Angelina Jolie is going to be in London all week for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, a summit she is co-hosting with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, her new BFF. Hague has introduced her to Prime Minister David Cameron before – a few months ago, Hague took Angelina to Downing Street for breakfast or brunch, and he brought her to Downing Street again for the kick-off of the summit. Cameron even tweeted a photo from the meeting (the comments on this tweet are crazy/funny/sad).
Angelina Jolie and @WilliamJHague tell me about ending sexual violence in conflict. #TimeToAct pic.twitter.com/DkTWZffslR
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) June 10, 2014
To coincide with the opening of the summit, Hague and Jolie coauthored an op-ed in The Express Tribune, which you can read here. Here’s part of the op-ed:
Imagine witnessing a member of your family taken from your home by armed men and raped, or sold into sexual slavery, or imprisoned and tortured sexually. Imagine that happening to tens of thousands of other women, men and children in your country, for years on end, and living in that dangerous and traumatic environment. And imagine how you would feel if the rapists were allowed to walk free for the rest of their lives.
This is the reality for millions of survivors of war zone sexual violence and the reason for our campaign.
We came together because of our closeness to one particular country, Bosnia. There, up to 50,000 women and an unknown number of men were raped during four years of conflict. Bosnia is in the heart of Europe, the world’s most stable and peaceful region. But 20 years have passed without justice for the vast majority of those victims.
Rape has been used as a weapon of war repeatedly in our lifetimes, on every continent and in every major conflict. It has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with power and the desire to conquer and humiliate.
….We’ve joined forces because we share several unshakeable convictions.
First, we are convinced that rape and sexual violence are not inevitable, but a deliberate tactic of war that can be deterred, prevented and punished.
Second, we believe the fundamental issue is justice. Each time these crimes happen and the world does nothing, a precedent is set that sexual violence can be used with impunity: whether the victims are schoolgirls in Nigeria or refugees in Syria.
Third, this is a moral responsibility. No country can say they believe in human rights and choose to turn a blind eye to sexual violence in conflict. But it is also a vital foreign policy issue, fuelling instability and conflict. Ending it is a national security imperative.
Fourth, while men and boys are also victims, sexual violence in conflict is holding back the rights of women everywhere. Each day we read of the suffering of women at the hands of abusive husbands or draconian legal systems. If we can shatter impunity for sexual violence in conflict, then we can accelerate a change in attitudes towards women in many other settings.
Fifth, we both refuse to accept that sexual violence in conflict is a problem that is simply too vast and complex to be tackled. Much the same thing was said about the slave trade, or about banning the illegal arms trade. When public opinion is roused and governments stir themselves, change can be rapid.
They go on to list what their tangible goals are for this summit, and for the future of ending sexual assault in conflict zones. They want every country to endorse the “Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.” They plan to launch the first-even international protocol for documenting and investigating sexual violence in conflict (which is huge and likely the most important part of this summit). They want soldiers and peacekeepers to receive training on how to understand and prevent warzone sexual violence. And they want funding. Lots of funding.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet and Pacific Coast News.
Damn. She’s good.
yeah, at the risk of sounding cliche, I was going to say “you go, girl”.
it’s wonderful that she does things like this.
At talking, yes, but nothing will change. As long as there is human conflict there will be rape in conflict and as long as there are awkward governments to overthrow, bananas to be grown and oil to be drilled there will be conflict. Summits like these are merely a smokescreen to make it look like something is being done, anything but what needs to be.
And it’s interesting that she seems so ignorant about the slave trade, given her position. There are 27 MILLION slaves in the world, right at this moment, far more than were ever transported from Africa to the colonies. An ambassador for refugees should know that!
What is she supposed to do? Like I get what you’re saying but on the other hand, she can’t stop them physically herself.
I think she’s quite idealistic and doesn’t belong in such politics (high-minded rhetoric coupled with empty ideas and gestures) but at least her convictions are strong and her heart is in the right place. She actually goes to camps and does the gritty work, she’s wasted on those suits imo.
Why don’t you give them a chance before you put down everything they’re trying to do. By your way of thinking we do nothing and let these disgusting pigs carry on doing whatever they want.
