Category: Girls

Women Violence Ignored by the Military

Dozens of women came out about sexual and violence claims against people who are in the military. But the military commanders have chose to ignore them. This is an ongoing investigation that has been going on for two years. More than 40 million women have reached out to the military leadership stating how they been abused and violated. Many state that the military are unwilling to hold abusers accountable. Away from this article there is other murder crimes that have happened to women serving in the military. But their commanders haven’t held them accountable. One case that I suggest others to look up is the Vanessa Guillen’s case. I will leave a link below if others are interested in learning about her case.

Vanessa Guillen’s case : https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/23/vanessa-guillen-fort-hood/

Source : https://thehill.com/homenews/media/571235-cbs-news-investigation-finds-dozens-of-women-have-domestic-violence-complaints

 

The Importance of Educating Women

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By Taylor Smith

 

Many women all over the world value education above all else, but they are denied the opportunity to attend school.. A girl named Faith from Maasai Mara, Kenya, wanted an education, but when she turned 13, her father decided that it was time for her to marry and that she needed to stay home. He even doubled her chores so that she would not have time to study during the day. Faith did not give up and worked through all hours of the night completing her chores so that she could study during the day. Faith applied to a secondary school called Kisaruni. Unfortunately, she was unable to get in because her grades were not good enough. She went into a deep depression and her father hated to see her like that. He knew that she could have gotten into the school if she had more support and time to study. He had a change of heart and Faith was able to study and bring up her grades which eventually lead to her acceptance. Faith later went on to graduate because she never gave up fighting for her right to an education. If Faith had not fought for herself, she would have been married at 13 and would have had to rely on her husband for support. Now since Faith graduated, she can go on to have a job, gain independence for herself, and have control over her own life.

 

In 2019, 9 million girls at the primary age level were not in school, compared to the 3 million boys. But why is that? One reason is early childhood marriage. There are many cultural and religious reasons why childhood marriage is practiced today. One major reason is poverty. Parents can sell a child into marriage to settle debts or gain income for the in-laws although doing this puts the child at risk of never gaining an education and not being able to get a proper job to make a steady source of income. So, because of childhood marriage there is also a cycle of poverty that will not be broken unless something changes.

 

One other reason for girls not attending school is child labor. Sometimes parents might need children to help around the house in order to provide for them. Lots of times this work is seen as women’s work and the parents keep the daughter home over the son because a male’s education is seen as having more value than a female. So, the daughter stays home and helps with chores while sons go to school.

 

Another reason why girls are not going to school is pregnancy. The school may have rules restricting pregnant girls from attending, sometimes girls may not go because of embarrassment or stigma facing them. According to the World Health Organization one million girls under the age of 15 and 16 million girls from ages 15-19 are pregnant. Having to look after a baby is a full-time job so going to school or even classes can be impossible for them.

 

Yet it is well documented by economists and social scientists that educating girls leads to major benefits for society. The health and safety of these girls is increased with education. Women who are not educated are less likely to seek out medical help for themselves and their families. Mothers who are educated are also more likely to get their children immunized. Educating women on sexual health is also a huge benefit. Having the knowledge to prevent sexual diseases and pregnancy give women a huge advantage in gaining autonomy for themselves. Learning about different contraceptive methods allows women to see which ones work for their body and lifestyle. This also gives women a safe place to ask questions about sexual health. With parents or relatives there might be a fear or certain rules that stops girls asking those sorts of questions. Having a safe place to learn about such important information is crucial for girls to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

 

Women who go to school are more likely to have successful careers. That means that women can afford places to live, provide for themselves and their families, and can save for the future. More women having jobs and making money means more people spending money. More spending means more money going back into the economy. Women who make money will also have more confidence and will be willing to speak up more. This will allow more women to be in a leadership role in their everyday lives. Companies also tend to have better results when there is diversity. Hearing different opinions from different voices makes sure that all ideas are thought about and reviewed. In companies with some leadership roles filled with women the results for that company are better.

