Gender And Genocide

In the article entitled “The Longest War” from her 2014 book “Men Explain Things to Me”, Rebecca Solnit speaks about the issues surrounding the subject of male violence. She vehemently writes about how the plethora of male violence is being directed solely at women. She explains that a multitude of innocent women around the world are being abused by men. The amount of male violence taking place around the world is staggering; so much of it is happening everywhere. Solnit states the male gender is responsible for the deluge of violence, and that women in all parts of the world emotionally and physically suffer from it.

For many decades, women have experienced all forms of oppression and constant violence that threatened their existence in the male-dominated society. Various forms of discrimination and oppression have been directed to women for decades. Violence directed at women such as rape and battery were seen and treated as isolated scenarios. However, as the need to foster gender equality took pace, such oppressive actions are now perceived as elements of a wider system of dominance in the society that that needs to be addressed as a whole rather than in singularity

Throughout history, women have continuously found themselves as the subjects of oppression. Although the treatment of women has drastically changed over time, women are still exposed to much of the violence that exists today. Per the National Organization for Women, “young women, low-income women and some minorities are disproportionately victims of domestic violence and rape” (National Organization for Women, 2016). Women-centered violence is highly prevalent and reoccurring all over the world, even in our local communities. Individuals may be hesitant to consider just how much violence against women affects their communities.

Another negative effect of gender inequality is the increased fear of violence for women. Women are often portrayed as weak and helpless beings that can easily be taken advantage of. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states that, “Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence –yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned” (Unite to End Violence Againist Women, 2006). Violence against women in the form of rape, spousal abuse, child abuse or spousal killing has become routine behavior over the years, so it rarely even makes the news anymore. “Women aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, motor accidents, war and malaria, according to World Bank data”( Unite to End Violence Againist Women, 2006). Women are often blamed and questioned about their actions if they become the

In “The Longest War,” Rebecca Solnit discusses the vast amount of violence against women and how violence affects women. To begin with, she provides some stark facts: it is statistically proven the male population is more violent than women (522). Additionally, rape takes place more often than the average person knows. This is problematic because violence derives from the need for power and control. Women cannot simply “get out” of violence because of a man’s desire for power over the situation.

In Pakistan, thousands of women are dying each year because they are being accused of dishonoring their families. “The reason is rooted in sexual inequality in such countries,” Terence McCoy insists. Individuals are killing just women, and a genocide is not technically being committed because sex is not protected under the UN’s definition. Not only should the UN change its definition of genocide to include sex, but also it should change its definition to include age.

Barbara Perry’s article “Doing Gender and Doing Gender Inappropriately” addresses violence and gender, and how gender is influenced through the way it is perceived in society. The construction of gender comes in polar extremes, with masculine dominant men and feminine subordinate women. Gendered violence is used to control women as a class. It is a systematic tool used by men to reinforce gender norms and patriarchal ideas of masculine superiority and feminine inferiority. It “terrorizes the collective by victimizing the individual”. Like any dichotomy, it has scripts, and to deviate from these scripts will leave you labeled as ‘unnatural’ and ‘immoral’. These scripts “constrain everything from modes of dress and social roles to ways of expressing emotion and sexual desire”. In Judith Lorber’s “A World Without Gender” we are introduced to the possibility of eliminating gender and how “degendering [would] undercut the patriarchal and oppressive structure of Western Societies”.

“In the patriarchal societies found in many developing countries, gender roles are strictly defined” (Johnson 2014). “Survivors are often assumed to be gay which is a crime in 38 of 53 African nations…” (Johnson 2014). Many doctors in third-world countries are not educated enough to recognize the signs of sexual assault in men, which limits the resources and help that they can obtain. Comparing the experiences in South Africa, we will now turn our attention to a study done by ______, where the focus was on the gender-based violence that often ensues during wartime and how it defines masculinity in the Middle-East, more specifically Egypt. “Deep social stigma and shame about sexual assault [prevents] both women and men from reporting such incidents” (Tadros 2016: 324). “In international criminal investigations, men’s experiences were often obscured by terms such as abuse, torture, or mutilation” (Tadros 2016: 326). “…male and female victims are affected differently by societal notions of masculinity and

These shows that most of time males are the victims of assaults not females. According to Russell Wynne in his article "Sexual Violence against Men and Boys," Sexualised violence against men and boys can emerge in any form of conflict – from interstate wars to civil wars to localised conflicts – and in any cultural context. Both men and boys are vulnerable in conflict settings and in countries of asylum alike. Both adult men and boys are most vulnerable to sexual violence in detention. In some places over 50% of detainees reportedly experience sexualised torture. However, both adult men and boys are also vulnerable during military operations in civilian areas and in situations of military conscription or abduction into paramilitary forces. Boys, meanwhile, are also highly vulnerable in refugee/IDP settings. He also starts with a wonderful quote “It is well known that armed conflict and sexual violence against women and girls often go hand in hand. What is less widely recognised is that armed conflict and its aftermath also bring sexual danger for men and boys.” This explains that society considers sexual violence against women’s and girls more rapidly than that of men’s and

Gender is an often a contentious term, feminist scholars have introduced this vital term to the language of international relations. Since its inception, gender is most prominent in distinguishing the differences between male and female, however it has articulated different interpretations by both parties in different realms of thought. The duration of this paper will help to explore the different definitions of gender and its associations with the practices of war. This paper will look into how power is used as a gendering tool to exert ones dominance over the other, with a close look at how rape is used as a tactical tool for warfare. As society portrays women as vulnerable, helpless victims, this paper seeks to look into how power can influence women as the perpetrator but also an option for resolution in conflict.

Marino, Anthony. "Mass Rape of Women Can Be a Form of Genocide." Gendercide. Ed. `Noah Berlatsky. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Bosnia v. Serbia and the Status of Rape as Genocide Under International Law." Boston University International Law Journal 27.205 (2009). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 28 Oct.

Women between the ages of 15 to 44 are at a greater risk of rape than cancer, malaria and a motor accident (Wood, 2009). According to Amnesty International (2014), 40 women are raped everyday in South Kivu regarding the on-going armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sexual violence during armed conflict has historically been known as one of the legitimate spoils of war (Brown, 2011). Spoils of war result from defeating a population and claiming benefits due to its instability. Thus violence towards civilian’s asserts dominance, however the implications involved must be rooted to deeper consequences to a nation. In this essay I will argue that rape is perpetrated against women

Sexual Abuse is known to occur among any relationship, race, sex, and gender, including male victims and homosexual couples. When rape is committed, authorities do what’s possible in order to seek justice. However, when the authoritative ones are those whom commit the crime, it is nearly impossible to seek justice. In the military forces, rape is the main issue among the soldiers and the authority figures. Although men are victimized in several cases, women constantly suffer from unjustified rape. Participating in sexual assaults are led due to external theories of gender construction, such as the Social-Learning Theory, supporting the influence of patriarchy (Barbara F. McManus, pt. 3). Male authorities allow corruption of the military forces against rape, initiating obstacles towards the justice for women.

Challenge: Gender-based violence often connotes a culture of deep division between male and female. Handled poorly, the divisions and the hatred deepen, instead of providing chances to understand.

Genocide is an ancient old crime.Genocides in prehistory were often organised not just to eliminate enemy ethnicities, but to integrate and exploit their representatives. It was children and women who were spared the killings. They were seen as the group least able to retaliate, and as parents of offspring for the central group.By contrast, males were often killed. The roots of gender-cideagainst men and boys are