Femicide

Femicide is defined as a conflict or war launched on the backs of women. The Republic of Congo is an excellent example-Juarez would also be an excellent example.

Especially in sub-saharan Africa, rape is very effective at destroying communities and families simply because those who are raped are ostracized. So when you rape with impunity every female from infant to say 80 years old, you will break the back of several generations.

The question becomes then why is this allowed to continue in Africa when it was recognized immediately and was diffused by pressure of the world wide community in some place like Bosnia.

It is time to ask yourself why-if you have not thought about it because it is outside of the US, then please consider giving it some thought because apathy to this situation as it is experienced daily by MILLIONS of women can only wash back onto our shores. We are in a unique time in our history-the question of race and racism is wide open because of the run for the White House...it is time for us, imo, as a leading nation to refuse to stand-by while this continues unchecked.

Some stories if you can stand to read them:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/10/15/congo.women/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/07/congo.woman/index.html?iref=newssearch
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/11/16/congo.camps/index.html#cnnSTCText

These are our sisters, our daughters, our mothers...Mods feel free to move if you believe this does not belong here!

Peace

I remember when the Yugoslav war was going on in the early 90's, it was common for Serb forces to rape the Croatian women, many of whom were Muslim. In their tradition, being raped is considered to be the fault of the victim more than the perp, and just like these women from the Congo, they would be cast out by their husbands. And a child resulting from rape was considered second-class. Rape was used as a weapon to try to destabilize the entire region.

once again women and girls are just disposable in so many societies.
it breaks my heart to read things like this.

You say "women are disposable in so many societies". Ok, but while the women get raped, the men get shot to death. Which sex is more disposable?

In many societies women are viewed as disposable. A woman who has been raped will be kicked out of her husbands home because she has been tainted, in some countries that woman will be stoned to death.

Female Genital Mutilation is used to either remove the clitoris so a woman will have no pleasure during sex, other mutilations go as fas as to actually sew the vagina shut only to pull or rip the stitches out when her husband wants to have sex. These are all used as methods of control and to ensure that woman do not cheat on their husbands although it is perfectly okay for the man to have sex with whoever he wants.

Women, especially in some African and Arab countries are second-class citizens. THere is a difference between a man being shot while fighting in a war and a group of LITTLE GIRLS and their mothers being gangraped for hours and hours by dozens of men to the point where their bodies are so ravaged they develop fistula and cannot control their bodily functions. Many times this is done with their husbands present being forced to watch which I am sure is awful for them but there is such a high percentage of homeless women in war torn countries especially in Darfur, the Congo, Sudan because after the rape many of the husband will turn their bleeding daughters and wives away because they are now unclean.
Some place are doing great things for the wandering women like Eve Ensler and her City of Hope. City of Hope is one of the very, very few places in sub-saharan Africa that is a haven for women who have been victims and have no where to go. There is only one doctor on staff who is willing to perform the hundreds of operations these women need for Fistula. Ensler and many other humanitarian groups have been begging the US, the UN and other world organizations to mobilize and do something to help these women trapped in war torn countries - wars which are being waged and fought by men:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/an-open-letter-to-kofi-an_b_6400.html

http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2007/08/rape-in-the-congo

http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/press/media/0402181

http://newsite.vday.org/drcongo

The dozens of women that have been murdered in Juarez goes uninvestigated because these womens lives do not hold much value in a male dominated society.

You can go right ahead fooling yourself that there are not countries in this world where women are completely disposable, they are an object, something the man owns and if he decides he is done with her, her life essentially ends. She will never be able to marry again. Women cannot work in the countries, they cannot have an education, they are being brutalized as a result of being caught in the middle of a war they did nothing to create and hardly anyone in the Western world is paying attention because there is nothing for us to gain for helping these women.

There are two words that could easily remedy a plague that is raging over here - EDUCATE YOURSELF.

The world is a much bigger place than just the country you live in.

