
How Britain’s controversial paedophile hotline is helping stop child abuse
Rather than shunning abusers like the rest of society, StopItNow engages with those who are a risk to children, in the hope of stopping them before it's too late. Sophie Gallagher speaks to the people on the end of the phone
Cyber-flashing is just as damaging as the ‘real world’ equivalent. When will the law catch up?
People being sent unsolicited sexual images via social media or Bluetooth drops should be entitled to justice, too
I’m 32 years old – so why am I and all my friends so worried about fertility?
We were walking along the seafront, the tide way out in the distance and unseasonably warm sunshine beating down. Everyone in the group was pregnant, except me.
This is what it’s actually like to report a rape in England in 2023. Would you?
Do the public really understand what it means to get justice? With an average of two years from report to conviction, 70% victims drop out during the process, and many more are deeply traumatised. Sophie Gallagher meets a survivor

Why women agree to sex they really don’t want
In a new film, Cat Person, based on a New Yorker viral story, we see the protagonist Margot agreeing to sex even though she wants to get up and leave. Sophie Gallagher looks at why

It’s not just you, this really is the most depressing summer ever
Autumn is a brilliant season - all knitwear, Nigel Slater, and dodgy Starbucks drinks - but I don't want to be experiencing it in August

I tried oat-zempic, the latest TikTok slimming trend – it was disgusting
Influencers claim the drink will help you lose weight, but experts say it won't work. Sophie Gallagher tested it out at home
I tried looking for ‘microjoys’ when things were rubbish. Honestly, it is life-changing
Worn down by anxiety and the state of the world, Sophie Gallagher never imagined that adopting a small shift in mindset really could help make her load feel lighter
I’ve been sent dick pics by strangers for years – this is a problem all men must fix
I don’t remember when the first one was sent. Over the years they have become so frequent that I only recall the particularly shocking ones; the 120 dick pics sent to my phone over AirDrop when I was travelling home from work on the Tube

How Men Can Be An Ally To Women In 2022
I had just managed to get a seat on the crowded underground train when my iPhone vibrated in my palm. A single notification dropped onto my screen – I’d been sent 120 pictures via AirDrop.
Consent is not enough to stop violence in the bedroom
Another name, another vigil, another news cycle, another tragedy of gender-based violence. In the last year alone the UK has seen the stories of Zara Aleena..
Five years after #MeToo, nothing has changed for women walking home at night
Zara Aleena walked everywhere. She packed her party shoes in her handbag, put her trainers on, and walked.
How can men help dismantle misogyny and violence? This book will tell you how.
How can men help dismantle misogyny? What are tangible things men can do to end male violence? What does true allyship look like?
The rise in AirTag tracking... and how women are being secretly followed
Khadijah had only been dating the man for a few weeks. The 30-year-old beautician from North Carolina, USA, had not noticed anything unusual about the situation..

Drunk Guests, Fights In The Corridor And Vomit On The Carpet: Raising A Family In A Hotel
The only home Nicolas Burns knew for the first 13 months of his life was a series of Premier Inn hotel rooms around Bristol.

'She Self-Harmed In Hospital': Friends Criticise NHS Support For Woman Who Died By Suicide
Amy Jayne Morby didn’t want to be sent home from the Royal Cornwall Hospital. She was suffering and had told staff she wanted to die.

“My life came shattering down”: how image-based sexual abuse is still going unpunished
England was two months into the first 2020 lockdown and Georgie Matthews was alone in her bedroom in Norwich. The 28-year-old had just received a private message via her professional Facebook page from an anonymous sender.

'Spiking is part of going out - so we're staying in'
Women across the UK are boycotting nightclubs this week for a so-called "Girls Night In" to highlight the issue of drink spiking - and many say they know change is needed through personal experience.

Sex, Love & Goop: Against my better judgement I enjoyed Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Netflix show
“You have total permission to have an erection”. We are less than 60 seconds into Sex, Love & Goop, and we’re watching couple Damon and Erika attempting to uncover their individual ‘sexual blueprints’. Gwyneth Paltrow’s voiceover describes them as “extraordinarily brave volunteers”, which feels like a gross understatement.

Opinion: Stop telling us how to ‘stay safe’ – male violence is a problem for men, not women
Every woman has heard the one about the ponytail. If you wear your hair tied up, rather than hanging down, it apparently makes you easier to grab from behind. So, best to think about that when you’re getting dressed.