Group items tagged

This article discusses the actions and motives of solder-rapists. It discusses who should be held accountable and what war time rape means for political structure and gender inequality. This article allows me to further investigate the psychology of soldiers who are commanded to rape and better understand the concept of male domination. It also allows me to draw conclusions about what women suffer through the in-depth stories some of the men in this article have described.

Nordstrom, C. & Robben, A.C.G.M. 1995. Fieldwork Under Fire: Contemporary Studies of Violence and Survival." The University of California Press. "Fieldwork Under Fire: Contemporary Studies of Violence and Survival" is a collection of anthropologists first hand experiences with political violence. The essays first describe the actual experience of violence, the social and political issues that come with the violence, and the strategies individuals use to carry on with their lives in the most positive way they are able to. In particular I will use two essays; "War on the Front Lines" by Carolyn Nordstrom, and "The Croatian War Experience" by Maria B. Olujic. Both of these essays address my main topic of interest which is rape as a weapon of war. In particular they address the social implications women face after being raped. These essays will help me because they not only describe the political affair on a large scale but they get inside an even deeper problem which is gender relations and male dominance in families. These essays will help to develop my thinking on the issue and put together the pieces of this vicious cycle.

Gostin, Lawrence O., Zita Lazzarini, Diane Alexander, Allan M. Brandt, Kenneth H. Mayer and Daniel C. Silverman. 1995. "HIV Testing, Counselling and Prophylaxis Following Sexual Assault." Reproductive Health Matters 3(5, Pregnancy, Birth Control, STDs and AIDS: Promoting Safer Sex):104-116. This article is important because it looks at how HIV and rape are related in the US. It also looks at prophylaxis like another source on prophylaxis in South Africa. This is very important because it will help to give the paper a more cross-cultural approach. It argues that not enough attention has been paid to the transmission of HIV during rape because in the US the transmission rate is lower, and is thought of as lower. However, looking at the effects of the transmission in the US is just as important as looking at it in South Africa to give it a more global perspective.

This source is very valuable for my research because it is a report that attempts to recover the historic memories during the civil war in Guatemala. This volume explores the different impacts of political and sponsored state terrorism on the different social sectors of Guatemala. It discusses how the state respressed any form of sympathy or indentification with the guerilla movement. Moreover, it also focuses on violence against women during this period and especially the objectives and effects of raping women in public. This source also discusses how rape was used as a tool to communicate social and political messages and to dehumanize indigenous communities. The report also discusses the social roles through which women responded and resisted this type of violence.

This source explores the ways in which state sponsored terrorism during the civil war in Guatemala was sustained. It discusses the nature of the torture and masacres during this time. It describes the way in which soldiers were trained to masacre and rape victims and how they were mentally and physically trained to do so. This source also discusses the different goverment's sectors that participated and collaborated with the state's sponsored terrorsm.

This article shows how certain activist groups have pressured to restructure Guatemalan law regarding violence against women. It discusses how addressing rape is slowly changing with the support of international organizations and national groups. However, the article also highlights how Guatemala's corrupt government and gangs makes it hard to eradicate violence against women, where respect for women and for peace is not rooted.

Knowing how to respond to violence is as important as preventing it. This is webpage is an important resource to respond to violence against women by empowering individuals through education and training. RAINN ( Rape Abuse and Incest National Network) has an option on its website where trainings online for individuals are offered on a broad range of topics. For instance education on how to respond to cases of rape, date rape and drug-facilitated sexual assault is available. I believe that this is an outstanding source because as it is important to know about statistics and facts, it is also equally important to know how to respond to cases of violence against women or men.

I wanted to bookmark the recap because this latest episode of Criminal Minds involves so many elements of the articles we have read, as well as the class discussions. It's about a white male police officer at the Texas border who was killing illegal immigrants who were trying to cross into the US. The female sheriff was doing her best to end the murders but wasn't getting any cooperation from her deputies or the government. She ends up getting killed by the police officer because she was getting too close to solving the crimes. The deputies in the town kept wasting time by trying to pin the murders on a local gang instead of trying to find the actual murderer. Throughout the episode there was talk about how things like this are allowed to happen with little action taken by the government, which coincides with many of the articles that we have read. There was also an illegal immigrant woman who was separated from her family by the person who was helping them get across the border and he raped her, which is what the border rape article was all about.

