Rape and War

The presentation on rape and war was really sad to listen to. Rape has always appeared to be a consequence of war. What makes me really upset is when rape is used as a tool of war. Rape during war has many physical and psychological effects on the women including bruising, broken bones, genital mutilation, humiliation, and loss of worth. Communities can be torn apart by rape, because it stimulates and normalizes violence within the society. This can result in more trafficking of girls and women, food insecurities, increased orphans, increased rape in the households, and diminished feelings of community security.

There are many wars in which rape was used as a method of warfare. During the 36 year Civil War in Guatemala, the theme of the war was "pacificacion y panzificacion," i.e. kill the men and impregnate the women. A similar technique was used in the war in Bosnia. Eve Ensler does a beautiful and tragic skit in the Vagina Monologues which commemorates the women of Bosnia who were raped. Here is the skit:

MY VAGINA WAS MY VILLAGE
My vagina was green, water soft pink fields, cow mooing sun resting sweet boyfriend touching lightly with soft piece of blonde straw.
There is something between my legs. I do not know what it is. I do not know where it is. I do not touch. Not now. Not anymore. Not since.
My vagina was chatty, can’t wait, so much, so much saying words talking, can’t quit trying, can’t quit saying, oh yes, oh yes.
Not since I dream there’s a dead animal sewn in down there with thick black fishing line. And the bad dead animal smell cannot be removed. And its throat is slit and it bleeds through all my summer dresses.
My vagina singing all girl songs, all goat bell ringing songs, all wild autumn field songs, vagina songs, vagina home songs.
Not since the soldiers put a long thick rifle inside me. So cold, the steel rod canceling my heart. Don’t know whether they’re going to fire it or shove it though my spinning brain. Six of them, monstrous doctors with black masks shoving bottles up me too. There were sticks and the end of a broom.
My vagina swimming river water, clean spilling water over sun-baked stones over stone clit, clit stones over and over.
Not since I heard the skin tear and made lemon screeching sounds, not since a piece of my vagina came off in my hand, a part of the lip, now one side of the lip is completely gone.
My vagina. A live wet water village. My vagina my hometown.
Not since they took turns for seven days smelling like feces and smoked meat, they left their dirty sperm inside me. I became a river of poison and pus and all the crops died, and the fish.
My vagina a live wet water village.
They invaded it. Butchered it and burned it down. I do not touch now. Do not visit.
I live someplace else now. I don’t know where that is.

The Rape and War presentation made me aware of another war in which rape was used as a tactic of war; the current war in the Congo. The video of the raped women made me want to cry. I cannot imagine living in a country, so torn by war and rape that more than 50% of the woman have been raped. The soldiers rape girls of all ages; from 4 to 84. They are not selective.

My Grandmother grew up in Austria during WWII. She has always told me about the massive number of rapes that she heard about in the surrounding villages. After the war ended, the German and Austrian territories were occupied by the Americans, British, French, and Russians to help keep peace. My grandmother said the Russians were notorious for raping women. She lived under the French. One day a Moroccan/French soldier grabbed her by the hand as she was headed to the store and tried to pull her into an ally to rape her. She was saved by one of the other local villagers. Unfortunately, this experience caused my grandmother to construct various prejudices, and she wasn't even raped. I cannot imagine how torn a woman would be who did suffer from rape during war.