I have read many of these stories featured in magazines. It saddens me that the family these women have will completely turn them away from being the victim of rape. I am thankful we do not live in a society where our rapists will get no punishment. Our families are there for us. I pray for these women. I know more light is being shone upon this problem and clinics and homes are becoming available for these women and girls who no longer have a home.

Femicide also includes the killing of women who are lesbians, babies who are born girls, honor killings, and the killing of women on a cultural basis.

So if you look at some countries, the killing of a couple is culturally based. Also when a male is valued more then a female baby that again is culturally based.

Honor killings, well that speaks for itself.

So it is not only conflict and or war launched on the back of women, it is the killing of any female due to conflict, war, and on a cultural basis.

The killing of any female due to her gender is femicide. Until women are 100% equal in all cultures, then femicide is not going to go away.

One of the reasons why men are valued over women in some countries, is that when a women marries, she becomes the property of her husband and his family.

Parmenides said:

You say "women are disposable in so many societies". Ok, but while the women get raped, the men get shot to death. Which sex is more disposable?

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The difference between a woman being raped and a man being shot is that the woman is targeted simply because of her gender. When innocent little girls are being raped, it's really hard to compare that to war violence. In some ways, being raped (especially in a culture with this attitude towards rape) can be worse than dying in war violence. The social ostracism and subsequent violence that occurs is devastating on a massive scale.

Like gaia227 said, educate yourself on the act of rape and how it's used in war.

I believe this epidemic occurs in the United States as well, admittedly, on a much smaller scale. Women are raped and murdered for being women--for rejecting sex, for choosing to date someone else, sometimes just for being out there in public, existing.

The difference is, there is justice in this country for those who wish to rape and murder women. And I also think it's our duty to help spread justice to places that have none.

PamBeesly said:

I believe this epidemic occurs in the United States as well, admittedly, on a much smaller scale. Women are raped and murdered for being women--for rejecting sex, for choosing to date someone else, sometimes just for being out there in public, existing.

The difference is, there is justice in this country for those who wish to rape and murder women. And I also think it's our duty to help spread justice to places that have none.

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Absolutely. There are very obvious differences because rape is a crime here and men (sometimes women) are punished. Unfortunately many rapists are let out of prison after only serving very short sentences. There is something wrong with even our views about a woman's worth in this country when a man is let out of prison after 2, 3, 4 yrs sometimes not even that long and someone who was selling an ounce of pot will remain in longer.

The stigma of being raped is still very prevalent here and many rapes go un-reported because women have been taught to believe that it must have been their fault. There is a thread in the Jury Room about crimes that have effected us personally and someone shared that she was raped but was told by her own mother that it was her fault for being a lone with a man. That idea is still prevalent.

There is still gender discrimination in the western world, there are men who believe they are the superior sex, there are women who are raped and murdered because they are women, not given equal pay and equal rights in the workplace, sexual harrassment in the work place being ignored, etc, etc. Cyber Law was right by saying that until women are considered 100% equal to men that femicide will not go away. And even here I don't think woman are considered 100% equal to men - obvioulsy much, much, much more progressive than what is happening elsewhere but still not on a totally equal playing ground.

to those of you who are keeping this debate going in a thoughtful respectful manner.

To a few of the points-yes men are shot during conflict but there is no shame associated with dying in a war or armed conflict. There is no stigma and your suffering is over.

With systematic rape the victim survives physically even if a piece of their soul dies...their body might continue to function, even if they have a fistula as a result of the violence done to them. Their culture rejects them as soiled-it lasts forever.

believe09 said:

to those of you who are keeping this debate going in a thoughtful respectful manner.

To a few of the points-yes men are shot during conflict but there is no shame associated with dying in a war or armed conflict. There is no stigma and your suffering is over.

With systematic rape the victim survives physically even if a piece of their soul dies...their body might continue to function, even if they have a fistula as a result of the violence done to them. Their culture rejects them as soiled-it lasts forever.