@ Tapioca
” Summits like these are merely a smokescreen to make it look like something is being done, anything but what needs to be.”
It makes me sad to agree with you, but I do. I read that this summit cost 6 million pounds — and I agree with Kaiser, “And they want funding. Lots of funding. ”
Who will be trusted to distribute the money? How will they distribute it? How much will be paid to administrative staff? What percentage will actually go towards the cause? These are the things that need to be made clear.
Sigh. Giving attention to positive action on one issue,doesn’t mean that other evils are less important. That’s why we all need to do our part. Angie can’t do it all.
Cecilia:
Don’t be too sad.
Let’s hope that that the high visibility of this campaign will make it hard for it to disappear from view if it falters. And if it falters, then let’s just fail better next time. The thing is to get going, and keep going, regardless of pettifogging ifs and buts.
OK I get it DO NOTHING and teach your children to DO NOTHING
Oh but make sure you always look fashionable.
I bow to her. She’s doing exactly what she’s supposed to do. Using her celebrity for good. Makes me proud
@ Cecelia
Where did you read the cost of the summit?
WH announced at the summit that GB would be adding a further 6 million to the rape victims, maybe your confused with this figure.
Word!
I can’t get behind this 100% for various reasons……but an interesting thing I’ll say is that a substantial amount of people seem to believe that getting raped is worse than being murdered and I find that thought process horrifically wrong. I’m sure 99% of decent mothers would LOVE to be raped rather than murdered if it means they can be around to raise their children even just for one more day.
“would LOVE to be raped” — seriously?! I don’t know a person who would “LOVE” to be raped or murdered.
@ Mari
You show a weak mind with your comment. I recommend researching other cultures and religions before babbling on.
The great societies, Matriarchies, hold any violence against a woman as the worst of crimes. The theory/reality being that any crime against a woman creates a neurosis that is felt and experienced by her children. The price of harming a woman is TWICE that of a harming a man ~ One punishment is for the crime against her, and a second punishment is for the harm he has done to her children through her suffering. So, death and rape are the same to these superior cultures, rape actually being considered worse.
I could write a thesis on this, but I’ll simply quote Pocahontas “All must die. ‘Tis enough that the child lives.” In her culture death was understood to be inevitable. She would not have fretted about leaving her child knowing others, and the child’s own nature, would be enough for him to survive.
Very advanced thinking for what Europeans/Christens called primitive people.
I think that’s an incredibly sweeping statement.
I understand your thinking and at first glance I appreciate a lot of people may initially think this, but some of the crimes endured by these women and children and unthinkable. Ineffable, just thinking about it makes my blood boil and my stomach churn.
My parents used to work with survivors of sexual assault, and depending on the kind of person you are and what kind of outlook you have, having that kind of crime happen to you – leaving you seemingly powerless and terrified, and remaining that way indefinitely for the rest of your natural life for some victims – is something some people can’t live with.
Rape and murder are horrific, evil crimes committed by the scum of the earth, but I sometimes think it’s like comparing apples and oranges. It’s exceedingly difficult to proclaim one worse than the other.
To say 99% of decent – seriously ‘decent mothers’? – would ‘love’ to be raped as opposed to murdered is something that hasn’t been thought through clearly.
Okay, my comment includes some horrible details but here it goes:’
Just out of curiosity: Why can’t you get behind it? I commented further down below about a very powerful documentary about war rape that I once saw. They discussed how rape was used as a tool in war to break down small village societies. How they forced fathers and husbands to watch what they did to the children and wives, and in some horrific instances even forced family members to participate I’m not attacking you, I’m just wondering… Because your reply sort of indicates that one of the reasons is because murder is worse?
I’m not familiar with usernames here, so I will have to assume the OP is a troll or simply an idiot (or both).
What??? I’ll forget I just read that. I want to put it out there that I am thankful to Angelina Jolie for doing this to help women all over the world. She’s using her celebrity to make positive change and that is a beautiful thing. Keep up the good work, Angelina. We appreciate what you are doing!
Surely, the evil of sexual violence as a weapon of war is that thousands of women ARE forced to choose rape over death? Isn’t that actually the point?
