Sexually Exploited Women In Conflict
By Kamala Sarup
Peace Media May 6,
From: "Peace Media" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -
Subject: Sexually Exploited Women In Conflict
"Women have to suffer torture if they are not ready for physical
contact with commanders or guerillas".
"Thousands of women were forced to join the insurgency and exploited
sexually".
"I was beaten, raped, forced to go with them. Three men raped me".
"Women's bodies have become a battleground over which opposing forces
struggle".
"Presently my husband is no more and I was sexually exploited".
"I am homeless, where can I get help to take care of my unborn child"?
Was the use of sexual violence based on ethnicity and gender paradigms?
How the use of sexual violence during the war has challenged or
reaffirmed gender paradigms in the aftermath?.
Do we have the answers to these questions? The consequences of the
above and other unmentioned and unrecorded cases are many.
Sexual Violence in Nepal's Conflict, presents evidence of the horrific
scenario during the war. Throughout the armed conflict in Nepal,
thousands of women and girls of all ages were subjected to widespread
and systematic sexual violence. Nepal's eight years long conflict has
been marked by an extraordinary level of brutal human rights abuses,
including sexual violence against women. Baburam Bhattarai has also
stated that 50 per cent cadres at the lower level, 30 per cent soldiers
and 10 per cent members of the central committee of the party are
women.
Even news report in a Nepali daily said women had to carry guns and
satisfy sexual appetites of the insurgents. According to a study
conducted by the National Women's Commission, women Maoist cadres were
sexually harassed and exploited by their male comrades. To date there
has been no accountability for the thousands of crimes of sexual
violence or other appalling human rights abuses committed during the
Maoists war in Nepal. Killing of male members of the family by both
parties (the Maoist and the police) is another way of women being
victimized.
"Recent history has seen sexual violence and rape being used
deliberately and strategically as weapons of war. If you see in Rwanda,
Somalia Peru and Congo, HIV/AIDS has been called a weapon of war. Women
who are already pregnant are forced to miscarry through violent
attacks. Women are kidnapped and used as sexual slaves to service them
and they are purposefully infected with HIV/AIDS. Even the areas of the
country where civil rights were suspended and where the security forces
found they could act with impunity, and took advantage of the situation
to rape. The gender perspective argues that men and women have diverse
experiences in conflict and peacetime, due to the heterosexual
hierarchical hegemony.
We can not forget how countless acts of violence afflicting women and
children in Nepal still persist, ranging from marital rape to pre-natal
sex selection in favour of male babies, female infanticide, sexual
abuse, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment, and sexual
exploitation, including trafficking and forced prostitution. I appeal,
therefore, to Nepalese government, civil society organizations to
promote respect for internationally recognized principles, norms and
standards of women's rights". Dr. Neeru Sharma said while speaking with
the People's Review in Washington DC.
Forceful recruitment of young women in the rebel force by the Maoist is
another serious issue in Nepal. Many young women are displaced from
their home and forced to stay out because of this threat to them at the
villages. Killing of male members of the family by both parties (the
Maoist and the police) is another way of women being victimized. The
alleged sexual abuse of women by the Maoist in the camps and sexual
violence against women by the police in the affected areas are new
problems. There has been no accountability for the thousands of crimes
of sexual violence, and a climate of impunity persists. During times of
armed conflict, additional forms of violence are perpetrated against
women by both enemy and "friendly" forces, including: Mass rape,
military sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced "marriages" and
forced pregnancies. Multiple rapes, sexual assault, resurgence of
female genital mutilation are other problems.
She further said "Supporting the victims of sexual violence is very
important. The Government should strengthen the capacity of its police
force and judicial system adequately to address cases of sexual
violence including rape and should work with the organizations and
experts to establish gender-based violence reporting procedures that
are effective, sensitive, and that protect victims. The program for
Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration must emphasize the
protection of women's rights as an integral part. We should know that
in the context of war, rape and other forms of sexual violence are
considered war crimes. Women always express fear that the war would not
end and that they would experience future attacks and abuse.
The Government of Nepal should ensure that efforts are made to
coordinate the various actors providing treatment to those who have
suffered sexual violence. The Government and other INGOs and NGOs
should support effective and culturally appropriate psychosocial
programs for those who suffered sexual violence and should ensure that
women are included in all aspects of planning for peace,
demobilization, reintegration and rebuilding and support local
organizations working to promote women's full participation and rights.
In a pluralist society such as Nepal, ensuring equal representation and
participation of all communities and guaranteeing the rights of women
and of minorities are among the most important tests of a democracy.
The lack of women in politics impacts on the style and content of
policies, which can lead to situations of conflict. Policies and
programmes need to be sensitive to the quality of life and security of
women within the camps or areas where displaced persons are
concentrated. For women who survive conflict, widowhood and the loss of
family support, for these women, peace brings no peace. Stopping the
violence, therefore, is urgent and vital.
Gabriela Mischkowski, historian and co-founder of Medica Mondiale,
Germany - a women's organization - initiated medical and psychological
care and support for women subjected to rape in the conflict in
Bosnia-Herzegovina said" Survivors of sexual violence have little
access to counseling and issues relating to their sexual and
reproductive health and rights are neglected. We found very little
attention paid to issues relating to pregnancy, abortions and sexually
transmitted infections as a consequence of sexual violence, and were
appalled at the lack of safe spaces for women to recover and defend
themselves."
In the absence of an international criminal court, major criminals like
Pol Pot and Pinochet enjoyed impunity. Apart from the Physical
consequences which range from contraction of sexually transmitted
diseases, unwanted pregnancies and the damage of reproductive organ
there are also the psychosocial consequences which if not addressed
could prove even more damaging. Women experience many types of violence
during their lives. These include: Pre-birth: Sex-selective abortion,
Physical, sexual and psychological abuse, prostitution and pornography.
Incest; sexual abuse in the workplace; rape; sexual harassment; forced
prostitution and pornography; trafficking in women; partner violence;
marital rape; partner homicide; forced pregnancy among others.
"In conflict and peace, in October 2000, the UN Security Council held a
special session devoted to the issue of Women, Peace and Security. It
was the first time that the Security Council had discussed the issue of
peace and security from a women's perspective. At this session,
Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was unanimously passed. In
situations of humanitarian emergencies caused by conflict,
environmental disaster, or by political or economic factors, attention
to women's human security, including their physical well-being and
protection of their human rights, is often neglected.
In many countries, women have already taken the initiative to reach
across the conflict divide and foster peace. In Mali and Liberia, women
joined together to collect arms. In Northern Ireland, Catholic and
Protestant women have organized community peace-building projects
together. War has displaced 35 million people worldwide; 70 percent of
these refugees and displaced persons are women according to the United
Nations.
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For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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SAVAD RAHMAN
subeditor,MADHYAMAM daily,
pooppalam, perinthalmanna,kerala,
india
cell:(91)-9846085873
