We’ve long appreciated Louis Theroux’s work, but his latest documentary raises a difficult question: did it end up offering a platform for controversial figures to amplify their notoriety, build “clout” & openly profit from misogyny? Amid lingering shots of luxury cars, designer watches & tailored suits, the documentary revealed a strain of fragile masculinity… one that seemed deeply uncomfortable with scrutiny or challenge. It also gave airtime to attitudes that went far bey

In January, following the enactment of a social media ban for U16-year-olds in Australia, the UK government announced plans to follow suit. Over the next three months, hundreds of teenagers will take part in trials to assess whether overnight curfews, time-limits or a full social media ban would be a success. Just six months after the introduction of the Online Safety Act, which is still being implemented in stages, this announcement has divided UK opinion, sparking heated de

The UK government has just released its draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which outlines an overhaul in its planning strategy. However, these proposals, which cover urban planning from transport to housing, entirely ignore Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in its strategy.   This omission has come as a shock to MPs and those in urban planning who emphasise the intricate relationship between urban environments and misogyny-driven violence against women and

In recent months, the AI chatbot, Grok, has been increasingly used by users to generate sexualised images of women and children, which are then posted on the social media platform X. Grok, created by Elon Musk’s company xAI, was launched in 2023. It can generate text, images and videos and is integrated into X. The platform has previously faced criticism from rights groups, including Amnesty international, for exacerbating online hate, misinformation and misogyny. Recently, t

Katie Fox was fatally stabbed in the neck whilst waiting for her bus home from the centre of Birmingham, in what is the third stabbing in the area within a month. The 34-year-old was attacked at around 9pm on 7 th November as she waited along Smallbrook Queensway outside the Bullring shopping centre – a busy part of the city often crowded with commuters and people having Friday night drinks. Katie was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth hospital but she died three days later from

Last Friday saw hundreds of women gather in cities across South Africa, wearing black, to protest gender-based violence ahead of the G20 summit at the weekend. South Africa has seen a 33.8% increase in the number of women killed from gender-based violence since last year. On average, 15 lives are lost every day to femicide- five times the global femicide rate and the highest outside of a war zone. The NGO Women For Change, one of South Africa’s leading voices in the fight aga

A year after the harrowing Pélicot affair hit headlines and shocked the world, Gisèle Pélicot returned to court in Nimes, France. Accompanied by her youngest son, Florian, Gisèle chose to waive her right to anonymity for a second time in this four-day trial. One of the worst sex-offenders of our times, Dominique Pélicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year when police discovered footage, recorded over a 10-year period, showing him and dozens of other men raping his t

A new pilot launched in the West Midlands now   gives individuals that have been subjected to rape or ‘serious sexual abuse’ the right to request a second opinion from an alternative prosecutor. Previously, when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to proceed with charges in a case, individuals had very little choice but to accept this decision. This outcome often occurred when the CPS concluded that the likelihood of winning the case is too slim. The six-month pil

In June 2025, the Government’s Department of Justice announced that the depiction of strangulation in pornography will be officially outlawed in the UK. ‘Strangulation’, formally known as asphyxiation, refers here to the restriction of a person’s oxygen for the purposes of sexual pleasure. The decision to outlaw online depictions in pornography comes after mounting research demonstrates the very real safety risks associated with strangulation. These risks include a loss of co

Almost three years ago, I wrote an article on the role that social media played in the defamation case Johnny Depp brought against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. At the time, I was shocked by the tirade of abuse Amber Heard received. By the time history repeated itself, in the form of Blake Lively, I was less appalled, more saddened, by the abuse hurled at her via social media. Perhaps one of the key differences between Heard and Lively was that Lively’s viral condemnation happene

Sir Gareth Southgate, the previous England men’s football team manager, delivered the annual Richard Dimbleby lecture last week. In this first public address since stepping down as England’s manager, Southgate highlighted the increasing threat that toxic discourse on social media is having on young people, boys especially and called for a greater focus on the self-belief and resilience of young men. Identity, connection and culture are, for Southgate, the pillars against whic

It has recently come to light that several high-profile television presenters have been accused of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. The most recent of these scandals, concerning Gregg Wallace, is raising questions about the culture in production companies such as Endemol Shine UK, Banijay, and, by extension, the BBC.  What struck me, reading through the accounts of those who have made allegations against Wallace, was the reason many of them cited for not taking a com

The current landscape As Parliament returns after the summer recess and party conference season, we now await bills and laws to be brought forward by the government to act on their promise to tackle sexual violence and abuse and violence against women and girls. We are currently experiencing an epidemic of violence against women and girls, with it now being treated as a “national emergency” by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC). The number of recorded offences of stalk

Every year from September to December, the United Nations General Assembly meets at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss and decide on resolutions for a range of international issues. Issues concerning peace, security, human rights, development and international law. This year was special because the annual assembly was preceded by a four-day high-level event called the Summit of the Future. Described as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity, this summit was a chance for

CW: sexual violence   Just two weeks preceding Russia’s 2022 invasion, Vladimir Putin branded Ukraine ‘mine’. (1) He then suggested that Volodymyr Zelensky should allow for Russia’s acquirement of Kyiv through sexual violence rhetoric, translated as either ‘like it or not, it’s your duty, my beauty’, (2) or ‘like it or not, bear with it, my beauty’; (1) both of which provoke connotations of cohesive rape. Although this statement is now two years old, the rhetoric reflects a b

CW: sexual violence   The horrific case of Dominique Pelicot sent shockwaves across France and the rest of the globe at the beginning of September. Dominique, a husband, father, and grandfather was brought to trial, accused of enlisting over 70 men to rape his wife whilst she was unconscious.   Dominique Pelicot, 72, was initially arrested in 2020 when he was caught upskirting three women in a shopping centre in the South of France. This led to the discovery of nearly 4000 sh

CW: sexual violence   Gisèle Pelicot, a 71-year-old French woman living in the small town of Mazan in the South of France, discovered in November 2020 that her husband, Dominique Pelicot, had been caught upskirting women at a local supermarket. This led to the police engaging in an investigation, confiscating Mr Pelicot’s computer among other devices. Upon further examination, they had found that Dominique had been documenting the non-consensual abuse of his wife’s sedated bo

On the 29th of July, Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were murdered by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana during a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event in Southport. Eight children as well as two adults were also seriously injured during the violence. While it is not confirmed whether the motive behind the attack was misogynistic, it cannot be ruled out; especially given the rise in “incel culture” among young men in t

Music festivals are a key piece of British summer events, but their unique characteristics, such as crowded stage areas, have made them ‘hotbeds’ for sexual harassment, according to The Telegraph. A study by Durham University Law School reveals that festivals often foster a toxic, laddish culture marked by heavy alcohol and drug use. Combined with crowded areas, shared campsites in dimly lit spaces, and inadequate surveillance, this environment has been described as 'conduciv

Amidst the excitement of supporting England in the football European Championship, there is an underlying problem which is exacerbated during this competition.  Domestic violence reports increase during major football matches, while the EUROs are happening there even more of a need to spread awareness. The competitive nature and boisterous lad culture surrounding the football heightens emotions amongst fans, combined with the addition of alcohol there is an increased risk of