And, on the African continent, there’s also child abuse to consider. Children are enslaved and kidnapped, then subjected to enforced drug addiction, then forced to fight as child soldiers – and by fight, I include rape, since rape is a weapon of war.
“99% of decent mothers” would prefer this not to happen to their children – so in this case, should they choose death when militia come along to take them at gunpoint? It’s a non sequitur; a straw man.
You seem to think this campaign is saying war and killing is ok and only rape is not, when nothing could be further from its aims.
Your comment makes it even more obvious why is this campaign important.
No woman, no child, no man should have to choose between rape or murder! To compare two horrible things in which is worse makes no sense (and attending the rate of suicide in rape victims should be enough to understand it).
The problem lies exactly in people believing that everything is “acceptable” in a war zone (and forgettable after the war ends). That’s why cases like the one exposed by Kathryn Bolkovac happened in the first place.
@Mari ..Completely tone deaf, callous and immensely unthoughtful post. I am restraining myself from responding with harsher words.
I think there are very valid concerns over the track records of these kinds of summits, the economy they generate, where they are inevitably located (clue; Europe) and the unresponsive systems they create. Its a discussion that probably wont happen here but thats fine, thats what hard news sites are for.
What I MUST address now is your concept of rape and what it means to be raped………. and by that I mean “allow yourself to be raped” (which is how it is understood within patriarchy in many conflict zones). I was born in one such place so let me school you abit.
It is a weapon of war, therefore it is intended to break your body, your mind and your spirit. It is consistent and unabating with no hope of justice, there are no police and even if there were, the violation of our bodies is not a priority. Where female sexuality is rigidly policed by the culture, your rape strips you of “innocence” and turns you an outsider in your own community. Your male family members will almost certainly disown you. Your female family members may do so too. You become unamarriegable. Woe betide you if you should fall pregnant off that rape. You must now find a way to feed the product of your assault without the social support you ought to have. You will have no PTSD therapy. You will have no social saftey nets. And if the factions in the conflict are drawn from opposing ethnic groups, you are now carrying the “seed of the enemy”. That makes you not just an outsider but now the enemy by extension. And should you decide to terminate the pregnancy then there is bound to be some unhelpful moralist screaming “murderer!” in your ear for the rest of your life. So yes, many women chose death over this life. Can you blame them?
This is exactly why this topic needs to be brought out. Look at how we are all reacting to it, and most of us will never (thank god) have to directly experince this. I see what@ Jojoann is saying, and I can’t imagine the horror-the complete decimation of self-that occurs when this happens. Anyone, including AJ, who is asking the world to look at this and see the evil, and do something, anything to try and stop it-is doing something good. Honestly, the key to the regeneration of a country is how the women are treated. Most 3rd world countries that treat women like chattel are still stuck in the middle ages, with in-fighting amongst tribes that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years. A country can’t move forward until it’s people( male amd female) walk together.
Jojoann, I appreciate that you went into detail regarding what happens to the victims of rape in many societies.
Even if summits like this can’t prevent rape from happening, if they would be able to change views about the vicitms of rape, I think that would be a very big step forward. We need to not only prevent the act, but change the response as well.
@Jojoann. I read some articles recently about this. Women, men and sometimes children are raped repeatedly and consistently by not just one but a group of soldiers. It is horrific and Mari clearly does not understand the trauma both physical and mental that the survivors have to endure. Rape by it’s very definition is not something that anybody ‘chooses.’ And I can definitely see why death might be preferable in cases like this.
So by your logic Mari, since murder is worse than rape, we shouldn’t worry about preventing it? On your “decent mothers” comment I can’t even. I would think any woman wouldn’t want to be raped or murdered, much less see her children raped or murdered. I can’t get on board with your comment, not even 1% as your thought process is horrifically wrong.
