Shattered Lives: The Impact of Sexual Violence on Women's Community During War PDF

SABYASACHI SAHA Class Roll No. 002401302016 PG1 SOCIOLOGY,1^ST^ SEMESTER DATE- 3/11/2024 **[Shattered Lives: The Impact of Sexual Violence on Women\'s Community During War]** [Abstract] This paper delves into the harrowing experiences of women in war zones, focusing on how sexual violence is us...

SABYASACHI SAHA Class Roll No. 002401302016 PG1 SOCIOLOGY,1^ST^ SEMESTER DATE- 3/11/2024 **[Shattered Lives: The Impact of Sexual Violence on Women\'s Community During War]** [Abstract] This paper delves into the harrowing experiences of women in war zones, focusing on how sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. This paper will uncover the long-lasting physical, emotional, and societal impacts on victims and the impunity often granted to perpetrators. This paper will try to delve into and understand the topic with various sociological perspectives such as Functionalism, Conflict perspective, Ethnomethodological perspective, **[Introduction]** "To me, the real heroes in war are not those on the front lines, but those holding life together, feeding, educating protecting their children, sheltering the elderly as all hell breaks loose around them; those are almost always the women and you won't find any statues to them".- Christina Lamb, Author of (Our Bodies their Battlefield). Women since ancient times are subjected to sexual violence, rape in war situations. Ever since man has gone to war he has helped himself to the women, whether to humiliate his enemy, wreak revenge, satisfy his lust, or just because he can -- indeed rape is so common in war that we speak of the rape of a city to describe its wanton destruction. **[Wartime Violence Against Women]** Wartime Violence disproportionately impacts women, subjecting them to gender-specific atrocities such as sexual violence, forced marriages, and exploitation. These acts are often used systematically as tactics of war to humiliate and demoralize communities. A glaring example is- The very first history book in western history, by Herodotus, opens with a series of abductions of women by the Phoenicians then the Greeks and eventually snatching Helen, setting of the Greek invasion of Asia and the Persian retaliation. Nor was it just in ancient times. If the follow the ancient Greeks, Persians and Romans to the 'comfort women' of the Imperial Japanese Army and the mass rape of German women by the Red Army in World War Two, we see that women have been seen as spoils of war. **[Women's Account: Chilling Accounts of Survivors]** Women are victim of Sexual Violence and Rape. Here I try to highlight the heinous acts which the women community faced. My focus are the Yazidis. ISIS fighters kept hundreds of women's in a cage and burnt them alive. The proof was a video made by an unfortunate survivor. The religion of Yazidis is one of the world's most ancient, The ISIS and the violent groups in order to exterminate them left no stone unturned. The place where many of them are exterminated is Leros Island, Greece. **Voice of Asma Bashar**- according to her, she lost 40 family members , including her Mother father, sisters lost their lives. She was called Asma Loco as many survivor thought, she had lost her mind. **Voice of Ayesha**- A younger woman than Asma, stood still against the cracked blue wall\... Her parents and brothers were\...killed in Kocho. She said " I tried to kill myself ", the most recent incident of self-harm occurred just 2 weeks earlier. Leros has always been an island of outcasts- a leper colony, an internment camp for political prisoners and an asylum for so called 'untreatables'. In 2015 it turned into one of the many Greek islands that had been swamped by refugees, fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. **Voice of Turko-** Turko was from Kocho, where the ISIS slaughtered 600 people and abducted many girls. She and her niece were captured in Sinjar, with many others. The ISIS fighters told them to read the Koran and accept Islam. They denied it and were immediately given death threats by the ISIS Militia. "They pointed guns at us," said Turko. ISIS captured and kept children under 12, married and virgins separate. Turko pretended to be the mother of her 3-year-old niece to avoid being taken with the virgins. Turko was raped by a Judge of a Sharia court that ISIS had set up. According to Turko, he read the pamphlets issued by the Isis Resurgence fatwa department, and it treated the Yazidis as inferior, and they could be raped and sold according to the fatwa. A real-life horror one can imagine. Lamb, C. (2020). Our Bodies Their Battlefield What War Does to Women (1st ed.). William Collins. We learn about three distinct individuals\' voices, all echoed and a cry for help, support, and recognition. **[Germany: A Hope in the Dark?]** Germany had long had a sizeable Yazidi community and the idea of giving women like Turko shelter surfaced in September 2014 when local Yazidi leaders approached Winfried Krestchmann, premier of the southern state of Baden Wurtttemberg. 