to evade conviction

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A male can assert his ecoomical power to evade conviction

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Donald Trump has openly talked about inappropriately touching women as he wishes but when women come forward and accuse him of assault, Donald Trump calls them liars. Donald trump asserts his economical power to make it seem as if those women are not credible.

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Trump Says He’s Immune To Sexual Harassment Lawsuits Because He’s President

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Donald Trump is still facing a defamation / sexual harassment lawsuit from a former contestant on The Apprentice, but his argument in court will be that he is immune to these kinds of lawsuits because he is he president. We'll see how long that lasts... Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this.

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It is important to educate people at young ages about their rights and consent. This is key to preventing sexual harassment.

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Having the Other Sex Talk | Sarah Meredith | TEDxUCDavis

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Sarah Meredith currently serves as Director of the UC Davis Center for Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE), the on-campus, confidential resource for students, staff, and faculty who have experienced sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking.

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Often children are harassed by adults who are in positions where they would not be suspected of harming the child. Children are told by these adults to keep incidents a secret and they do so because they feel they have to do as they are told. Alot of cases go undetected because these children do not tell others.

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Western society is not immune to sexual harassment. Even in Canada, very few causes lead to a successful conviction.

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A judge faced backlash after they said that a drunk person can express concent

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A judge faced backlash after they said that a drunk person can express concent

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The judge supported the male and said that drunk people can express consent. This incident follows the belief, which many people share, that women are at fault for assault. An individual that is very intoxicated to the point where they cannot walk proper, coherently speak, and are urinating themselves, cannot express consent.

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Complaints are mounting against a Nova Scotia judge who said that "clearly a drunk can consent" as he acquitted a Halifax taxi driver of sexually assaulting an intoxicated passenger found partly naked and unconscious in the back of his cab.

Judge Gregory Lenehan found Bassam Al-Rawi, 40, not guilty Wednesday following a two-day trial in February in Halifax provincial court. The judge said some of what the court heard was "very disturbing" and "there's no question" the woman was drunk.

"This does not mean, however, that an intoxicated person cannot give consent to sexual activity. Clearly, a drunk can consent," he said.

The judge's remarks have drawn criticism, and on Thursday two legal experts called them "dangerous." One said Lenehan is delivering a message to the public that "it's open season on incapacitated women."

Woman found partially naked

In May 2015, a police officer found a 26-year-old woman in the back of Al-Rawi's car. She was naked from the chest down, Al-Rawi had her urine-soaked underwear in his hands and test results later found her DNA on his upper lip.

The police officer said Al-Rawi's pants were halfway down his buttocks and his zipper was undone when he left the vehicle. Al-Rawi later told police that he doesn't button his pants when he drives long hours, according to a 2015 search warrant application.

The woman testified she recalls little from that night. She had been drinking at a downtown bar and doesn't remember getting into a cab.

The judge noted that intoxication tends to reduce inhibition and increase risk-taking behaviour.

"This often leads to people agreeing and to sometimes initiate sexual encounters only to regret them later when they are sober," Lenehan said. "In testimony, [the woman] could not provide any information, any details on whether she agreed to be naked in the taxi or initiated any sexual activity.

"The Crown failed to produce any evidence of lack of consent at any time."

Elizabeth Sheehy, a member of the University of Ottawa's faculty of law who teaches sexual assault law, said there's no clearly defined legal or medical line for when "intoxication or incapacitation crosses into incapacity to consent." It makes such cases particularly difficult.

Still, Sheehy said, Lenehan's comments about consent send dangerous and worrisome messages.

"I think the message to the public at large is it's open season on incapacitated women," she told CBC's Maritime Noon.

Dalhousie University law school professor Wayne MacKay said the judge's comment adds to the view that the law does not take sexual assault as seriously as it should.

"That's a very dangerous message, given the significant and very unfortunate underreporting of sexual assault that we already have," he said.

Complaints coming in

The Canadian Judicial Council, which oversees accountability of federally appointed judges, said 10 people had already sent complaints overnight Wednesday about Lenehan and his ruling.