ugh really? just no
Um…
Well. Now? Yeah, I’m glad I have the life I managed to pull back together after the destructive fire hit my life when I was attacked…
but that’s 12 years down the line. And I have support. And distance. And don’t have to see my attacker striding down the street daily in a uniform. At the time of my rape, I prayed for death pretty much 24/7 for months. Cried for it. Begged. Screamed for it. And that is coming from an American gal who honestly doesn’t understand why we talk about ‘losing’ things like virginity – for women raised to believe their whole self-value is wrapped up in some imaginary peace of their soul… it’s destructive on levels that being killed… doesn’t really go into. You die – it’s over. It’s done. Your family will mourn, you will be… wherever you believe you go after. You are a victim and a point of loss in a family and a community. You are raped? There is shame, there is victim blaming “why did she wear, why did she go, maybe she flirted, did she……’, there is embarrassment for family members (my own brother told me he just couldn’t bear to see/speak to/talk about me for a few YEARS after I was attacked ‘because as a Christian man, thinking about what had been done to you was just too upsetting. I got too angry, it made my faith waver and I just couldn’t retain my faith and allow myself to be around you, knowing what had happened to you.), friends pull away because they don’t know how to respond, loved ones pull back too. It’s a death of a thousand cuts.
I’ve been asked ‘which is worse, being raped or shot (as I’ve had both) and honestly? Sign me up for the gun again, any time. In a blast, it’s over. The pain, the shame, the loss, the fear, the ANGER, the distrust, the inability to think… I understand you most likely didn’t mean to sound slighting about it. But the sick thing? In many many countries still, mothers WOULD prefer to be murdered – they would be victims to be mourned and loved, not walking shadows and ‘damaged’ goods. And that doesn’t only cover 3rd world nations – here in the US, where we still use terms like ‘losing’ your virginity, and embrace the idea that, if you are a ‘good girl’ and hadn’t gone somewhere unsafe, worn the wrong thing, been too friendly/not friendly enough – you would be safe.
Am I glad now, more then a decade later, to not have been killed and ‘only’ raped? Sometimes yes, sometimes no… and mindsets like yours, ‘decent mothers would LOVE’? prove just how blindly unaware of the destruction to a psyche rape is. I’m trying really hard to not make some pretty… pointed observations about your comprehension levels as well as your humanity, I know it’s a hot button item of mine and it’s tough to remain calm…. but seriously. That’s a pretty massively sick bit of twisted thinking you have going there. A murdered woman is a victim, a martyr, a beloved and mourned part of the past. A rape victim in so many countries is a source of shame, confusion, fear, and sadly still, if given a choice between being portrayed as a loving innocent now gone or having to constantly confront their own demons daily as well as the societal ugliness that comes with being raped – most ‘decent’ mothers would vote for death, thinking their children would be better off. Is that messed up? Yes. Of course.
But not nearly as messed up as the myopic and, at absolutely best case scenario hopelessly and dangerously naive and tactless view you seem to hold as normal. And that is as nice as I can manage to word things, so I’ll stop before the screaming in my head translates more clearly to the written word.
Jesu Jenna
You are one hell of a voice. Spread this story, exactly as you wrote it. This is the core of the fight.
My deepest respect to you; stay strong, stay defiant.
That was an amazing statement. I wish I could hug you right now. I hope things are better now and let me tell you that I’m in awe of your courage to share your story and the way you worded it. *hugs*
Jenna, I can’t even imagine what you have experienced. Thank you for sharing your viewpoint. You are not alone. You are brave. You are beautiful. Big hugs.
*clapping*
so sorry for what you experienced – I’m glad you were able to find peace.
Jenna, thank you x
This is exactly why this topic needs to be brought out. Look at how we are all reacting to it, and most of us will never (thank god) have to directly experince this. I see what@ Jojoann is saying, and I can’t imagine the horror-the complete decimation of self-that occurs when this happens. Anyone, including AJ, who is asking the world to look at this and see the evil, and do something, anything to try and stop it-is doing something good. Honestly, the key to the regeneration of a country is how the women are treated. Most 3rd world countries that treat women like chattel are still stuck in the middle ages, with in-fighting amongst tribes that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years. A country can’t move forward until it’s people( male amd female) walk together.
@Jenna-I’m so glad you are here. Thank you.
@Jenna
bless you for your courage, strength, clear sight and for surviving. bless you for the bravery to share your perspective. bless you for speaking so straight, without hate, bless you, period, beautiful soul. <3
Jenna, that was very powerful. Thank you for sharing your experience and your wisdom with us so that we all may learn from it. Hugs.