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AGREED. Men who die in war/conflict are "heroes".
Women who suffer systematic rape are scorned, often by their own families.

So glad you brought up Juarez, too. I was completely oblivious to the horrors that go on there until hubby was stationed at Ft. Bliss. EVERY NIGHT it seems there was something on the local news...most victims there were single and lived with their parents...and it's almost accepted as part of life there. It was bad enough that I only made 2 trips across the border while we were there (and I ain't no shrinking violet), with husband and sans kids both times. It's a fun place as long as you're not a germaphobe, but the crime is almost palpable. I think a lot of people would be shocked to know that such crimes are tolerated not just in far away lands, but by our close neighbors to the south...

So...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for bringing this horrible reality into the light....:clap:

GOOD LINK about rape/murder of women in Juarez.

http://www.libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Lat_Mexico_Juarez_Femicide.htm

women are disposable all over the world. in africa men refuse to use condoms then rape baby girls 2 and under because they believe having sex with a virgin will cure aids.
in china baby girls are still left in garbage dumps as soon as they are born because female children are less valuable than male.
all over the world women need those of us with freedom to stand up for them, and give them the voice their own societies refuse to give them.

SweetDreamOfYou said:

women are disposable all over the world. in africa men refuse to use condoms then rape baby girls 2 and under because they believe having sex with a virgin will cure aids.
in china baby girls are still left in garbage dumps as soon as they are born because female children are less valuable than male.
all over the world women need those of us with freedom to stand up for them, and give them the voice their own societies refuse to give them.

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Ditto-this is why I started the thread because I cannot for the life of me understand why we are not all standing shoulder to shoulder on this one..Eve Ensler is one of the authors of one of the articles...these women are being robbed of their very WOMANESS-the ability to bear children, to nurture, to heal and teach and grow....it is MADDENING. And no one in any position of authority is saying STOP NOW. The markets may be unstable, but the US is far from losing it's status as a major player in the world...COME ON. SAY NO. This is a 911 call...we need underdeveloped nations in our pocket-the old world has become skeptical of us, so we need to start our influence peddling elsewhere-these countries that are perpetrating these crimes are IMPLODING...let's help set them on the right path. jmo

SweetDreamOfYou said:

women are disposable all over the world. in africa men refuse to use condoms then rape baby girls 2 and under because they believe having sex with a virgin will cure aids.

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While reading this thread, I was going to type the same thing until I saw your post. :clap:

Always_Watching said:

While reading this thread, I was going to type the same thing until I saw your post. :clap:

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ty
i spent my childhood with a hushed voice. when i grew up i learned to scream and i tend to use my voice for anyone that doesn't have one of their own now.
the mistreatment of women and girls or children in general now is one of my biggest causes.
i am glad to see so many people are aware of the cause now.

SweetDreamOfYou said:

ty
i spent my childhood with a hushed voice. when i grew up i learned to scream and i tend to use my voice for anyone that doesn't have one of their own now.
the mistreatment of women and girls or children in general now is one of my biggest causes.
i am glad to see so many people are aware of the cause now.

Click to expand...

I don't remember exactly where I read this, but I think it might have been in a college sexuality class that dealt with "traditions" in various cultures. We had to do a paper and that was one of the things I found.

Now this isn't killing or maiming, but there's a tribe that believes female menses will kill the men so they make the women stay downhill in a menses hut for the duration of their cycle.

Always_Watching said:

I don't remember exactly where I read this, but I think it might have been in a college sexuality class that dealt with "traditions" in various cultures. We had to do a paper and that was one of the things I found.

Now this isn't killing or maiming, but there's a tribe that believes female menses will kill the men so they make the women stay downhill in a menses hut for the duration of their cycle.

Click to expand...

lol i know a couple men that have narrowly escaped mine. sorry couldn't resist.

Nice article in the NY Times about rape in the DRC.

http://newsite.vday.org/node/1167