by Artemis
Image: Wikimedia Commons
In March, a research team at the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) in Toronto, Canada, published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics. “Long Term Trends in Pediatric Self-Injury in High Income Countries” investigates 42 studies collecting data from 2000 to 2024 from over 234 million people. The studies from 12 high-income countries including Canada, the U.S., U.K., and Australia show a 2.5% yearly increase in reported self-harm cases among people aged 24 and under. There was a 3.5% yearly increase among girls and young women. Team leader Dr. Natasha Saunders, PhD., stated, “It says to us that our kids are not doing well, and if we don’t put the brakes on and do something to stop this trajectory, we’re in real trouble. This is what we’re seeing on the ground—I see it in my practice at the hospital; we see it on the pediatrics wards.” She states many more self-harm without presenting to healthcare. Sufferers cite stressful world events, social media pressures, and distressing online content as factors along with online glamorization of self-harm and suicide. Researchers say it helps to learn coping strategies and be aware that heightened emotions are temporary. Australia’s recent social media ban for those under age 16 may help, but it is too early to tell.
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On April 10, the UK Parliament added amendments to its Crime and Policing Bill, expected to pass into law this year. It bans anyone from possessing or publishing online pornography depicting incest—including between step or foster relatives—where one person is pretending to be under 18. It also bans all online depictions of adults roleplaying as children. Some Members of Parliament (MPs) did not support the amendment, claiming banning depictions of step-incest may be unenforceable. It was only added when a “significant number” of female MPs “threatened rebellion.” Each new offense has a maximum penalty of five years. Parliament is considering another amendment holding tech executives personally liable if platforms fail to remove intimate images shared without consent. Previously, the UK banned online pornography depicting strangulation and apps that make a person appear nude in a photo. These are part of the government’s promise to halve violence against women within a decade. Tracy Gilbert, a Labor MP, said it is a “victory for the survivors who have bravely called for these reforms.”
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For several years, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was required to report the number of pregnant women in its facilities to Congress twice a year. It stopped reporting when the mandate expired in 2024. When some Congress members demanded information on women in detention, including the number of pregnancies and births in custody, ICE ignored them. ICE also failed to investigate detainees’ reports of sexual abuse. Forty-six people have died in ICE custody since the start of Trump’s second term, the highest number in two decades. Human rights groups including the ACLU and the National Immigration Project interviewed women in ICE custody. They found a pattern of knowingly arresting pregnant women, even domestic abuse survivors. ICE deprives detainees, including pregnant women, of medical care and adequate food and water. They are shackled while miscarrying or giving birth. Pregnant minors—some as young as 12 and at least half of whom have been raped—are sent to a facility in San Benito, Texas, where abortion is illegal, forcing them to give birth. According to international human rights standards and ICE’s own policy, pregnant women should rarely be detained, and only in exceptional cases. The organizations wrote to Congress demanding the release of pregnant and postpartum detainees.