Latest news with #ViolenceAgainstWomen
NBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Undocumented Harvard grad from Los Angeles self-deports to Mexico
Despite his undocumented status, Francisco Hernandez-Corona, 34, and his U.S. citizen husband, Irving Hernandez-Corona, never thought they would leave the United States. But the new administration changed all that when it came in in January, according to the couple. 'We started seeing ICE everywhere and people sent to El Salvador,' said Francisco. 'There would be knocks at the door and he (Francisco) would be scared and be terrified,' said Irving. 'It was never our intention to leave under these circumstances. We left, basically fleeing.' They fled to Mexico's west coast, flying into Puerto Vallarta three weeks ago, where they say they finally felt safe and wanted. '(Mexicans) all were saying, 'Welcome back home! You belong here,'' said Francisco. The warm welcome was greatly appreciated, but they still felt sad leaving behind their family in the United States. 'We still sit here in silence sometimes, hold each other and cry because of what we left,' said Irving. 'We felt pushed out.' The couple had just celebrated a milestone -- married last fall after three years of dating. Francisco graduated from Harvard, where he studied clinical psychology and graduated in 2013. It had not been an easy road to get there. When he was only 10 years old, Francisco's father arranged for him to cross into the U.S. through the desert with a 'coyote,' or migrant smuggler. "The worst three days of my life, I remember every moment walking through the desert,' he said. 'Nobody asked me if this is what I want to do. I didn't have a choice.' His family settled in Lennox, a small city near the airport in Los Angeles. Francisco excelled in school and was accepted to Harvard in 2009. Around that time, he was hit with another challenge. 'My mom died my senior year of high school,' said mother lost her battle with a rare disease just months before he graduated. His younger sister moved to live with his older, adult sister in Texas, but Francisco stayed and was taken in by his teachers, who saw him through graduation and into an Ivy League education. 'I made it. This little, brown boy from Lennox is going to Harvard, that's crazy,' Francisco said. In 2012, he applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, under President Obama, which does not grant legal immigration status but allows young undocumented immigrants who qualify to live and work in the U.S. He later didn't renew DACA since he filed for a Violence Against Women (VAWA) visa; he and his mom were victims of abuse by his dad, he said, adding his parents had divorced. But Francisco said processing of the VAWA visas have been delayed by more than a decade. And because he technically re-entered the country illegally when he was forced to cross the border at 10 — his mom had brought him on a tourist visa when he was 6 and she had overstayed their visit — Francisco was told he'd be barred from returning to the U.S. 'Because of the choice my dad made when I was a child, U.S. law says it doesn't matter. I don't care that you were 10, I don't care if you were bleeding in the desert, or crying in the desert alone. I don't care that you didn't choose this; you can no longer stay in a place that you call home,' said Francisco. After marrying Irving last year, he thought there might be a way to fix his status but his attorneys instead recommended they cancel their honeymoon to Puerto Rico, fearing Francisco might be detained at some point. That's when the couple decided to self-deport. 'That's when I looked at him and said, 'Then, I guess we have to leave,'' said Francisco. 'There isn't any reason for us to stay here.' 'It's such a hateful place, a hateful environment,' said Irving. Now living in Mexico, they are trying to figure out the next steps and are grateful to still be working remote jobs from the U.S. Francisco hopes to visit the Mexican grave where his mother was interred after she died in Los Angeles. He has never seen it in person, but worries that he will feel guilt that he failed to fulfill his dying mother's wish. 'She said, 'I will die here so that you and your sisters could have a better life, so that you and your sisters could have the life that I've never had,'' he said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Social media sites failing to protect girls from harm at every stage, NSPCC says
Social media platforms are failing to protect women and girls from harm at every stage, according to new research from the NSPCC. The children's charity created fake profiles of a teenage girl across different sites, and found it was exposed to grooming, harassment and abuse across various platforms. The research said that many of the features used by platforms to encourage users to expand their online networks, as well as to be online and active for longer, were at the detriment of the user's safety. The study said that it was often too easy for adult strangers to pick out girls online and send them unsolicited messages. Alongside the report, the NSPCC has published polling carried out on its behalf by YouGov which found that 86% of UK adults believe tech companies are not doing enough to protect women and girls online. The survey of just over 3,500 adults found that parents with daughters listed contact from strangers, online grooming, bullying and sexual abuse or harassment as their biggest concerns about their children being online. More than half of the parents surveyed (52%) expressed concern over their daughter's online experiences. Rani Govender, policy manager for child safety online at the NSPCC, said: 'Parents are absolutely right to be concerned about the risks their daughters' are being exposed to online, with this research making it crystal clear that tech companies are not doing nearly enough to create age-appropriate experiences for girls. 'We know both on and offline girls face disproportionate risks of harassment, sexual abuse, and exploitation. That's why it's so worrying that these platforms are fundamentally unsafe by design – employing features and dark patterns that are putting girls in potentially dangerous situations. 