 

The biggest challenge that people have to overcome in order to fix the lack of women’s education is the stigma that women do not deserve to be educated. For centuries men have been seen as the “better” gender. It’s almost as if women are a subsection of humans instead of just seen as human. The best way to battle that mindset is get people all over the world educated on the different benefits that come from treating women the way they should, which is equal. To do that there needs to be funding to women’s programs of all kinds, but most importantly funding for women’s education. Education can and should give women all over the world the necessary skills for them to be the best versions of themselves.

 

What’s something that we can do to help this issue? The Malala Fund is an organization that is fighting for women’s education all over the world. The Malala Fund does this by investing in local education advocates, by advocating to hold leaders accountable, and by making sure women’s voices are heard. Investing in local advocates the Malala fund is making sure the people who best know these girls are getting the funding they need in order really make change happen. Holding leaders accountable is crucial because laws can be placed but that doesn’t mean that these laws are being enforced. Making sure women’s voices are heard is a great way to make sure people know the types of issues that women are facing when it comes to their education, what is causing the issues, and what can be done to fix them. To know more about the Malala Fund

visit https://malala.org/

 

Taylor Smith is a senior at East Carolina University who is set to graduate May 2020 with a BS in Communication. She plans to work at The Center for Leadership in Cary, NC, and to further her education in Communication.

 

The Cataclysmic Ripples of War in the Lives of Women and Children

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By Alexis Bullin

Trigger Warning: This contains discussion including sexual violence, abuse, warfare, and death.

“I was thirteen when the war spread to my city. I was kidnapped by four sol

diers who locked me in a house where I was raped every day by

different men for eight months. I had a miscarriage while I was there. When the war ended, soldiers wearing unfamiliar uniforms came and told me to go home, but my city had been destroyed and

my family was dead. I moved to Sweden with a man I trusted, and he sold me to a pimp in Stockholm. Later the police sent me back to my country, but I am still afraid to go outside, because I worry that everyone can tell what happened just by looking at me”. The encounter above is told by Suada, a woman from Bosnia-Herzegovina. This encounter is similar for many women and children globally. Manipulation and violation perpe

tuated through war is a growing threat. The instability of war leads to the victimization of women and children in the wake of warfare perpetuating the manipulation of women and children through sexual assault/violence, forced militar

y recruitment, human trafficking and displacement.

Women are often the victims of violence during warfare. They can be killed or maimed but they also suffer sexual violence through war rape. Many times, soldiers view rape as a way to terrorize and humiliate the male members of enemy groups. But women bear the consequences which can include pregnancies and psychological trauma. Women and children are also used for forcible impregnation causing them to bear their rapists’ children. The US labels this a form of implicit genocide, where the rapists take over the bodies of their victims and act to exterminate the indigenous population.

forced pregnancy – a tactic that has been recorded historically and used by Genghis Khan. Forced pregnancy is a form of enacting genocide or slavery. These various attacks and violations against women and children are used as an extension of the battlefield.

In addition, women and children are often forced into serving the military goals of the enemy as forced soldiers or terrorist instruments. Attacks such as these have been seen during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women and children are forcibly recruited and used to facilitate armed conflict and terrorist attacks. This is a direct violation of human right as well as the murder of millions of women and children. Forced soldiers lose their rights to healthcare, education, and autonomy; working against their will, wounding themselves and others.

The political and economic instability of war creates the conditions leading to increased labor and sexual trafficking of women and children. Human trafficking is a global threat, however, areas that are riddled with warfare are subject to exponential spikes in activity. Many women and children are sold or forced into the sex trade. This trade sustains the sexual and mental abuse of women and children. In many places, prostitution is considered illegal and punishable, however, human trafficking is widely tolerated by governmental officials and police. This is true for many areas post-war.

