By: Kelly Weill Five Maryland legislators could have ended a policy that forces women to share child custody with their rapists. Instead the five legislators, all men, buried the bill. Maryland is one of seven states without a law allowing women to terminate parental rights for their rapists, if their child was conceived as a result of sexual assault, according to reproductive rights organization NARAL. The state’s current policy forces survivors to negotiate child custody and adoption issues with their attacker. In a bid to update the draconian policy, Maryland Delegate Kathleen Dumais introduced legislation that would allow a woman to cut her rapist’s parental rights. But while the bill passed both Maryland’s House and Senate, the bill’s text varied between the two legislative bodies. On Monday, the last day of legislative session, a five-person negotiating group was set to decide on the bill’s final text, the Baltimore Sun reported.…

By: Joseph Wangui After venturing into male-dominated political arena in the country, women seeking elective positions in Nyeri are getting it rough due to increased physical violence and intimidation as the August General Election draws to a close. The women have complained of intimidation by their male competitors through hiring of goons and gender discrimination. Some have also suffered physical violence and destruction of their campaign materials while admitting that they are financially constrained. Ms. Ann Kanyi, who is running for Tetu parliamentary seat, is lucky to be alive following an attack by four masked men armed with metal bars and a gun at Mbaaini village. She narrated that her car was blocked from the opposite direction recently by a grey Toyota Fielder whose registration number was concealed. She said the attackers jumped out of their vehicle and smashed windows of her car before dragging her out and assaulting her.…