Squires, Catherine. June, 2002. "Review: Mixed Messages" The Women's Review of Books, 19: 25-26. Retrieved April 11, 2010 (http://www.jstor.org/stable4023945). Although this is only a review of two key books, it is helpful in summarizing key information necessary to supplement my research for this paper. It allows me to note the overarching/key issues within each book, and then consider how they relate to the bigger picture of rape in film and how it affects culture and society. This was especially helpful in allowing me to narrow my search within one of the reviewed books, Watching Rape, by Sarah Projansky (of whom I found another article to use, as cited above). This review also makes observations that relate back to other sources and films I am using, such as Showgirls - discussing the foci of rape as related to the actions of white male and female characters, even when the victim herself is of color. Rather than specifically considering gender, this article questions other factors, such as race and class. Also important from this article is its consideration of perspectives and viewpoints as differing over time and through different lenses. The article overall was a helpful find in summarizing pivotal points in concise yet amazingly detailed format.

In the midst of taking a class on the different outlets of Violence Against Women, the student is often left with a better understanding of how and why rape, physical assault, murder, human trafficking, and Femicide against females occurs as well as an overwhelming feeling of helpless and hopeless. The website entitled the "Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence Against Women and Girls" is an attempt to take pro-active steps in helping the public form campaigns, educate others, seek justice, form legislation and public policy, prevent, discover where safety zones exist, and research the various locations where the violence exists. It truly takes a step in helping the public feel less helpless and asking questions of what the can do to help because it directly leads one toward the answers.

This is a horrific story that exemplifies one of the many different forms of femicide that exists throughout the world. The child marriage that commonly occurs in Yemen is motivated by dowry payment; the young girls' lives are continually jeopardized for monetary gain. Though the minimum marriage age was changed to 17 in 2009, it was repealed due to conservative pressure, further proving that social change often cannot happen without men's approval. This needs to be changed.

This story is horrendous. I often find it difficult to critique other cultural practices that are not my own because I do not want to be insensitive to their traditions and customs. However, when it comes to child welfare laws I am always disgusted that such antiquated practices are permitted in contemporary times. It's ironic because some may even view this child bride as a child who was a victim of legalized rape and made to live with her rapist/murderer. I wish there was more information regarding such practices because than I could make a stronger argument.

This story brings me back to the Economist article link i bookmarked on Gendercide today. I think the Economist makes a great overview of the problem using examples from China and India,but I think it would be interesting to add Yemen to the mix, since this is such a recent ocurrence that exemplifies the current world crisis. In China they kill baby girls who are born to have a chance at having a boy, because having a girl means that she is only good to be married off and you need a dowry for that. In Yemen, the problem is not that they are killed at birth or before birth, but that they are being married off underage and become victims of violence and in this case of murder as a result of the violence.

The page preceding this states that one in three women in the military will be sexually assaulted during their tour of duty. This number is amazing to me and it makes me wonder what life is really like for women in the military. In such a male dominated institution, the women of the military have been silenced. NOW president Kim Gandy is calling for president Barack Obama to address this issue and see that it stops.

This is a great example of our society being male dominated. How are we supposed to make change when the majority of government, law, and policy makers are men? Those involved with public service are typically those in control of delegating positions and reforming laws. It is important for the few women who are involved to raise their voices and for us, the citizens, to elect more women into office.

Before joining this class, I had knowledge of such happenings within our military, but I never had any idea the numbers were so high. I am able to acknowledge that yes these things happen, but it is hard to accept how often they occur. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an issue that is raised all the time, of men coming back from war and being so traumatized that they cannot continue on with their daily lives. In a number of movies and TV shows I have watched, soldiers coming back from war have been depicted as abusing their wives, but what about their fellow female soldiers? This is an issue that surely needs to be address now not only by the media to the public but within the government. Morgan brings up a good, but scary point of how are we suppose to change anything when those in power are men and men supporting the actions in the military by not speaking out. I do not know what the answer to this problem is, but I know that acknowledging and addressing the issue is the first step.

These advertisements portray a particular type of woman. I found that while a few are directly related to violence against women, all of them are working to perpetuate a male dominated society and an unattainable body image for most women. I'd like to note that there is a link on the left side of the page that brings you to positive ads.