Finally, women and children, are often displaced from their homes and livelihoods after war and bear a disproportionate burden of trying to find sustenance and support for their families. Poverty and displacement effects women and children at a disproportional rate. With the destruction of property, women and children often fall into the direct disadvantage of displacement and poverty. This is often the result of little to no governmental or monetary protection provided to women and children. Women’s responsibilities following war are formidable, considering women are expected to be peacemakers that maintain order on a familial and communal level. Often underrepresented, women and children find themselves excluded from governmental protection. This omittance of protection amplifies the stress and trauma that women and children face in the wake of warfare.

Women and children face adversity daily; however, these adverse circumstances are amplified in the face of war. Using women and children as an extension of the battlefield, whether through sexual violence, forced labor/recruitment, human trafficking or displacement is malice in its deepest form. For too long women and children have been the scape goats for violence and extremism, therefore something has to change. March Twelfth of this year the United Nations met to discuss the threat associated with war that women and children face. Within the next year, they plan to allocate and demand legislation that will protect women and children from the catastrophe and trauma of war. “To the best of my knowledge, no war was ever started by a woman. But it is women and children who have always suffered most in situations of conflict” – Aung Sun Suu Kyi.

 

Alexis Bullin is a Senior at East Carolina University. Graduating with a Bachelor of the arts in Anthropology, Alexis’ main interests are Middle/Near Eastern Ethno-Archaeology, the cross-cultural treatment of women, and the effects of warfare. In her free time, she loves gardening and songwriting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chhaupadi Practice in Nepal: a Difficult Time for Women and Girls

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By: Michaela Batson

Imagine being locked away and isolated during one of the most difficult times of the month for many, menstruation. This happens every month to women and girls in Nepal, particularly in rural areas, where they observe chhaupadi, which is a cultural practice of isolating and restricting a girl or woman during their time of menstruation. They are not allowed to consume milk products, use public water holes, or touch men, children, cattle, living plants, or fruit bearing trees. These women cannot come into the village or attend any religious practice during this time. They are kept outside of the village in a small shack or animal shed, and isolated away from their society until their menstruation is over with. Most of the time, menstruation lasts for around five to seven days, but girl’s experiencing their first menstruation are kept in the shed for fourteen days.

The women and girls of Nepal have lived with this cultural practice their whole lives. They are told that when menstruating they are impure and will ruin everything that they touch. They must pause their normal lives to go live in isolation for almost a week. It is a religious belief that if the women and girls of Nepal do not follow these strict guidelines, God will send a wrath upon their homes and families. Not only are they shunned from the village to live in isolation, but the huts they must reside in are kept in terrible condition. They are very small with dirt flooring and usually only a hole for a door, which doesn’t allow for proper ventilation. The huts have no plumbing and there are no latrines so women must relieve themselves outdoors.

Chhaupadi is not only meant for the difficult time of menstruation, but is also implemented when women give birth. They are sent there to deliver alone and must stay there with the baby for ten to fourteen days. The new mother is not provided with any help or resources during this time, putting their babies at high risk for disease and death. Areas that practice chhaupadi have very high maternal and infant mortality rates because of these conditions. The isolation of chhaupadi also exposes women to difficult weather conditions, making them susceptible to suffocation during the summer and hypothermia during the winter.

It is also very common for them to contract many diseases. Being kept in unhygienic conditions makes it much easier for them to get sick. Some common ones are pneumonia, chest infections, respiratory tract infections, genital infections, and extreme diarrhea. Diseases are not the only threat for these women and girls in the huts. Natural threats are a huge concern for them. The most common way for them to die is being bitten by poisonous snakes while out there. Snakes are not the only thing though, there are other wild animals and insects that could get them while out there in isolation. Records kept by police in Nepal show that over the last ten years, fourteen people have died during their chhaupadi practice. Of those fourteen, nine of them died from snake bites. Number of deaths continues to grow each year, in 2017 three girls lost their lives within a ten month span. Two from suffocation and one from a snake bite.

Even though chhaupadi creates all these health risks for these women, girls, and babies, the people of the village have still stated that under no circumstance may they reenter the village during their time of isolation. So, they are not allowed to seek any kind of medical help if they need it.