The council, however, does not review the conduct of provincial court judges. People who sent those notes have been told to take their complaints to the chief judge of the provincial and family courts in Nova Scotia.

CBC News has learned that Chief Judge Pam Williams plans to recuse herself from hearing any complaints related to Lenehan, who is her ex-husband.

The Judicial Council Act outlines that if a chief judge is unable to carry out her duties due to a conflict of interest, she can be replaced by the associate chief judge of the provincial court or another provincially appointed judge.

The Public Prosecution Service of Nova Scotia says it will review Lenehan's ruling before deciding whether to appeal.

Other complaints from female passengers

A 2015 search warrant application mentions other situations involving Al-Rawi and female passengers.

One woman reported that Al-Rawi did not stop at her house, kept driving around the block while calling her "baby" and grabbed her hand and asked her to stay. The woman only wanted this information documented.

In another situation, a woman reported being intoxicated and getting into a cab driven by Bassam Abdullatif. Abdullatif and Al-Rawi are the same person, according to the search warrant.

Allegedly Al-Rawi took the woman up to his apartment and sexually assaulted her. The woman had limited recollection of the alleged assault.

​Authorities in Halifax said Thursday there are no other outstanding charges against Al-Rawi.

No longer works for Bob's Taxi

In a statement on Thursday, Bob's Taxi said Al-Rawi has not worked for them since he was arrested in 2015.

Al-Rawi's licence to drive a cab was initially suspended by Halifax's taxi commission after his arrest, but reinstated in August 2015 after he appealed.

The appeal commission, made up of six municipal councillors, determined he should get his licence back while the sexual assault case was before the court, but with two conditions: he could only drive from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and he had to have a camera installed in his vehicle.

Has not driven a cab since 2015

City spokesperson Brendan Elliott said Al-Rawi has not driven a cab in Halifax since 2015. Al-Rawi wasn't able to provide the city with proof of who he was driving for. He was unable to show that a cab company would hire him, and he did not register as an independent cab driver.

That sent his licence into a non-operational state in September 2015.

Elliott confirmed that now the criminal case is over, the taxi licensing office will examine whether Al-Rawi's licence should be granted or revoked, using all the evidence that was presented in court.

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Nova Scotia judge's remarks suggest 'it's open season on incapacitated women,' legal expert says | CBC News

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A Halifax taxi driver has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting an intoxicated female passenger, even though she was found unconscious by a police officer in the back of a cab and she remembered almost nothing from that night.

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Rapist was given a light sentence after he was found guilty

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Rapist was given a light sentence after he was found guilty

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A judge who is supposed to give a sentence that fits the crime,  reduces his sentencing because a sentence that suits the crime would impede on the male student's future. The male's future is prioritized over the suffering faced by the female. This case is an example of how males are seen to have more potential over women.

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Prosecutors had asked that Brock Turner be sentenced to six years in prison for the January 2015 assault.

The controversial sentence was followed by the release of two dueling letters to the judge about the case that have been widely shared and sparked further outcry: one from the victim, who described her ordeal in 12 searing pages; and another from Turner's father, who dismissed his son's crime as "20 minutes of action."

Turner, 20, was convicted in March of the intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky said on Thursday that Turner's age and lack of criminal history made him feel that imposing a six-month jail sentence with probation was appropriate. Turner also has to register as a sex offender.

"A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him," Persky said. "I think he will not be a danger to others."

But by the early hours of Tuesday morning, more than 191,000 people had signed a Change.org petition to recall Persky, a possibility in California, where judges are elected.

"Judge Persky failed to see that the fact that Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency," the petition read. "He also failed to send the message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class, race, gender or other factors. Please help rectify this travesty to justice."

Stanford University released a statement Monday deflecting criticism of its handling of the case. The school did "everything within its power to assure that justice was served in this case," from immediately investigating the incident to referring it to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for prosecution, the statement said.

"Once Stanford learned the identity of the young woman involved, the university reached out confidentially to offer her support and to tell her the steps we were taking. In less than two weeks after the incident, Stanford had conducted an investigation and banned Turner from setting foot on campus -- as a student or otherwise. This is the harshest sanction that a university can impose on a student," the statement said.

