Brooke Axtell is a human rights activist, writer, speaker and performing artist. She was featured in a segment at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, where she gave a spoken word performance after a speech by US President Barack Obama on domestic violence and before a performance by singer Katy Perry dedicated to domestic violence victims. [1] [2] [3] [4] The idea to have her participate in the segment with the US President and Perry came from Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich. [5]
In an interview with Browbeat, Slate's culture blog, Axtell testified to having been in an abusive relationship, the experience that helped spur her toward activism. [6]
Axtell is now the Director of Communications and Survivor Leadership for Allies Against Slavery, a non-profit devoted to end human trafficking. She founded a healing community called Survivor Healing and Empowerment (S.H.E.) for survivors of rape, abuse and sex trafficking, and serves on The Gender Equality Impact Panel for Katerva, a community that identifies and funds the world’s leading sustainability initiatives. She is a member of the Speaker’s Bureau for Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (R.A.I.N.N.), the largest anti-sexual assault organization in the U.S. [5]
Axtell has been featured in Forbes.com , The Wall Street Journal , Psychology Today , BostonGlobe.com, SFGate.com, Washingtontimes.com and Fox News Channel Online. [5]
Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim. It occurs in times of peace and armed conflict situations, is widespread, and is considered to be one of the most traumatic, pervasive, and most common human rights violations.
Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Sex traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion as they recruit, transport, and provide their victims as prostitutes. Sometimes victims are brought into a situation of dependency on their trafficker(s), financially or emotionally. Every aspect of sex trafficking is considered a crime, from acquisition to transportation and exploitation of victims. This includes any sexual exploitation of adults or minors, including child sex tourism (CST) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST).
Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the organization works to encourage governments to adopt, improve and enforce laws that protect and promote women and girls' rights around the world.
Dorchen A. Leidholdt is an activist and leader in the feminist movement against violence against women. Since the mid-1970s, she has counseled and advocated for rape victims, organized against "the media's promotion of violence against women", served on the legal team for the plaintiff in a precedent-setting sexual harassment case, founded an international non-governmental organization fighting prostitution and trafficking in women and children, directed the nation's largest legal services program for victims of domestic violence, advocated for the enactment and implementation of laws that further the rights of abused women, and represented hundreds of women victimized by intimate partner violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, the threat of honor killing, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriage, and the internet bride trade.
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assault against a small child, whereas sexual abuse is a term used for a persistent pattern of sexual assaults.
Somy Ali is a Pakistani-American actress, writer, filmmaker, model and activist who has worked in Bollywood films. She runs a non-profit organization named No More Tears.
Violence Against Women is "the word or concept (that) has been used in a broad, inclusive manner to encompass verbal abuse, intimidation, physical harassment, homicide, sexual assault, and rape ." This form of violence is gender-biased. Violence occurs precisely because of their gender, specifically because the victims are women.
The East Timorese people mixed racially with Melanesian and Malay genetically. Most of the East Timorese population are Roman Catholic.
Eaves Housing for Women (Eaves) was a charitable company based in London. It provided support to vulnerable women, including female victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking, or domestic servitude, and campaigned against prostitution. The organisation also conducted research and lobbying.
Women in Malaysia receive support from the Malaysian government concerning their rights to advance, to make decisions, to health, education and social welfare, and to the removal of legal obstacles. The Malaysian government has ensured these factors through the establishment of Ministry of National Unity and Social Development in 1997. This was followed by the formation of the Women's Affairs Ministry in 2001 to recognise the roles and contributions of Malaysian women.
Punishment for rape in Pakistan under the Pakistani laws is either death penalty or imprisonment of between ten and twenty-five years. For cases related to gang rape, the punishment is either death penalty or life imprisonment. DNA test and other scientific evidence are used in prosecuting rape cases in Pakistan.
Violence against women in Guatemala reached severe levels during the long-running Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996), and the continuing impact of that conflict has contributed to the present high levels of violence against women in that nation. During the armed conflict, rape was used as a weapon of war.
"By the Grace of God" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013), included as the standard edition's final track. The song was written and produced by Perry and Canadian record producer Greg Wells. It was conceived following Perry's divorce from English actor and comedian Russell Brand. This initially made Perry consider making a "darker" album, but instead was channeled into the song. Throughout its autobiographical lyrics, Perry is depicted finding her strength and standing up for herself.
Nadia Murad Basee Taha is an Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist who lives in Germany. In 2014, she was kidnapped from her hometown Kocho and held by the Islamic State for three months.
Kamilah Willingham is an African American activist, feminist, speaker, and writer. The focus of her activism centers on sexual assaults on college campuses as well as gender equality and civil rights. She is best known for her appearance in the documentary "The Hunting Ground," the credibility of which has been criticized due to the dismissal of charges related to Willingham's accusations. She has also contributed essays to two novels on sexual assaults on college campuses. Her work has garnered national attention through her collaboration with Lady Gaga and Vice President Joe Biden's national campaign, "It's On Us," which raises awareness on sexual assault. Willingham appeared on stage alongside Lady Gaga as she performed in the 2016 Grammy Awards. Willingham currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Vanessa McNeal-Atadoga is an American social activist, public speaker, and documentary filmmaker. She directed the documentary that features stories of five male survivors of sexual violence titled The Voiceless, and We Are Survivors, a documentary that examines the experiences of eight victims of sexual abuse.
Cybersex trafficking, live streaming sexual abuse, webcam sex tourism/abuse or ICTs -facilitated sexual exploitation is a cybercrime involving sex trafficking and the live streaming of coerced sexual acts and/or rape on webcam.
Kalimah Johnson is a therapist and clinical social worker who specializes in cultural-specific holistic healing. She is the founder and executive director of the SASHA Center in Detroit, Michigan and has been influential in the #MeToo movement.
Mridul Machindra Wadhwa is an Indian-born Scottish women's rights and anti-domestic violence campaigner. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. She is a member of the Scottish Green Party and was formerly active in the Scottish National Party and a candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.