'There needs to be a complete overhaul of how these platforms are built. This requires tech companies and Ofcom to step up and address how poor design can lead to unsafe spaces for girls. 'At the same time Government must lay out in their upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy steps to help prevent child sexual offences and tackle the design failures of social media companies that put girls in harm's way.' The children's charity said social media sites should introduce 'abusability studies' to identify risky features that included an analysis based on gender, as well as integrate screenshot capabilities into reporting tools, introduce 'cooling off' periods when two users first connect to restrict contact, and place stricter measures on non-trusted adults from being able to video-call younger users. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms are required to carry out risk assessments to establish how and if their sites could pose a risk to children. Firms which breach the new online safety rules, which also include duties to protect children from encountering harm on their sites, can be fined up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover, whichever is higher, and in the most serious cases face being blocked in the UK.
Pembrokeshire Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Welsh Government announces £2m boost for abuse survivor support services
10th anniversary of landmark legislation marked with funding uplift THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has announced over £2 million in additional funding to support survivors of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, made the announcement on Thursday (May 1) during the official opening of Rothbury House in Newport—a new support centre run by New Pathways, which offers counselling and support for survivors of sexual violence. The facility, a former nursing home, has been redeveloped with Welsh Government backing. Additional funding provided in March helped enhance security measures to ensure a safe environment for service users. The new funding package includes £1.28 million to expand support and advice services across Wales and £900,000 to improve buildings, strengthen security, and purchase essential equipment for organisations helping survivors. The announcement marks the 10th anniversary of the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) (Wales) Act 2015, which came into force on April 29, 2015. Deputy Chief Executive of New Pathways, Mike Wilkinson, said: 'Rothbury House will offer a wide range of support services for people who have experienced sexual violence, including Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs), wellbeing support, and specialist counselling. We also have staff trained to support children and young people, alongside our professional training programmes and Counselling College.' During her visit, the Cabinet Secretary toured the facility and met with staff to see how the upgraded environment is helping enhance care for survivors. Jane Hutt said: 'Partnerships like the one we have with New Pathways are vital to our mission of tackling violence against women and girls. This investment strengthens services across Wales, ensuring that safe, specialist spaces are available for those beginning their recovery journey. 'There is no place for harassment, abuse or violence in our society. Ten years on from our landmark legislation, we remain committed to making Wales the safest place to be a woman or a girl. We will continue working with specialist organisations, the police and the wider public sector to prevent abuse, hold perpetrators accountable and support victims.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Video: Fire destroys agricultural vehicle near Carmarthen
10th anniversary of landmark legislation marked with funding uplift THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has announced over £2 million in additional funding to support survivors of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, made the announcement on Thursday (May 1) during the official opening of Rothbury House in Newport—a new support centre run by New Pathways, which offers counselling and support for survivors of sexual violence. The facility, a former nursing home, has been redeveloped with Welsh Government backing. Additional funding provided in March helped enhance security measures to ensure a safe environment for service users. The new funding package includes £1.28 million to expand support and advice services across Wales and £900,000 to improve buildings, strengthen security, and purchase essential equipment for organisations helping survivors. The announcement marks the 10th anniversary of the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) (Wales) Act 2015, which came into force on April 29, 2015. Deputy Chief Executive of New Pathways, Mike Wilkinson, said: 'Rothbury House will offer a wide range of support services for people who have experienced sexual violence, including Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs), wellbeing support, and specialist counselling. We also have staff trained to support children and young people, alongside our professional training programmes and Counselling College.' During her visit, the Cabinet Secretary toured the facility and met with staff to see how the upgraded environment is helping enhance care for survivors. Jane Hutt said: 'Partnerships like the one we have with New Pathways are vital to our mission of tackling violence against women and girls. This investment strengthens services across Wales, ensuring that safe, specialist spaces are available for those beginning their recovery journey. 'There is no place for harassment, abuse or violence in our society. Ten years on from our landmark legislation, we remain committed to making Wales the safest place to be a woman or a girl. We will continue working with specialist organisations, the police and the wider public sector to prevent abuse, hold perpetrators accountable and support victims.'