The school also commended bystanders who intervened and students who cooperated with the investigation.

"This was a horrible incident, and we understand the anger and deep emotion it has generated. There is still much work to be done, not just here, but everywhere, to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with sexual assault cases."

A judgment according to the law

However outrageous it may seem to many, the judgment follows California law, said David LaBahn, the president of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, who practiced in California for many years.

"Judges are allowed wide discretion," he said.

Because Turner was convicted of a felony, a probation officer interviewed him.

CNN obtained the probation officer's report.

Turner said he was "sorry for what he put the victim and her family through during the trial," it read.

He told the probation officer that he "didn't want to victimize her at all," the report reads.

Turner also relayed to the officer that, "that was just my attorney and his way of approaching the case. I didn't want to degrade her in any way. I regret that. I'm sorry for her having to go through this entire process and having to even think about this for a second, all because of my actions that night. I can't believe I imposed such suffering on her and I'm so sorry."

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen made it clear how he felt about Persky handing down a six-month jail and probation sentence.

"The punishment does not fit the crime," he said.

But in a statement on Monday, Rosen stopped short of calling for Persky's ouster.

"While I strongly disagree with the sentence that Judge Persky issued in the Brock Turner case, I do not believe he should be removed from his judgeship," Rosen said. "I am so pleased that the victim's powerful and true statements about the devastation of campus sexual assault are being heard across our nation. She has given voice to thousands of sexual assault survivors."

CNN calls to Turner's defense attorney, Mike Armstrong, were not returned Monday.

Anger at the judge

By Monday afternoon there were dozens of angry posts about Persky's judgment on TheRobingRoom.com which advertises as a site dedicated to informal evaluations of judges.

A few examples: "Six months for frat boy Brock Allen Turner raping a female student is an insult to women, especially the one-in-four women that have been raped and/or sexually assaulted."

"This judge is a horrible judge. he gave a six month sentence to a man convicted for three felony counts due to rape. He deserves to be off the bench!"

"The extreme leniency and empathy afforded to a convicted rapist, Turner, in the sentencing phase is incomprehensible ..."

Two men riding bicycles on campus about 1 a.m. saw Turner on top of an unconscious woman, according to the police report filed with the criminal complaint, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A campus police officer found the woman lying behind a dumpster near an on-campus fraternity. She had been drinking, according to her own account.

In the past seven days, Turner's name has been mentioned more than 48,000 times on Twitter. The hashtag #BrockTurner was tweeted more than 28,000 times.

Stanford Professor Michele Landis Dauber voiced her outrage about Turner's sentence Monday on CNN's "Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield."

"The message [Persky] sent to women at Stanford is, 'You're on your own,' " she said.

'Anger, anguish and uncertainty'

Before the sentence was handed down, the 23-year-old victim read a 12-page letter she composed that described in gut-punching detail how being raped left her "closed off, angry, self-deprecating, tired, irritable, empty."

She implored Persky to not be lenient.

"My life has been on hold for over a year, a year of anger, anguish and uncertainty, until a jury of my peers rendered a judgment that validated the injustices I had endured," she wrote.

She explained that she went to a fraternity party near Stanford in January 2015, drank and then not knowing what happened to her between the time of the party and being conscious in a hospital with pine needles in her hair. She described the traumatic and humiliating experience of enduring an hourslong sexual assault forensic exam.

"I had multiple swabs inserted into my vagina and anus, needles for shots, pills, had a Nikon pointed right into my spread legs. I had long, pointed beaks inside me and had my vagina smeared with cold, blue paint to check for abrasions.

"After a few hours of this, they let me shower. I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I don't want my body anymore. I was terrified of it, I didn't know what had been in it, if it had been contaminated, who had touched it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else."

'20 minutes of action'

Another letter has gone viral this week: from Turner's father, who urged the judge to go easy on his son.

Dan Turner wrote that his son "will never be his happy go lucky (sic) self with that easy-going personality and welcoming smile."

