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. Sexual misconduct cases against doctors rise, BMJ reports 🚨
A new report highlighted by The BMJ shows a sharp rise in sexual misconduct cases being raised against clinicians in the NHS.
In 2024-25, NHS Resolution was asked for advice on 246 cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct, up from an average of around 140 a year over the previous nine years. The allegations ranged from sexual banter and inappropriate touching to sexual assault and rape. Doctors appear to account for the vast majority of cases.
It is not yet clear whether the increase reflects more misconduct, better awareness, or greater reporting, the BMJ reports. But the figures have been described as “deeply alarming” and add to ongoing concerns about sexism, abuse, and accountability in healthcare workplaces.
Source: The BMJ
2. England relaunches women’s health strategy to tackle “medical misogyny” 🩺
The UK government has relaunched England’s women’s health strategy, with health secretary Wes Streeting saying the NHS is “failing women” and promising action on what campaigners describe as medical misogyny.
The first Women’s Health Strategy was published by the Conservative government in 2022, and a 10-year health plan was launched in July 2025.
However, progress appeared to be slow, and there were fears that the plans could be discontinued due to changes within the NHS.
The strategy’s goals include shorter waiting times for gynaecology services, improved access to contraception and screening, and ensuring that women are listened to and taken more seriously.
Source: The Guardian
3. BBC investigation on migrants ‘posing as gay’ is ‘harmful and misleading’, Choose Love says 🌈
NGO Choose Love has described a new BBC investigation claiming that legal advisers are helping migrants ‘pose as gay’ in order to obtain asylum as “harmful and misleading”.
On Wednesday, the BBC published an investigation alleging that law firms and legal advisers are helping migrants apply for asylum by providing fake cover stories and fabricated evidence, including claims about their sexuality and fear for their lives.
In an Instagram post, Choose Love said the claim “minimises and undermines the reality for LGBTQIA+ people and the many difficulties they face. The asylum system is hostile and complex, especially for LGBTQIA+ people and these claims by the BBC is feeding into a rising anti-refugee narrative.”
Source: Choose Love
4. Media coverage of violence against women hits “dismal” low, report finds 📉
Media coverage of violence against women and girls has dropped to its lowest level in eight years, despite high-profile names being involved in abuse cases and the emergence of new digital forms of abuse, a new report has found.
The Global Misogyny News Coverage Tracker analysed 1.14 billion online stories published worldwide between 2017 and 2025 and found that coverage of misogynistic harassment and abuse has remained marginal over the years, averaging 1.6% of total online news, and fell to a low of 1.3% in 2025.
The report also found that for every woman quoted in misogyny-related stories, there were 1.5 men.
Source: The Guardian
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5. Mushroom antioxidant shows promise for period pain relief 🍄
A compound found in mushrooms and some fermented foods could help ease period pain, according to new research reported by New Scientist.
Scientists are studying L-ergothioneine, an antioxidant that may reduce oxidative stress in uterine cells. Unlike painkillers that work once cramps have already started, researchers think the compound could help by targeting one of the underlying processes linked to period pain.
The findings are still early, but researchers say the supplement could eventually offer another option for managing dysmenorrhoea, one of the most common gynaecological health issues, and potentially reduce reliance on stronger medication for some people.
Source: New Scientist
6. France to reimburse reusable period products 🩸
France has announced plans to reimburse the cost of reusable menstrual products, including cups and period underwear, for young people and those on low incomes.
From the next academic year, people under 26 and those eligible for additional healthcare support will be able to claim back the cost of these products through the country’s social security system. The move is expected to benefit around 6.7 million people.
The policy aims to tackle period poverty and improve access to more sustainable options, following concerns that some people are forced to use makeshift alternatives due to cost.
Source: France 24
7. UN experts warn Belarus law will intensify repression of LGBT+ people and women’s rights advocates 🚨
A group of UN experts have expressed concern and alarm over a new law that targets LGBTQIA+ people and women’s rights advocates in Belarus.
The law prohibits the “distribution, in any form” of information on same-sex relations, gender transition, voluntary childlessness, or that could portray paedophilia as permissible.
The experts say that the law misleadingly associates sexual orientation, gender identity and reproductive autonomy with criminal conduct such as paedophilia, “fuelling prejudice and legitimising discrimination”.
They are particularly concerned about the impact the law may have on women and their sexual and reproductive health rights, as well as on transgender people and their access to healthcare.
Source: United Nations
8. US thinktank figure suggests children are “low-hanging fruit” in push against trans care 🍇
A senior figure at the America First Policy Institute, a thinktank aligned with Donald Trump, has reportedly described children as the “low-hanging fruit” in a wider effort to restrict gender-affirming care in the US.
According to The Guardian, the comment was made during a discussion of transgender policy “reform” in Washington DC. Campaigners say it reflects a broader strategy in which bans on care for trans young people are being used as a stepping stone towards limiting access for adults too.
The remarks come amid an escalating wave of attacks on trans rights across the US, with gender-affirming healthcare increasingly at the centre of political organising and legal battles.
Source: The Guardian
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