*Hugs to you Jenna*
@Jenna
What you wrote so succinctly touched so deep that I had to stop reading as the tears keep coming. I echo the thoughts and words of other posters – continue being such a strong voice. I have nothing but high respects for strong individuals like you. Good thoughts and keep on fighting.
Thank you for sharing your story Jenna. I can’t imagine what you have gone through. I so admire your strength and courage.
Sometimes rape IS murder. Murder by suicide ten years down the line. Murder by sexually transmitted disease. Sometimes rape sets forth a path that leads to a victims destruction by setting in motion a cycle of violence. So, you know, STFU.
@ Jenna, I don’t know what to say to you without sounding patronising, but I echo Chris, you come across as a very strong, articulate woman.
Exactly how are these “raped mothers” supposed to raise their children if their community shuns them and classes them as unclean and not fit to be allowed back into their families or villages. If you could be bothered to do some basic research into the subject you will see that it is the vast majority of rape victims themselves that state they would have preferred to be murdered, not just a random sample of women at the local spa.
Just so you know.
The youngest raped victim in South africa was 6 days old.
The youngest raped victims in the kivu are two years old babygirls…
All those victims died during that assault. The autopsy revealed several womb perforation as the little victim died in incredible suffering after hours of rape by several so called grown ups.
In the Kivu, lots of the victims were raped alongside their daughters, mothers, aunts, every person with a vigina whatever their age… while the men, sons, fathers, grandfathers were tied in and obliged to whitnessed for hours their mother, grandmother, babysister, daughters being raped over and over again by a gang of ten, twenty men and left agonizing or threw out of the house by their husband in case of wives.
Also many got infected by aids and had no access to tri therapy, diying slowly.
Also one of the most barbaric thing was for those a-holes to put a bullet or used knives in the woman womb after the rape and f—ed up her womb permanantly if she ever survived…many have severe internal wounds and can’t conceive anymore or have pain in their belly for years…
So tell me again about rape and murder ?
As a woman i would prefer my babydaughter being shot down than submitted to multiple rapes to ultimately die or being completely damaged and traumatized like that little 9 years old tutsi i knew who after being sent to a belgian hospital, couldn’t talk for years, cried and yelled all the time and finally had an heart attack at 12, 3 years after being raped over and over again by a gang of so called fighters.
Wow, that is so incredibly heartbreaking.
Not only is it heartbreaking but the ultimate motives are despicable and i hate that people just have the ‘westernized’ notion of rape versus murderto belittle that barabric act.
As i said,the mass rape during war is once, to disgust men to ever touch those women, second to impeach women to reproduce with the ennemy so different factions use it as an instrument of mass purification and indirect genocide.
They will be even more violent with pregnant women who carry children from a man of another faction they fight for. They will use knives, insert them in the vigina or use it directly on a woman’s pregnant belly to abort the child she carries, then rape her over and over again, sometimes for days as she is left agonizing.
A notorious congolese geanecologist has been lobbying in the UN for years, talking about those forgotten victims he helped days in days out in the Kivu where mass rapes is still on today…
Because of his investment he has had a killing contract over his head and sent his family living in belgium as he refused to cave in and wants to help those women.
Years ago, US actress Jessica lamb who also was a goodwill ambassador talked while crying about those 3 yearls old victims she saw during a visit in the Kivu and said how that was the wounds she whitnessed both internal and external where the worst thing she ever saw in any war torn country.
So to say : it doesn’t matter, don’t do anything is being accomplice of the most despicable genocide that is happening till today to women, girls, ect…
True, things won’t change tommorow but changing for everything has always been a slow process and you need to make those steps, baby steps to have a chance to one day stop this nastiness. As a woman, we have a responsability towards our sisters…just because we are Lucky to not be born there, doesn’t mean we have to turn a blind eye or criticize those who don’t…what kinda of moral is that ?
Oh Jesus. Now I can’t stop crying. Sometimes I just can’t comprehend how human beings can commit such atrocities. But as difficult as it is to learn about these things I’m glad for everyone on this thread who understands how vital a conversation this is.
