Despite legal provisions allowing for abortion in cases of rape and incest, survivors in West and Central Africa still face many access barriers. Understanding these obstacles is vital for their rights and health. This study looked at barriers to safe and legal abortion services for survivors of sexual violence in five West and Central African countries. We did a comparative case study in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Togo. Data collection included documentary analysis, 164 semi-structured interviews with institutional actors, civil society members, community leaders, and sexual violence survivors, along with 14 focus group discussions and a multi-level analytical framework. We applied a four-phase collaborative qualitative thematic analysis. This helped us identify barriers at macro (policy), meso (organisational), and micro (individual) levels. The analysis reveals how interconnected barriers restrict access. At the macro level, obstacles include unclear laws, missing regulations, and bans on abortion-related communication. Meso-level barriers feature inconsistent institutional practices, unprepared health facilities, and poor coordination. Micro-level challenges involve limited awareness of legal rights, widespread social and religious stigma, and informal conscientious objection practices. For survivors seeking to end the pregnancy, these barriers lead to unsafe abortion or forced continuation of pregnancy. Legal provisions alone do not guarantee survivors' access to safe and legal abortion. Coordinated efforts are needed to address legal, institutional, and social obstacles, transforming legal rights into real access and reducing unsafe abortion practices.

Lara Cassidy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. Her lab uses ancient genomes to characterise past evolutionary, demographic and social processes. Born in Ireland, she studied Human Genetics at Trinity College Dublin before undertaking a PhD in ancient genomics with Dan Bradley. Her doctoral work helped to resolve the genetic origins of the modern Irish population and uncovered major episodes of prehistoric population replacement in northwest Europe. Over time, her focus has shifted to the characterisation of more fine-grained patterns of gene flow, population size and structure in ancient societies. This work has provided new insights into the social landscapes of Neolithic Ireland, where evidence of an elite practising dynastic incest was uncovered, and Iron Age Britain, where widespread matrilocal marriage customs were characterised. Most recently, she has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant to reconstruct a thousand years of genetic and social history in three medieval Irish communities.

This article investigates the political practices related to abortion in Ecuador from their politicisation in 2006 until 2023, two years after the decriminalisation of abortion in all rape cases. We identify: (1) the discursive and embodied practices that construct and politicise the aborting body within feminist advocacy for legal, safe, and free abortion in Ecuador; (2) the effects of these practices; and (3) feminist challenges to conservative discourses that, in some cases, appropriate their rhetorical strategies. Based on participant observations of feminist demonstrations and the analysis of texts produced by Ecuadorian feminist organisations, we trace three "tactical strategies" (using Lugones' conceptualisation) that introduce different configurations of the body and propose different effects: (1) abortion as reparation, along with the notion of the victim body; (2) abortion as a right, along with the citizen body; and (3) abortion as dissidence, along with the configuration of the sovereign body. These tactical strategies need to be understood within the broader political context and evolving anti-choice forces. The coexistence of different strategies can lead to both complementary effects and friction.

X-chromosome Short Tandem Repeats (X-STR) have been utilized in forensics and population genetics studies for more than two decades, particularly in cases involving complex kinship analysis, disaster victim identification, sexual assault, and incest. Nevertheless, the genetic landscape of India remains underexplored using X-STR markers. In the present study, blood samples of 420 unrelated participants (133 females and 287 males) were analyzed from the Brahmin community of Gujarat, India. For the amplification of X-STR loci, the Investigator® Argus X-12 QS Kit was utilized. 186 unique alleles were identified, suggesting high genetic diversity of the Brahmin population. Locus DXS10135 (PIC = 0.930) was the most polymorphic, and locus DXS7423 was the least polymorphic (PIC = 0.553). On analyzing the haplotype diversity, Linkage Group-1 (LG1) was found to have the highest haplotype diversity (0.997). Notably, LG1 was also the most informative and polymorphic linkage group (PIC = 0.994), preceded by LG4 (PIC = 0.989), LG2 (PIC = 0.988), and LG3 (PIC = 0.983). Based on the allelic and haplotype frequencies, the combined estimates for PDF, PDM, MECDesmarais, MECKishida, MECKruger, and MECDesmarais duo were ≥ 0.999, demonstrating high discriminatory power of all the loci. Furthermore, inter-population phylogenetic analysis revealed high genetic affinity of Gujarat's Brahmins with other populations of the Indian subcontinent, encompassing Madhya Pradesh's Bhil tribe and Punjab's Jat Sikh. The Gujarat Brahmins also have a shorter genetic distance with other South Asian populations, including the Bangladeshi population. This research indicates that the studied X-STR markers are highly polymorphic, offering significant insights for individual identification in forensics.

