Women at War: BBC goes indepth

The BBC has been running a series regarding the experience of women in combat this week. In the this piece the BBC attacked the problem of sexual assault in the U.S. military. It largely recalls the details of the ongoing problem but its also covers the harrowing story of soldier who faced courts martial if she reported the crime that occurred against her because she did not have here weapon with her during assault which is mandatory in a combat zone. This blame the victim mentality apparently is even common amongst women according according to a new study that that surveyed more than 1000 women in the U.K. and found that 20 percent of those surveyed blamed the victim for the assault if she had done something to precipitate it. It seems that many people including women have a lot to learn about sexual assault.

Learning No Lessons regarding the Psychological Health of Soldiers

A piece in Time Magazine this week details how the military disregarded signs of mental illness in several soldiers before the Fort Hood incident who went on to commit murder including Pfc. Steven Green. Green, you may recall, took part in one of the most infamous incidents of violence in the Iraq War when he and four other soldiers raped and murdered a 14 year old Iraqi girl. During a psychological examination Green stated that he had no hobbies "Other than killing Iraqis". One of Green's fellow soldiers, James Baker illuminated his own attitude at sentencing. The entire incident in outlined in the partially fictionalized Brian De Palma film Redacted.

Suicide and Sexual Abuse at a Navy Kennel

This is probably the most under reported military story of 2009. The investigation by Youth Radio International details the suicide of a female sailor assigned to a military working dog group with the United States Navy, Jennifer Valdivia. The piece details a sordid and complicated chain of events in which she was both the victim and perpetrator of abuse during her time in the military that ultimately led to her suicide. This story is made all the more disturbing given the role that dogs played in the Abu Gharib incident and it highlights the prevalence of hostility towards women in the military more generally.

U.N. Fails to Protect women in the Congo from rape

A new report is out from Human Rights Watch that details the deaths of more than 1,400 Congolese civilians at the hands of rebel and government forces during UN. backed operations in the eastern part of the country this year. Several thousand women were also raped by both sides as punishment for alleged collaboration with one side or the other. This is not the first time a U.N. Peace Keeping mission has failed to protect civilians.

- 1992 Militias are able to stay in control of the county of Somalia after U.N pull out.

- 1994 U.N. fails to allow its peacekeepers to intervene in Rwanda allowing for the deaths of over 800,000 Rwandans in 100 days.

- 1995 U.N. forces failed to protect the safe haven of Srebrenica, Bosnia allowing the deaths of 8,000 Bosnian men and boys.

A Peril in War Zones: Sexual Abuse by Fellow G.I.’s

This was the headline in a story that ran today in the New York Times regarding sexual misconduct and rape in the military. It is perennial problem that continues to be largely discounted by the U.S. military despite recent steps combat it. The article states according to the Pentagon that fewer than 10% of sexual assault incidents are reported. In 2005, Congresswoman Jane Harman, of the House Armed Services Committee received an unreleased Pentagon study detailing the extent of sexual misconduct in the reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces. It revealed that 27 % of male soldiers experienced what the report termed "military sexual trauma" which includes verbal harassment as well as touching and other unwanted sexual behavior. The prevalence of women experiencing the same behavior is at 60%. 3% of males reported actually having been sexually assaulted (i.e. raped, sodomized, etc) and 23 % of women reported the same. The GAO recently released a report that the article links to which details the poor implemetation of the Petagon's anti-sexual violence measures. The report also states that services for men who have been raped are almost nonexistent. This conclusion is bolstered by a 2004 Boston Globe story "Sexual Assault in the Shadows" that details how the military has labeled the male victim of rape in the military as being homosexual in the past.

Rape in Zimbabwe in order to "fix" elections

Yesterday it was revealed in a report by the non profit group Aids Free World that it had completed an investigation into allegations of rape in Zimbabwe at the hands of government backed militias. The report states that on at least 70 occasions, militiamen attached to the ruling party raped women in order suppress opposition part political activities. This strategic use of rape has been common in recent times as its perpetrators seek to instill fear in both the women and their immediate families. The living victim then gos on to serve as a reminder if the demands of the particular militia,political party, or religious authority are not met further rapes will occur in the future.

Read the full report here:

http://www.aids-freeworld.org/content/view/339/198/

Read PRI's interview with one of the Directors of Aids Free World:

http://www.theworld.org/2009/12/10/sexual-assault-in-mugabes-zimbabwe/

Women for Women Interantional

After seeing this group on the Oprah Winfrey Show, I will be donating to their cause. Their mission is to halt sexual violence in war zones and to uplift the lives of women. If you have ever read any my previous posts on sexual violence in combat zones you understand how prevalent and under reported the phenomenon is until very recently. Please go to their website and see the work that they are doing.

http://www.womenforwomen.org/

and watch the 60 minutes piece on rape in the Congo:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/60minutes/main3701249.shtml