Self-care note: This wrap-up includes discussion of women’s health, anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and behaviours, gender based violence, and more. If you find this distressing or triggering, remember to take it at your own pace. You may prefer to read small sections, wait until you feel ready to read it all, or choose not to read it at all.
1. Tech firms given 48 hours to remove non-consensual intimate images 📱
Social media companies could soon be legally required to remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours, under a proposed amendment to the UK’s Crime and Policing Bill.
The government says intimate image abuse should be treated with the same seriousness as terrorist content or child sexual abuse material. Platforms would have to prevent images from being re-uploaded and could face fines of up to 10 per cent of global turnover — or even be blocked in the UK — if they fail to comply.
Victims would only need to report content once, rather than chasing multiple platforms. Campaigners say the move shifts responsibility onto tech companies and could mark a major step forward in tackling image-based abuse and sextortion.
Source: BBC News
2. Calls for suicides linked to domestic abuse to be treated as potential homicides🕯️
Experts and politicians are calling for suicides to be investigated as potential homicides in cases where the victim had experienced domestic abuse.
According to an investigation by The Guardian, the number of women who take their own lives after experiencing domestic abuse is likely to be underreported in England and Wales. This is likely to be due to a combination of factors, including a lack of resources and training within police forces and inadequate investigations following the suicide of a victim of domestic abuse.
The campaigner Karen Ingala Smith said: “That we don’t even know how many women taken their lives because of men’s violence is to our society’s shame and reflects how little women’s lives matter.”
Source: The Guardian
3. Government moves to strengthen LGBTQ+ hate crime laws 🏳️🌈
The UK government has proposed an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which would make hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ and disabled people aggravated offences.
If approved, the law would align LGBTQIA+ and disability hate crimes with religious and racial hate crimes.
Stonewall CEO Simon Blake said: “This is a major step in the journey of LGBTQ+ equality. Putting hate crime against LGBTQ+ people on the same footing as religious and racial hate crime has always been the right thing to do.”
The Crime and Policing Bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords.
Source: Attitude
4. Screening increases survival rate for stage IV breast cancer, new study finds 🎗️
Women with stage IV breast cancer detected through screening have a 60 per cent chance of surviving ten years after diagnosis, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London and the University of Southern Denmark, found that cancers diagnosed through screening were more likely to be treated surgically, even at this stage.
The survival rate for those whose cancer was not detected through screening is under 20 per cent.
Stage IV is the most serious stage of the disease, in which the cancer has spread to distant organs or tissues in the body.
Source: News-Medical.Net
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5. EU probes Shein over illegal listings and platform design 🛍️
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Shein after reports that illegal products, including child-like sex dolls and weapons, were available on the platform. The probe will assess whether Shein breached the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to properly assess and reduce risks linked to illegal or unsafe goods, including concerns around unsafe toys and cosmetics.
Regulators will also examine whether Shein’s design encourages harmful “addictive” use, focusing on features such as bonus-point schemes and gamified shopping. The Commission is additionally looking at Shein’s recommender systems and transparency obligations.
DSA investigations can take years, but confirmed breaches can lead to fines of up to 6% of global annual revenue. Shein said it is cooperating and has increased compliance measures, including introducing age checks for restricted items.
Source: POLITICO
6. Volunteer networks expand free abortion pill access across the US 💊
Volunteer-run mutual aid groups are mailing free abortion pills to tens of thousands of people across the United States — including in states where abortion remains legal but access is limited by cost, distance or privacy concerns.
Since 2022, community networks have distributed more than 100,000 sets of pills, with several now serving people in over two-thirds of US states and multiple territories. Groups affiliated with Red State Access say they provide medication free of charge, often with options for discreet packaging and additional confidentiality measures.
Organisers say demand continues to grow in both restrictive and permissive states, particularly in rural areas. The expansion comes amid ongoing legal and political battles over abortion access nationwide.
Source: Ms. Magazine
7. Victoria moves to ban non-consensual surgery on intersex children ⚖️
Victoria could become the first Australian state to ban deferrable, irreversible surgeries on intersex infants and children who are too young to consent.
Under new legislation set to be introduced to parliament, procedures that alter sex characteristics — unless urgently medically necessary — would be delayed until a child can provide informed consent. An independent oversight panel would review proposed treatments, and families would be offered peer and psychosocial support.
The reform follows reports that children have undergone surgeries for non-medical reasons, including cosmetic preferences. Advocates say the bill is a crucial step toward protecting bodily autonomy and preventing long-term physical and psychological harm.
Source: The Guardian
8. Goldman Sachs to drop DEI criteria for board appointments 💼
Investment bank and financial services company Goldman Sachs is to remove race, gender identity, ethnicity and sexual orientation as criteria when considering applicants.
The decision follows a request submitted last September by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), an activist shareholder group in Goldman Sachs, asking the company to do so.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the new plan is expected to be approved this month.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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