New Zealand: top five PTSD levels

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/27/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-more-likely-to-affect-people-in-affluent-countries-scientists-say People living in affluent countries are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than those in poorer nations, according to the results of a study that have surprised researchers. The scientists, from the Netherlands, Australia and London, say they appear to have uncovered a paradox. They expected to find that countries with higher…

NZ monitoring for Zika in babies

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/new-zealand-babies-monitored-zika Monitoring for congenital Zika syndrome is due to begin in New Zealand, with paediatricians being asked to report abnormalities among at-risk children under six months of age. The monitoring will start next month and involve children with brain abnormalities whose mother, or mother’s partner, was in a country with active Zika virus transmission during…

#IamNotAfraidtoSay gives victims the strength and courage to speak out

http://www.dw.com/en/iamnotafraidtosay-victims-of-sexual-assault-in-ukraine-and-russia-break-taboo/a-19430021 Tatiana Pechonochnik, director of the Kyiv-based NGO Human Rights Information Center, believes the issue of sexual violence in Ukraine has been bubbling below the surface for some time. She says a “critical mass” has been reached, requiring just one catalyzing Facebook post for the discussion to “explode” across social networking platforms. The hashtag #IamNotAfraidtoSay…

New Zealand: top five PTSD nation

https://www.rt.com/uk/353728-ptsd-developed-world-terrorism/ Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study found that Canada had the highest levels of the condition, with Australia, New Zealand, and the US close behind. The lowest levels were found in places like Nigeria and China. It is thought that survivors in ‘safe’ affluent societies which are less accustomed to violence…

Male sexual assault victims on TV are changing how people think

http://mashable.com/2016/07/13/outlander-american-crime-sexual-assault-violence-men/#1NzsIBU0rgq8 While male sexual assault stories have various points of focus, one of the story points seen on American Crime is how others perceive the male victim and how there’s a lack of understanding — which only increases the amount of shame the victim may be feeling. In a scene from the series, teen Taylor…

Russia and Ukraine: domestic violence and sexual abuse are taboo topics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/08/russian-ukrainian-women-sexual-abuse-stories-go-viral “We don’t need to make excuses. We’re not to blame, those who violate us are ALWAYS to blame. I am not afraid to speak out. And I do not feel guilty,” she wrote, using the hashtag #Iamnotscaredtospeak (‪#‎яНеБоюсьСказати‬ in Ukrainian; #‎яНеБоюсьСказать in Russian‬). Her post was shared hundreds of times and received hundreds of…

Nottinghamshire police force is the first in Britain to recognise misogyny as a hate crime

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/82145223/jane-bowron-you-cant-legislate-against-flirting–yet So when I read that the Nottinghamshire police force is the first in Britain to recognise misogyny as a hate crime and is recording incidents such as wolf whistles and street harassment without consent as examples of hate crimes, I felt sad for the fun to be had in the fading frisson between the…