@Mari Aside from how horrific rape actually is (see the videos the rapes in Egypt a few days ago for example) you present a false choice, since rape and murder so often go together.
I can only say good things about the intentions behind this. The stories coming out of these countries are nothing short of horrific.
I’d be lying if my mind didn’t go back to the Kathryn Bolkovac case when they talk about hiring soldiers and peacekeepers. The people involved in that were involved in that had diplomatic immunity and although had to resign were never prosecuted for their actions. These were also peacekeepers who were supposed to be looking after the people of Bosnia. This was raised in 2010 and 4 years later we’re no better off.
Hopefully that will change.
That was exactly what I was thinking.
I have to confess that I was not aware of that case until I watched the movie “The Whistleblower”. I was so shocked!! I had to read everything about the case. It is deeply sad that sometimes the biggest dangers come from those that are supposed to be there to help and in whom people are supposed to trust. This is definitely something to be addressed. I think awareness is a good start and I too hope this will change.
I once saw a documentary about war rape. I was horrified. It is so easy to close your eyes and not deal with it (war rape), because, well, you don’t have to if you do not live in a war zone, but something in this war narrative MUST be changed. This is so amazing, and even though it will take years and may not be effective, doing nothing changes nothing. This is something I would donate money to, if they made it so.
God, she is really stunning, her face is just perfect. As somone who was a child but still I remember very well what was it like when war in Bosnia and Croatia was happening, I must say I really admire her work. And she has been doing this work for many many years, it’s not as if she started yesterday, she obviously knows what she is talking about. God job Angie!
This is a difficult cause to change.
but just because something is hard does not mean it should not be done. I applaud them both on doing something. There has been too many years of silence.
Good for them both.
@Camilla
doing nothing changes nothing.
PERFECTLY SAID AND SO SO TRUE
i agree, Lisa and Camilla. breaking the silence is the key. if nothing else comes out of this, that the victims know that their life matters, their stories matter, that there are people who still care and give voice to the stories they can’t themselves bear to tell… i think it’s already a positive thing. that someone’s trying to do something FOR them, not against them.
after a rare confessional from my grandmother, she vowed never to tell the story again because it’s still raw even after many decades. she has given up the fight and chose to be Zen and “accept”. she said if i want to fight for her, that’s okay. but she doesn’t expect anything. she said that maybe it’s her karma, maybe in her past life she was a bad person and so she had to pay it in this life.
her rape has made her blame herself, the indifference and hostility of the very people who were supposed to help her made her lose her voice further.
but i always say that there are people who still care. sometimes she smiled and say “that’s nice” but on bad days she would say “who?! even god has become deaf!”
This makes me so sad, especially since she tends to blame herself!!! 🙁 I hope more light will be shed on these atrocities and that the victims of these crimes will be acknowledged and HEARD!
Bless your heart Angie! And keep up the good work.
Amen! She is such an inspiration and has my utmost admiration.
Agree. She is awesome.
Let’s hope this generates good results not just good intentions.
Glad to read the inclusion of general intent into those non-conflict situations too, where angels fear to tread, which continue, unde rthe cloak of ‘cultural tradition’. Let’s stop tiptoeing around that. Bravo AJ and WH.
To the women getting raped can be worse then death they are ostracised from the families they will never marry and live in shame it is a slow, lonely and long death they suffer. Also they actually do end up getting killed and their children after being raped I suggest you read some of the articles and the accounts from the women who have managed to survive. It’s something that needs to be stopped the recent case where nearly all of the men got off is disgusting I wonder why?
Nothing will change except of their bank accounts
I deeply respect her as a humanitarian and crusader. I hope that she runs for office eventually, we could use her and people like her here at home too.
agree. She uses her celebrity and wealth for the good of humanity and women and I can’t help but stand behind that. Go Angelina.
Um….no she is good person – but Hollywood should never ever run for office. Let them do what they do best. That is act – not run a country. None of them Angelina included have a clue about how to run a country. She would give all the money to developing countries and leave the US broke.