Pregnancies resulting from sexual assault present complex ethical and investigative challenges, especially in cases that involve minors or individuals with intellectual disabilities. When suspect samples are unavailable, identifying whether the biological father is a close relative can substantially narrow the scope of the investigation. This study presents interpretable machine learning models to evaluate the likelihood of a consanguineous relationship between an alleged perpetrator and a victim in cases of pregnancies resulting from suspected sexual assault, using short tandem repeat (STR) profiles of the fetus or newborn and the mother. We simulated 100,000 STR profiles across four incestuous relationship scenarios: parent (father-daughter), sibling (brother-sister), grandparent (grandfather-granddaughter), and uncle (uncle-niece) scenarios. Logistic regression and decision tree models were trained using two STR-derived features: the number of homozygous loci and the number of loci matching the maternal genotype. Both models demonstrated excellent predictive performance, particularly in the parent and sibling scenarios (area under the curve >0.9). The models' interpretability ensures the transparency essential for forensic casework. This approach enables informed investigative decisions and may prevent unnecessary DNA testing, thereby improving forensic efficiency while protecting human rights.

The emergence of new political and social structures in Western and Central Europe during the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages has long been attributed to large-scale migrations. Yet emerging evidence increasingly emphasizes the role of small-group mobility in reshaping the Roman world1-3. Here we present 258 ancient genomes from the former Roman frontier of southern Germany, which we analyse alongside 2,500 ancient and 379 modern genomes. Population genetic analyses reveal a major demographic shift coinciding with the late fifth century collapse of Roman state structures, when a founding population of northern European ancestry mixed with genetically diverse Roman provincial groups. Pedigree reconstruction and filia, a method for inferring the ancestry of unsampled relatives, indicate widespread intermarriage and minimal cultural differentiation. Genetic structure persisted through the sixth century, with admixture forming a population resembling modern Central Europeans by the early seventh century. Using Chronograph to refine the chronology of genealogically linked individuals, we estimate a generation time of 28 years, life expectancies of 39.8 years for women and 43.3 years for men, high infant mortality, and a society in which nearly one quarter of children lost at least one parent by age 10, yet most still grew up with grandparents. Pedigrees further reveal a society centred on nuclear families that practiced lifelong monogamy, strict incest avoidance, flexible lineage continuation and no levirate unions, indicating continuity with Late Roman social practices that later shaped the European family.

Limited empirical investigation has explored how women engage with atypical sexuality. Some studies suggest that women may express paraphilic interests through fantasy, rather than action. The current study examined the expression of atypical sexuality on Wattpad, a popular fiction-based website whose readership is primarily female. Using 123 search terms based on a variety of sexual interests, data were collected on 102 distinct stories. A thematic analysis of the most popular stories (n = 11), ranging from 11,300,000 to 196,000,000 reads, revealed themes including masochism, exophilia, homoeroticism, age gap relationships, pseudo-incest, and coercion. The motifs that intertwined power, control, innocence, objectification, taboo, coercion, and otherness highlight the nuanced ways in which erotic desires reflect or challenge societal norms and personal boundaries. The results may not be clinically concerning in isolation; however, the cumulative effect of consuming taboo or harmful sexual content may have implications for sexual development among vulnerable audiences who may use fiction as a blueprint for understanding sexual dynamics. This exploratory study offers preliminary insights into how written erotica may serve as an outlet for female expression of atypical sexual fantasies, warranting further empirical research on paraphilic themes expressed through written media.

