Long Term Effects of Rape as a Weapon of War
Dear Esteemed Readers,
Appologies and thanks for your patience, while I have been busy on other projects traveling, thus not giving the Children’s blog my full attention. However I wanted to report back to you that my trip to Budapest, Hungary was a success, I attended the 7th Annual Conference on Violence and the Contexts of Hostility, where I sat and presented on the panel on Sex, Sexuality and Violence
My paper was, Rape as a Weapon of War: The Long Term Effects on Victims and Society (See link to full paper below). The theme of this conference was on ‘Violence, Victims and Others -Understanding violence by understanding the impact it has on its victims.’ The paper studies the use of rape as a tool of war, including the short and long term effects it has on the individual, as well as the societal and political future of a country.
The paper looks at the following key questions: Does rape as a tool of war leave a country with less chance of a solid and stable political future? What are the long term effects on the society as a whole? What are the ongoing effects of stigmatizing, victims, including a look into the effects of marriages among victims. This will also entails looking at the inequality and gender discrimination women face in times of war, including social exclusion, and how this symbolic form of violence affects that marginalization in the future and in times of peace. What promotes an individual to use rape as a tool of war, and what are key motivating factors? What function does rape have in modern day warfare, and how does it compare in a historical perspective? The paper concludes with recommendations on for more in depth analysis and studies on primary and secondary victims, as well as the rapist. These recommendations lead into how to work towards a sustainable end to the use of rape as a weapon of war.
Please see the following link to Download Conference Paper, but stay tuned as I will be doing a more in depth study and more extensive paper which I hope to have released for publication in the coming months.
Again thank you for your readership and support.
Cassandra
August 14th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Hello,
I have worked in the field and would love to read your full report, but it’s not allowing me to open it.
I’d also like to know how this issue effects the South West Asia and North Africa region. Have you written on that specific region before?
With Much Appreciation,
Lucy DerTavitian
August 25th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Dear Ms. DerTavitian,
Thank you very much for your readership of the Children’s blog, as well as your interest in my research on the use of Rape as a Weapon of War. The link seems to have been corrupted, so I apologize for any inconvenience, however I have now repaired it and you should have no further issues downloading the conference paper. There will be a shorter and more edited version in an upcoming e-book.
The paper looks at the issue on the whole, and while I do use some case studies, I do not focus on a particular region. In regards to the use of rape as a weapon of war in South West Asia and North Africa, I have not personally don regionally focused work. The use of rape as a weapon has been significant in countries in the regions, such as Sudan and Afghanistan.
I would be happy to discuss the use of rape in any specific countries or region with you, therefore please feel free to e-mail me directly at cassandra.clifford@gmail.com if you have any questions on the paper or the topic itself.
Best Regards,
Cassandra