I don’t know Mindy, the people running the country now seem to be better at acting as well lol. Angie has passion, dedication, influence and money, these things are all needed to be in office. Ordinarily I would agree with you but she is already so knowledgeable on foreign situations, and continues to prove herself to be more than just an actress. I think her political future could be very bright.
Although I think they are doing a good job in bringing attention to this subject, I really wish they would not play down the amount of men who are raped also. In the DRC 30% of women were raped but 22% of men (not soldiers but civilians) also said they were raped and that is who admitted it. If they are going to talk about rape in conflict zones, I don’t think they should use sentences like “Fourth, while men and boys are also victims, sexual violence in conflict is holding back the rights of women everywhere. Each day we read of the suffering of women at the hands of abusive husbands or draconian legal systems. ” Why the need to play down what happens to men? If they are going to bring rape to the attention of people, Isn’t it all horrific, no matter what sex you are?
Over 40 years since comfortable Western women were warned that we have no idea of the extent to which women are hated, we see it pretty graphically all around the globe still. We have legal rights and the luxury of calling ourselves ‘Ms’ if we choose, and think the battle is won. Outside, our sisters are being ripped to shreds by men. Male rape is deplorable and devastating, but frankly, I’m more concerned to see all other women able to exist without daily terror based on their gender.
I saw this on Tumblr this morning and it made me uncomfortable in the fact that its right:
“Rape isn’t about uncontrollable sexual desire. You only have to listen in on a Call of Duty game to see that. When that kid crows, “I raped you!”, he’s not calling the other guy sexy; he’s saying he defeated him, dominated him, humiliated him. That’s what rape is about, and that should scare you”
I applaud her for bringing attention to this issue. Rape is often used as a weapon of war – in the same way that bombs and torture are used – to break down society and to traumatize it. In places like the DR Congo, rape isn’t conducted just by sick individuals, but is encouraged and used as a strategy within armed conflict (against civilians). Yes, a summit won’t change this, but if it results in some changes to international law then I think it will have been worthwhile.
I used to do volunteer work researchkng asylum seekers’s claims, often from the Congo. I still feel sick at all the stories of rape, dismemberment and torture I read.
Doing something to address this is better than doing nothing and I applaud Angelina for speaking up for women who don’t have a voice.
I am glad that she is bringing this issue forward. It is terrible. Unfortunately the individuals who actually do this in war torn countries are probably laughing at this right now. They know there is no way to stop them. It actually makes me sick. With that said Angie looks awful. What is with the old woman dress?
I once attended a world conference on ending violence. It did not go well. Everyone went home not having been able to agree on a definition of violence. For example, in some countries it is not considered violence to beat your wife. (Don’t shoot the messenger here please).
What I like about this conference is that violence is pre-defined and targeted and everyone will at least be able to agree on that and make at least some kind of movement toward resolution. The fact that this subject is being addressed in this way makes me feel very hopeful.
Angelina has amazing empathy, and the true commitment to bring about change and justice to victims through her own celebrity and visibility. The energy and time she puts into these causes just floors me, since she is also making movies and raising a family. I love everything about her!
my grandmother was a “comfort woman” during the war. they keep telling her that it’s not rape even though she did not agree to it. they told her repeatedly that she’s too old and did not have the right face, but she had to do it–they said, or else they’d go for her daughters. in the end they took them anyway my mother was spared, but two of my aunts were not.
many years later, one of my aunt and my grandmother once again fell prey to rape, this time to fellow countrymen, but race-fueled. this left a deeper scar in them, they thought, because if you could explain away the previous atrocities as being perpetrated by “foreign” people, how could you explain away being violated repeatedly by someone you once knew?!! yes, two of the agressors used to be the one they bought their chickens from at the market. the others, they were not sure.
they and some other victims had tried to seek justice, but had their plea thrown back at their faces. they only did it once. they had gathered their courage and went together, but they felt like they’re being violated once again because they thought that the authorities looked like they only wanted to listen to lewd stories and listen to “well you must’ve done something wrong to incite their anger”. the gall!