I offer a psychoanalytic interpretation of The Phantom of the Opera as an allegory of father-daughter incest and psychological recovery. Christine Daaé's journey illustrates the internal dynamics of trauma-denial, dissociation, and identification with the abuser-while her final confrontation with the Phantom symbolizes the reclamation of agency and selfhood. Drawing on symbolic actions such as unmasking and descent into the unconscious, the analysis explores how narrative, performance, and relational support can reflect the nonlinear process of healing. Ultimately, Christine's transformation from victim to survivor reveals the potential for integration and autonomy through insight, confrontation, and emotional truth.

Sexual abuse of children is the involvement of children or adolescents in sexual activities that he or she does not fully understand and can include exhibitionism, fondling, oral-genital contact, and rectal or vaginal penetration. By adulthood, 26% of girls and 5% of boys experience sexual abuse. It is the healthcare provider's responsibility to advise the parents unless they are suspected of abuse and enlist help from other medical specialists or child protective services. A variety of nonspecific presenting symptoms including but not limited to pain, anogenital bleeding, vaginal/urethral discharge, dysuria, urinary tract infection, sexualized behavior, and suicidality are possible. It is also common for the initial presentation of suspected sexual abuse in the absence of any physical symptoms. In such cases, it is important to be mindful that the assailant is often an individual that is close to the victim, such as a close relative or even the parent. All patients presenting within 72 hours of the suspected abuse or presenting with any concerning symptoms should be evaluated emergently, preferably by a sexual assault nurse examiner or child abuse pediatrician if available. In those presenting without symptoms and greater than 72 hours following the suspected abuse, specialized outpatient follow-up should be arranged for further evaluation and treatment. A good understanding of state-specific legislation regarding consent and treatment of minors is essential when treating victims of child sexual abuse.

There are important scientific gaps in the understanding of the role of familial dysfunction in intrafamilial child sexual abuse perpetration and victimisation. We present the findings of a systematic review and a comparative (k = 18) and prevalence (k = 39) meta-analysis of intrafamilial child sexual abuse and familial dysfunction. We compared 3676 families in which intrafamilial child sexual abuse had occurred with 1120 families in which extrafamilial and 1145 families in which no (intrafamilial) child sexual abuse had occurred. We found that families with intrafamilial child sexual abuse experienced more familial dysfunction across all domains compared to comparison families, with odds ratios ranging from 1.10 (lower educational attainment) to 5.06 (parental alcohol abuse). Families with intrafamilial child sexual abuse experienced more socio-ecological stressors (e.g., homelessness), disorganised family structures (e.g., non-intact parental structures), dysfunctional relationships (e.g., spousal conflict), nonsexual abuse (e.g., exposure to intimate partner violence), and parental vulnerabilities (e.g., mental health and substance abuse problems) than the comparison families. The prevalence meta-analysis indicated that almost half of the families with intrafamilial child sexual abuse also experienced one or more co-occurring forms of nonsexual abuse - 48 % physical abuse, 37 % emotional abuse, 34 % neglect, and 42 % exposure to intimate partner violence - and that this was significantly higher than the comparison families. The results of this meta-analysis highlight gaps and directions for further research on the role of familial dysfunction in intrafamilial child sexual abuse, and the aetiology and prognosis of polyvictimisation.

More than 80,000 US military servicewomen are stationed in states enforcing abortion bans. US Department of Defense (DOD) policies must adhere to the Hyde Amendment, which restricts abortion coverage. Little research exists regarding active-duty servicewomen's (ADSW) knowledge of these policies or their experiences accessing abortion care. This study examines the reproductive health policy knowledge and lived experiences of ADSW who have accessed abortion care.