"His every waking moment is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear and depression," the father wrote.

A long sentence would be "a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 years of life," Dan Turner wrote.

The father also said that his son is having trouble eating his favorite food -- steak.

But Dauber, the Stanford professor, shot back Monday on CNN.

"Compare the problems associated with not eating your favorite food to being sexually assaulted," she said.

In a statement issued Tuesday through his son's lawyer, Dan Turner said people had misinterpreted the phrase "20 minutes of action."

"What I meant with that comment is a 20-minute period of time. I was not referring to sexual activity by the word 'action.' It was an unfortunate choice of words and I did not mean to be disrespectful or offensive to anyone."

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brock turner's 6-month sentence in stanford rape case sparks outrage - cnn

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Outrage over six-month sentence in Stanford rape case

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Prosecutors had asked that Brock Turner be sentenced to six years in prison for the January 2015 assault. The controversial sentence was followed by the release of two dueling letters to the judge about the case that have been widely shared and sparked further outcry: one from the victim, who described her ordeal in 12 searing pages; and another from Turner's father, who dismissed his son's crime as "20 minutes of action."

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A women was gang raped on a bus and she unfortunately died as a result of her injuries. Her mother released her name because she  did not want her daughter to be a subject of shame as is the case with most women who are raped, especially in India.

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The mother of a student who died after being gang-raped on a bus in Delhi has publicly revealed her daughter's name.

Asha Singh told a crowd on Wednesday that she felt "no shame" in announcing her daughter's name: "Her name was Jyoti Singh."

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died after being brutally raped by six men on a moving bus in 2012, causing global outrage.

Rape victims cannot be named under Indian law.

Their identities are often hidden in a bid to protect them from being shunned in society.
Profiles: Delhi attackers How life changed for victim's family Friend recounts Delhi rape trauma Second chance for rapist?
"I say this in front of you all that her name was Jyoti Singh," Asha Singh said at a public gathering in Delhi, three years to the day of the attack.

"There is no need for us to feel any shame. It is the perpetrators of heinous crimes who must feel ashamed of themselves."

Case timeline

16 December 2012: A 23-year-old physiotherapy student is gang-raped by six men on a bus in Delhi, her male friend is beaten up and the pair are thrown out after the brutal assault

17 December: Key accused Ram Singh, the bus driver, is arrested. Over the next few days, his brother Mukesh Singh, gym instructor Vinay Sharma, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, a helper on the bus Akshay Thakur, and the 17-year-old juvenile, who cannot be named, are arrested.

29 December: The victim dies in hospital in Singapore from injuries sustained during the assault; body flown back to Delhi

30 December: Cremated in Delhi under tight police security

11 March 2013: Ram Singh dies in Tihar jail; police say he hanged himself, but defence lawyers and his family allege he was murdered

31 August: The juvenile is found guilty and sentenced to three years in a reform facility

13 September: The four adult defendants are convicted and given the death penalty by the trial court

13 March 2014: The Delhi high court confirms the death sentence

March - June: The convicts appeal in the Supreme Court and the death sentences are put on hold until the court takes a decision

Ms Singh was attacked on board a bus after watching a film in south Delhi with a male friend. Police said she was raped for almost an hour and beaten with iron bars.

The attack sparked violent public protests that left one police officer dead.

Four men were convicted of the crime and handed the death penalty in 2014.

One died in jail in March while another, aged 17 at the time, is set to be released after serving three years in a reform facility - the maximum term possible for a juvenile in India.

The victim's father on Wednesday condemned the decision to release the minor, saying: "Almost every day we read about even small girls being raped. If criminals like him are let off I fear what will happen to society."

Many called for him to be tried as an adult at the time.

India recorded over 36,000 rape cases in 2014, with 2,096 in Delhi. Experts say the numbers are likely to be higher.

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The mother of a student who died after being gang-raped on a bus in Delhi has publicly revealed her daughter's name. Asha Singh told a crowd on Wednesday that she felt "no shame" in announcing her daughter's name: "Her name was Jyoti Singh."