in the end my grandmother chose to move all of her family to a different island altogether, to get away from her hometown, at that time, the only place she had ever known. she even left my grandfather and one of my uncles because they suddenly couldn’t bear to look at her. and it devastated her at first. my grandmother said, even though the rape was horrendous, it was family that almost drove her to suicide, but it was also family that gave her the will to live.
i did not learn about this until i was in my late twenties. but my family (especially from my mother’s side) have always been female-centric ever since i can remember. i can’t remember now what sparked the conversation, but i distinctly remembered that most of the women and girls in my family stayed up all night as the dam burst from within my grandmother and my aunts and my mother.
i never thought that their own horific stories, but most importantly their courage, would one day help me go through my own horrendous nightmare. i was able to get my “justice” because it was assault during “peacetime” and there’s enough evidence for it. i had to endure humiliating checks and crosschecks (“you’re now three generations of rape victims so maybe there’s something wrong with you? tainted or cursed bloodline maybe “) but i was able to see my rapist go to jail and i was able to get therapy, and i was surrounded by loved ones, and i found a husband who did not look at me like broken glass.
my grandmothers and my aunts could not because their rape is merely a fact of war. they couldn’t even squeeze up an apology from the perpetrators because they keep saying that “what? you have no proof! maybe it’s just your fantasy”. actually an old psychologist that my grandmother saw a long time ago asked “maybe it’s not intended to be rape, but sometimes women are very prone to rape fantasies! those men are patriots. you should show them respect by giving them what they want. and you will feel better and less hurt too”
so yes i hope that this summit will be a turning point and bullpucky to anyone who said that because rape has been going on for ages, it cannot be stopped.
you prosecute mass murderers (statistics of murderous despots are based on how many people they killed) why not prosecute mass rapists too? and make it known to them that they cannot hide behind misguided patriotism or “my leader told me to do it”
Wow, your family has been through so much. I wish I could hug them all. I am so sorry for what you have been through, but at the same time I am so glad that you had support from your loved ones and that your rapist went to jail. I send many hugs to you, lower-case deb.
Dear deb, please google ‘family constellations’. This is for you and your children and their children. And your grandmothers and aunts. My heart goes out to you for all you and your family has had to endure. All the very best to you, with love.
I commented your post earlier on, before noticing and reading this. Holy crap on a stick. You are truly survivors and strong women.
It is very sad that your grandmother and your aunts never will get justice. I can’t really say anything else other than your story – together with countless of others – must change how war rape is understood and handled. Your story really touched me. Bless.
That’s awful. I can’t imagine.
Our own military has shown coldness to our female soldiers raped by their own superiors or fellow soldiers, or whatever they were in the the military. They try to quiet them. If they push on to press charges they are ostracized. It’s disgusting and it’s our own country.
This article made me sick to my stomach how women have been treated by our own military when raped by fellow servicemen or superiors.
excerpt:
“The implication floored Blumer. “How could anyone even think that I would do that to myself?” she says now. It was Blumer’s first glimpse of a hidden side of military culture, in which rapes, and the sweeping aside of rapes, happen with disturbing regularity. And it was her first sense of what lay in store after coming forward as a military rape victim: that she would be treated with suspicion by those charged with helping her, penalized by command and ostracized by her unit. “Once my assault happened,” Blumer says, “my whole future disappeared.”
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-rape-of-petty-officer-blumer-20130214
I’m speechless.
Thanks for sharing this story, lower deb. It’s not easy, but for you to overcome the trauma, came out strong and choose to share your past to give more (needed) voice to support this very important cause, I must bow. Thank you so much. More power to you and your family. And the efforts (to give light to the issue) mustn’t stop until justice is done.
I think Angie’s best in this type of role (giving attention to important issues and communicating change), not political work. While I think she’s a nice person and really genuine about her humanitarian work, she has no policy experience and has little knowledge about economics: the fact that Ayn Rand is her favourite author should warn anyone but the American Conservatives off accepting her as a potential candidate. But then she might run as an independent if she’s serious about politics.
On a side note I used to think she took herself way too seriously, but recently watched some interviews and she’s got a bit of irony and mischievousness mixed in with the serious.
I honestly do not know how anyone could find fault with what she is doing.
[*Repeat comment of mine, but still holds true*]