Earlier this month, something close to a miracle happened. Cyntoia Brown-Long, a woman who had been languishing in a Tennessee jail for more than 15 years, was finally freed on parole. A sex-trafficking victim, she had been convicted for shooting dead the man who forced her into prostitution. Despite being just 16 years old at the time of the shooting and claiming she acted in self-defence, as she thought she would be killed herself, Brown-Long was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 51 years. She was only released after her case garnered international attention, with celebrities such as Rihanna and Kim Kardashian West supporting her cause.
At the same time, more than 10,000 kilometres away, Iraq marked a tragic anniversary: five years since ISIS overran Tal Afar, raping Turkmen women and forcing them into marriage. Of the 450 Turkmen women who were kidnapped, only a handful have returned home. Yazidi women who faced the same fate after being captured and enslaved were welcomed back into their communities by their spiritual leaders but the Turkmen women are still largely shunned by society. Ayatollah Al Sistani, the highest Shia cleric in Iraq, has yet to address their plight or welcome their reintegration into society while their children remain stateless. Stigmatised and shamed by their own communities, many have faced little choice but to remain with their captors in Syria.
The stories of Brown-Long and the women of Tal Afar might seem to be worlds apart but they have one thing in common. They demonstrate how women are punished for crimes against them, particularly victims of sexual violence. Women who have been raped or sexually abused are not always viewed as victims but often treated as somehow complicit in the vile actions of their tormentors. This victim-blaming is known as rape culture, encouraging impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence and preventing victims from coming forward in the first place.
At least 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence. Yet only 1 per cent seek professional help and the vast majority of rape cases still go unreported
A shocking example of this was the case of Brock Turner, the Stanford university student sentenced to just six months in jail in the US in 2016 after being convicted of three charges of sexual assault. His father begged the judge in the case not to send him to prison, saying it was "a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action". Judge Aaron Persky justified the lenient sentence by saying: "I think you have to take the whole picture in terms of what impact imprisonment has on a specific individual's life."
Yet, as Turner’s victim told the court, her attacker had failed to think of the devastating and permanent effect the violent episode would have on her. “You are the cause, I am the effect,” she told him in her victim impact statement.
According to the United Nations, at least 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence. Yet only 1 per cent seek professional help and the vast majority of rape cases still go unreported.
From 2016, the #MeToo movement shed light on the insidious nature of rape culture, infiltrating all walks of life, from Hollywood to the workplace and home. Although the movement has encouraged more women to speak up about their experiences and seek justice, three years later the struggle is still not over.
The movement, launched by Tarana Burke, a civil rights activist from the Bronx, still needs to amplify the voices of some of the most vulnerable members of society. While Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd have been vocal in their condemnation of offenders, those who do not enjoy the same limelight sometimes struggle to be heard.
For the past week, protests have rocked Mexico – the second deadliest place in the world for women after Brazil, with 1,812 women killed this year alone. Thousands of women have been filling the streets of Mexico City, spraying police officers with pink glitter, after two teenage girls were allegedly raped by police officers. The allegations have led to heightened feelings in a country where women face constant threats from violence and harassment. So far this year, 200 Mexican women have been kidnapped.
Rape culture is pervasive, wherever it is found; it fosters the idea of impunity for sex crimes and pins the blame firmly on the victim. We can and must do better to counter these toxic narratives and change societal attitudes to encourage victims to come forward. The language we use plays a big part in that; there are no crimes of passion, only violence, assault and murder, and they should be named as such. Only when we stop treating victims as if they are the ones on trial will we encourage them to seek justice.
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
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'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envision%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarthik%20Mahadevan%20and%20Karthik%20Kannan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Netherlands%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%2FAssistive%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204impact%2C%20ABN%20Amro%2C%20Impact%20Ventures%20and%20group%20of%20angels%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
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