When Michelle arrived at the shelter in Portland, Oregon, staff members had to help her remove her earring because the side of her face was so swollen from the last beating by her abuser. Months earlier he had responded to the news of her pregnancy by pummeling her abdomen. Unable to find shelter, she had been living in her car while trying to escape the abuse. But that had not kept her safe.

Saudi officials continue to require women to obtain permission from male guardians to conduct their most basic affairs, like traveling or receiving medical care, despite government assertions that no such requirements exist.

A year ago I interviewed the mother of a young woman from Wisconsin who had been raped by a man she met at while visiting her cousin in Los Angeles. It had been eight months since the rape, and the rape kit - the physical evidence -- in her daughter's case still had not been sent to a crime laboratory. The mother had two simple questions for me: "Why is her kit still unopened?" and, "When will they test her kit?" I didn't have good answers for her then. It's been over a year and I still don't have good answers for her.

The Oregon legislature should preserve desperately needed funds for emergency shelter and other services for women and children fleeing domestic violence, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Oregon state legislators as they finalize budget negotiations.

Understanding that you are in the midst of difficult deliberations over Oregon’s budget for the 2009-2011 biennium, we write to express our deep concern for the future of the critical services that aid women and families fleeing domestic violence. While current financial resources do not match the diverse needs of the state’s population, social services for domestic violence victims should be preserved and expanded to ensure the safety of women and families.

The Los Angeles City Council’s approval of funds for testing the physical evidence in rape cases is a major step toward reducing a huge backlog of “rape kits.”

As a researcher on the rape kit backlog in the US, I have interviewed many survivors of rape. Still, this experience did not prepare me for the story I heard in January from a disabled woman in North Dakota who was brutally raped by an acquaintance.