Weekly Briefing: The reality of violence against women today

This special Women’s History Month issue of Pacer Times is dedicated to the women, girls and certain gender-diverse people who have experienced gendered violence, the statistics about which are overwhelming.

1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual violence in their life.

52% of married women are not able to make decisions regarding their sexual health.

750 million girls in the world were married before age 18.

200 million women have suffered from forced female genital mutilation.

Half of all female homicide victims were murdered by romantic or sexual partners.

71% of victims of human trafficking victims in the world are women or girls and 3 out of 4 suffer sexual violence.

Over half of this week’s edition is made up of articles related to women’s history month. Please expect more throughout the month of March. 

In News this week, reporter Chi Nguyen covered the rising rates of the Coronavirus, while Opinions Editor David Frantz looked into updates made to the presence of Spin Scooters on campus. Arts and Entertainment Editor Erica Bennett wrote a narrative about Women’s History Month.

In Arts and Entertainment, reporter Angel-Hope Watts listed 10 movies she believes represent female empowerment. Nguyen also created a list of 10 songs that fall into that category.

The Lifestyle section includes a new edition of Pacer Pillowtalk—which has been taken over by Bennett—about why sexual health is an important topic to discuss. There is also a list of 15 impactful ways to celebrate Women’s History Month, by yours truly.

For Sports, reporter Joseph Reeves covered the Saturday games against Lander, which produced a win for the women’s basketball team and a close loss for the men.

In the Opinions section, News Editor Noelle Kriegel wrote about the late Katherine Johnson, whose contributions at NASA led to incredible feats. Bennett listed four women she believes are making history now.

That’s it for now, Pacers. Enjoy the issue!