You couldn't blame anyone casually following the Amanda Knox case over the past four years for being confused. But today, the American college student convicted of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher after alleged "sex games" gone wrong tried to make it very clear that she is innocent. In fluent Italian, Amanda begged the court to let her go home, saying "I did not do the things they Read more

In Dominique Strauss-Kahn's first interview on French TV since escaping sexual assault charges in New York City, the French politician accused hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo of lying repeatedly. As the news report above explains, DSK conceded that his behavior was inappropriate, but he then attacked the maid's credibility, maintaining that he did not use force. The former IMF chief went on TV to Read more

For the first time it has come to light that civil rights activist Rosa Parks was almost raped by a white neighbor who employed her as a housekeeper when she was 18 years old. She wrote down the troubling story in an essay that was just uncovered from her personal belongings. She wrote: "He offered me a drink of whiskey, which I promptly and vehemently refused . . . He moved nearer to me and put Read more

After her anonymity and reputation have already been compromised in the media with claims of prostitution and blackmail, the maid accusing ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her has come forward in the press. Thirty-two-year-old Guinean immigrant Nafissatou Diallo granted a cover interview with Newsweek and will appear on Good Morning America and Nightline this week. In Read more

For victims of rape, it's hard enough to share the horrible experience with your loved ones, much less a courtroom. And a legal (and media) system that puts the rape victim's life on trial instead of the alleged rapist most likely discourages even more women from reporting sex crimes. By forcing women to share intimate details of their sexual history, the trial experience for a rape victim is Read more

New York TV reporter Heidi Jones is making news after police charged her for lying about attempted rape. The 37-year-old weatherwoman alleged that a Hispanic man attacked her while she was jogging in Central Park this Fall and then threatened her again two months later near her apartment. She filed a police report following the made-up second incident. Police got suspicious, and Jones apparently Read more

Last week we were surprised there was a Swedish law against a man refusing to wear a condom after a woman asks him to, dubbed "sex by surprise." Reports swirled, saying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was not wanted for rape in Sweden, but just a count, or two, of surprise sex that was nothing more than a fineable offense. Today we learn that the sex-by-surprise story was spun by Assange's Read more

Believe it or not, sex by surprise is actually not an euphemism for rape. It is sex without a condom after a woman requests it — even if the sex is consensual — and it's fine-able in Sweden by 5,000 kronor (about $715). This is what WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, is actually accused of, and not rape. Though the rape charges were dropped in August, accusations of rape have been popping up Read more

While most American women gave thanks this past weekend, a new report revealed the overwhelming sexual violence facing South African women. The annual survey from the Medical Research Center found that one in three South African men admits to committing rape. After last year's report discovered that one in four South African men admits to rape, I thought things couldn't get worse in a country Read more

By sixth grade, I had mastered the art of rolling my uniform skirt. I never went too far — two rolls were enough to bring it above the knee and avoid being consumed by the industrial plaid material. UK school administers think today's girls are out of control, and some schools are mandating skirts that cannot be customized. One school sends this letter to parents: "The length of your Read more