Perth Now
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Watch it': PM wants teens to see Adolescence
Anthony Albanese has encouraged all schools to use the Netflix show Adolescence as a resource to educate boys on gender violence, saying it is 'absolutely so important' young people watch the program. The acclaimed show depicts a family after their teenage son stabs a girl to death and the role social media played in the tragedy. The Prime Minister, campaigning in Roberston on the NSW Central Coast on Monday, singled out the program as he announced more funding to fight domestic violence. He said gendered and domestic violence were part of the reason for the government's social media ban preventing children under 16 from using platforms such as TikTok and X. Anthony Albanese is encouraging all schools to use the Netflix show Adolescence as a resource to teach teens on gendered violence. Netflix Credit: Netflix 'One of the reasons why the social media ban is important is that young people, at a very young age, when they're developing, are exposed to some pretty hateful stuff out there, the rise of misogyny,' Mr Albanese said He said he would encourage schools to show Adolescence to students, but wouldn't match a commitment made by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make it free for schools. 'I encourage anyone to have a look at it. It's scary,' he said. 'These parents depicted not knowing what their young son, who they love, has engaged in. 'And there's a scene towards the end there where the father … says we thought he was safe. 'He was in his bedroom, we thought he was safe. 'Well, it's had tragic impact for him, but a worse impact for his victim and so this is something we need to have conversations about.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was announcing more funding for domestic and gendered violence during a campaign stop in the electorate of Robertson on the NSW Central Coast. Jason Edwards / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Speaking more broadly on domestic violence, Mr Albanese said current efforts to reduce rates of gendered violence 'isn't working'. 'That's the truth. You know, we are not doing well enough as a society. This is a whole of society problem,' he said. 'Governments can take action, but it's whole of society problem. We need men as well to have conversations with each other, to call it out when they see unacceptable behaviour, to address it, have those conversations.' However he said he was encouraged by bipartisan support for tackling the issue, which includes the National Plan to end Violence Against Women and Children in a generation. He was asked directly about the death of 19-year-old Audrey Griffin, who was killed by repeat domestic violence offender Adrian Torrens after a night out with her friends. Torrens was found dead at Silverwater Correctional Complex last week. Mr Albanese said Ms Griffin's death was 'tragic and horrific'. Audrey Griffin, 19, was killed by repeat domestic violence offender Adrian Torrens. Darci Tabone Credit: Supplied Her death led to an outpouring of grief on the Central Coast. NewsWire / Damian Shaw Credit: News Corp Australia 'My heart goes out to the family and the friends and loved ones of Audrey Griffin this announcement, of course, wouldn't have impacted on that,' he said. 'One death from violence against women is one too many, and this is just an enormous tragedy, and we continue to work through these issues. 'As I said before, this needs a whole of society response.' The Prime Minister visited community housing provider Pacific Link Housing to announce the Coast Women's and Children's Trauma Recovery Centre in East Gosford, a new $20m initiative to help victims of domestic and sexual violence. Just moments after Mr Albanese arrived for the media event, the Coalition also sent out a media release for the exact same $20m funding commitment. Mr Dutton said he was committed to addressing the scourge. 'As a former police officer who attended numerous domestic violence call-outs, I know the trauma and lifelong impacts that can occur as a result of these horrific crimes,' he said. 'A government I lead will be focused on delivering real change so that families, women and children are safer and we work toward reducing the impact of family and domestic violence.' Domestic Violence helplines