'Please do something!' they begged as they showed him pictures of mass killings of their people in Sinjar; including beheadings and crucifixions, and told him of girls kept as sex slaves. Krestchmann was a committed Christian and member of the Green Party and he was horrified. He spoke to Dr Michael Blume, an academic who was responsible for religious minorities for the state. They found that under German law a province could intervene in a humanitarian crisis overseas, though it had never done before. The state government organised a refugee summit to bring together members of political parties, church leaders, and mayors. All agreed to help and arrange an air bridge from Iraq to bring out 1100 women and children to who they would give three-year visas. Ninety million euros were apportioned to what they called the Special Quota Project and Dr Blume was appointed to run it. It was perhaps no coincidence that Germany had been the country to take in the Yazidi women just as its leader Angela Merkel had been the one to say 'Wir schaffen das' -- we can do this -- as she opened the borders to one million refugees as the rest of Europe was closing theirs. " The hardest thing was deciding who to take and who not to take', Dr Blume said. 'How do you decide between a woman who has lost two children and another who only lost one but it was killed in front of her?' The priority was emergencies. 'Some were suicidal,' he said, 'or would have died because they were sick- gynecological damage or terrible burns from self-immolation.' For those remaining, there were three key criteria -- whether they had suffered traumatizing violence ; if they were without family support (if their husbands were alive they tended not to take them) and whether taking them to Germany would help them. ' It was awful not to take all,' said Dr Blume. 'But every life is worth the effort.' Lamb, C. (2020). *Our Bodies Their Battlefield What War Does to Women* (1st ed.). William Collins. **[Analysing Wartime Rape through various sociological lens]** **Functionalist Perspective** Analysing Wartime Rape through a functionalist perspective offers insights into how societal structures, norms, and functions are affected by war, particularly concerning women. 1. Social Stability and Disruption : Functionalism posts that society functions as interconnected system where each part contributes to overall stability. War disrupts this equilibrium, leading to significant changes in social structures and sheds light how conflict can destabilize communities, leading to increased violence against women and the breakdown of traditional roles, which may have previously provided some level of protection or support. For example -- **The breakdown of traditional roles**- Before World War 2, women's paid labor was largely restricted to "traditionally female" professions such as typing or sewing, and they were expected to leave the workforce as soon as they had children, if not as soon as they married. During the World War, 5 million women entered the workforce between 1940 and 1945. In jobs at offices, and factories that were previously male-dominated, women were gaining entry. **Violence-**Women were subjected to rape and violence. It is a tool to induce fear and wipe out communities. The case of the Yazidi Community where they were subjected to rape, violence, and trauma is a prominent example. 2. Reintegration and Role Reconstruction: After conflict, societies face the challenge of reintegrating women who have experienced violence and trauma. Functionalism emphasizes the need for social systems to adapt and find new ways to restore balance. Analysing The horror of wartime rape provides a poignant examination of the unique and often devastating experiences of women in conflict zones. 1. Gendered Violence: The conflict perspective emphasizes how war exacerbates existing inequalities, particularly in terms of gender. The paper delves into the brutality and the fact that in times of war, the bodies of women are exploited and violated. 2. Power Dynamics: Women often find themselves in vulnerable positions, subject to the whims of armed groups and state actors. The fact highlights these dynamics strip women of agency and exacerbate their suffering, reflecting broader societal structures that prioritize male experiences in both conflict and recovery. **Ethnomethodology** Analysing Wartime Rape through an ethnomethodological perspective focuses on understanding the everyday experiences and meanings that women construct in the context of war. 1. Interpretation of Violence: Ethnomethodology emphasizes the subjective interpretation of events. finding ways to redefine their circumstances. It helps us understand how women perceive acts of violence not just as victimization but as a part of a broader struggle for agency and control over their lives. 2. Community and identity: The paper highlights the importance of community in shaping women's experiences during conflict. Ethnomethodological perspectives often focus on the social context in which individuals operate. The paper tries to navigate and highlight how women come together to support one another, forming collective identities that challenge the isolation often imposed by war. This sense of community becomes a vital resource for coping and resistance. References 1. *Bourke, J. (2015). Rape: A History from 1860 to the present. Hachette UK.* 2. *Brownmiller, S. (1977). Against our will (pp.31-113). Pacifica Tape Library.* 3. *Lamb, c.(2020). Our bodies, their battlefield: what war does to women. London : William Collins.* 4. *Vikman, E. (2005). "Ancient origins: Sexual violence in warfare, Part 1".* Anthropology *& Medicine 12 (1), 21-31*