What’s Current: Doctors report surge in early puberty cases among girls during pandemic

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  • Pediatricians across the world have reported increases in precocious puberty cases, with girls as young as five developing breasts and those younger than eight starting menstruation in some reported cases. Studies link the surge to increased stress and decreased physical activity during the lockdowns. 
  • U.K. children’s charities warn that an “immediate and urgent” introduction of age verification is needed to stop children accessing extreme pornography. According to child safety experts, many pornography sites “feature depictions of practices that meet the definition of criminal standards of sexual violence, including rape.”
  • A Conservative politician being praised as the U.K.’s first “out” transgender Member of Parliament once co-owned a Sugar Daddy website which solicited financially vulnerable “boys and girls” for sexual exploitation by wealthy older men.
  • Experts warn of an ongoing trend among Australian police to misidentify perpetrators of domestic violence, incorrectly labeling women who call in for help as the “primary aggressors.”
Genevieve Gluck

Genevieve Gluck is a writer and advocate for women's sex-based rights and creator of Women's Voices, an audio library dedicated to bringing awareness to feminist texts and speeches.