While I was browsing the website, I couldn't help but think of the add we looked at in class about the shoes. Although the adds did not scream femicide I found them very similar. I understand media plays a major role in the oppression of women but I feel like the root of the problem is not the media and it is capitalism, which is a much larger picture. These adds are appealing to the majority of people and are succeeding though harmful and violent messages. I believe changing adds will help in challenging people's perception of women (I appreciated the positive adds!) but at the same time this is merely one problem and we must look at the larger picture of why this issue is happening and go to the root of the cause.

I definitely find this critically important. It reminds me of Dove's campaigns to highlight the abuse of women in advertisement. However no matter how many advocacy groups petition against this type of advertisement, we're still bombarded with these images of perfection, slenderness, sexuality and consumption. My continuous fear regards young teens and preteens who are beginning their "growing pain" period and have to stress about having "skinny hair" whatever that means. It's insane because if women our age are still highly susceptible to this form of advertisement, than imagine young girls. It's a really scary thing to think about. I just want to know how we can stop it.

This is absolutely a crazy article. The author goes into how colleges and universities are being taken over by women and are becoming unsafe for men, as they will most likely be accused of rape. The author then takes a stab at feminism by saying that schools are being taken over by feminists, which is ruining the system.

Malamuth, Neil., Briere, John. 1986. "Sexual Violence in the Media: Indirect Effects on Aggression Against Women." Journal of Social Issues 42(3):75-92 * Research done by Malamuth and Briere has shown links between violent and sexual images of women in mass media and the development of thought patterns of aggression and antisocial behavior. Within their research they tested men exposed to violent or sexual images of women in the media, as well as pornography. On such experiment was to test images in pornography men were shown three situations a rape with positive effects for the woman, a rape with negative effects for the woman, and consensual sex. The responses of the men were recorded. I find this study particularly interesting because it doesn't just show that erotic-aggressive images in pornography can cause aggression, but that it can actually alter thought patterns. This research provides a lot of information on how a culture can be formed thinking a certain way because of what they are exposed to.

Showgirls, 1995, Paul Verhoeven, dir. Crenshaw, K 1991. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics and Violence Against Women of Color." Stanford Law Review v43:1241-1299 Williams, Linda. Spring, 2003. "Showgirls & Sex Acts." Film Quarterly, 56: 40-41. Retrieved April 11, 2010 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1213965). This was a debatable film for me to use, however I ultimately decided to use it for three specific reasons. The first, I believe it shows important ideals of female support, as similar to the Bonobo primates that Sylverstein discusses. Yet I was more drawn to this female compassion - of Nomi seeking revenge for her raped friend Molly - due to its fantasy and lack of realism. Nomi seeks Molly's assaulter and fiercely kicks his face in multiple times. While this is an oddly heroic scene of just revenge, it is not realistic in its culminating consequences. For this point, Linda Williams's article is helpful in further realizing this idea. Williams discusses the vengeful Nomi as a new heroine for post-feminist film, as different from the original innocent female heroine - Nomi is not innocent and sexually naïve, quiet the opposite! Nomi is sexually literate and knows how to use her body to her best advantage, whether for violent vengeance or her own survival. However, the second issue raised is the relation of hidden powers, here as presented through fame and fortune. It is due to the rapist's elite social standing that no investigation or authorities are begun or brought in (hence the vengeance of Nomi). I will explore how this instills ideas of impunity, as discussed in many of the readings this semester (therefore I will most likely additionally use such readings as the Carey and Torres reading, etc.). One final (third) topic I will explore within the film is the fact that Molly is a woman of color. I will explore this topic in relation to topics raised by Crenshaw in her "Mapping the Margins…" Some of these to

Three sources here, but I assumed as Crenshaw was a class reading and the third source has a highlighted link I would simply put the film link as the URL.

This report is by the Comisón Para el Escalarecimiento Historico ( CEH) and it is a very valuable source for my research. It provides a historical framework of the causes of Guatemala's civil war and also information on the different ways that violence was systematized in Guatemala. This report also focuses on the violations of human rights that were comitted during this period and it focuses on the effects and causes of violence against women ( especifically rape ), which I am intrested in.

I use this entry from encyclopedia.com only to reference historical content on the Tailhook Scandal of 1991. This incident is an example of the United States military's mal-treatment and rape of female soldiers. This coincides with my topic on female soldiers involvement in armed forced.