Today I’ve decided to take a look at the BBC News site and find a few stories featuring women. Let’s see what we find….

Taser parties. 

In a downtown loft apartment in Denver, Colorado, a group of 30-something women is having a party. They joke easily with each other about men, cats and botox.

It’s more Sex and the City than Psycho, but party organiser Dana Shafman would have them believe they could easily be victims of violent crime.

She runs a company that sells Tasers, the electric stun guns used by security forces around the world.

 Rapist to serve at least 35 years.

The Judge, Mr Justice King told him [the rapist] "Your victim was particularly vulnerable. She was 14. Your attack was particularly brutal and frenzied."

Any wonder some women would go to a Taser party? Moving on…

Father jailed for rape.

A man who raped his daughter more than 30 years ago was jailed for 11 years.

11 years. She was abused for 6 years and she is "undoubtedly damaged" - so, is 11 years enough? Is that sufficient punishment?

Ex-Conservatice councillor facing sex charges.

A Conservative Party worker has appeared in court charged with sex offences and assault on girls under 16.

Stephen Mullins, 52, a member of the Norwich North Conservative Association, is charged with rape, two counts of indecent assault and two of assault.

It’s all very negative isn’t it? There’s more but I’m feeling annoyed now. These are just the ones that made the BBC site, the ones that made the headlines. It’s a huge issue and it affects us all. Yet somehow there is no 24 hour helpline, there is no adequate provision for any woman needing to report rape or assault, and then there is woefully sparse and underfunded support for that women as she recovers and comes to terms with what has happened. Want to add your name to those pushing for this situation to improve? Go on, click the link, sign the petition, it’ll take seconds. Need to know what you’re signing for?

We commend the invaluable work of Rape Crisis in bringing much needed support to people affected by sexual violence often years after the offences have taken place. We note with sadness that in 1984 there were 68 affiliated members of Rape Crisis (England and Wales) but now there are just 38 . We believe this is a failure of successive administrations and endorse the New Statesman’s campaign to secure proper funding from the government so existing Rape Crisis centres can continue their work and that new centres can open.