These women and girls face psychological threats as well. Many become depressed because of isolation and how they are treated by the rest of the village during this time. Postpartum depression is an issue with the women who give birth by themselves. Exile from friends and family, the trauma of being alone while giving birth or having your first menstruation. All these things contribute to the way these girls and women feel after years of practicing this.

In 2005, chhaupadi was outlawed by the government. Then in 2017, the ritual was criminalized threatening a large fine and time in jail. Despite these legal restriction imposed by the government, the custom still continues in many rural villages in Nepal.. The best way to combat this practice is to teach villagers about the health threats that women and girls go through during this time. The NGO, Restless Development Nepal (https://restlessdevelopment.org/nepal), funded by the UN Trust Fund, is a group of educators who are doing just this. They go to rural towns and educate older families on why this practice should be modified. Some have listened, and allowed their women to stay in their homes separated from other family members. The older and more traditional people of Nepal will take more work to convince. This group has talked to over 20,000 females and 15,000 males across Nepal. Supporting their work can help them aid the women and girls of rural Nepal.

Michaela Batson is a senior at East Carolina University who is set to graduate May 2020 with a BA degree in psychology and a minor in anthropology. She currently has plans to further her studies at the graduate level in psychology.

A Walk to Beautiful: Addressing Obstetric Fistula

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The Nova documentary, A Walk to Beautiful, follows three Ethiopian women on their journey to find a cure for injuries they sustained during childbirth that have left them incontinent and shunned by their husbands and the communities in which they live. Why is obstetric fistula known as the silent epidemic and why does it disproportionately effect women in the developing world? Why do some of the women in this film say that death would be preferable to living with fistula? If you were tasked with doing something to help prevent this problem in countries like Ethiopia, what would you do–where would you begin and why?

Difret: Changing Child Marriage and Bride Abduction Customs

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The feature film, Difret, produced by Angelina Jolie, portrays the real-world court case defending the Ethiopian girl Hirut  from a murder charge when she killed the rapist who abducted her. The film brings to light the ongoing issue of child marriage in many parts of the world. This custom of abduction of young girls disrupts their education and chances for a better life, leading to early pregnancies, poor health outcomes and continuing poverty for them and their children.

Advocates for change in these customs realize the need to understand and change male attitudes and cultures of masculinity. What varying models and representations of masculinity do you see in this film? How do you think these models will continue to strengthen or change in the aftermath of Hirut’s case? What would you recommend to try and change these cultures of masculinity that perpetuate child marriage?

Unraveling the Somaly Mam Controversy

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Our group has just read and discussed, The Road of Lost Innocence, by Somaly Mam and examined the controversy surrounding her life story and work with AFESIP to help Cambodian victims of sex trafficking. A number of journalists maintained that she fabricated some of the events told in her life story to fit Western stereotypes of a deserving hero; other investigators suggest that journalists got it wrong and find corroboration for the controversial parts of her story. Some criticized her for using children to raise funds by making their stories worse than they were and getting them to conform to “victim scrips,” in order to evoke pity and sympathy from donors. No one questions that the foundation did good work but there are concerns that some of the funds were misused or not accounted for accurately. Mam continues her work and to pursue her goal of rescuing and rehabilitating girls but critics want her to instead address the “market driven” forces and structural socio-economic preconditions behind the expansion of the Cambodian sex industry. What do you think? How do we find the “truth” of this situation when the media extolls a saint and then destroys her for not living up to the stereotype but when there is evidence that stories were exaggerated or fabricated to appeal to donors? Should outsiders direct the mission of the charity or is dissolving it altogether the way to go? How do those of us with the best of intentions genuinely help others without falling into the trap of idealizing our own views of who is most worthy of our aid?

Valedictorian asked to not speak of sexual assault

Lulabel Seitz said that she was told by her administrators to not speak about her or other students sexual assault experiences in high school. Almost scared away she decided to still speak on sexual assault during her valedictorian speech. Her microphone was then cut off because the school said that her speech, “wouldn’t help”. When her sexual assault happened the school did nothing and would not comment on cutting off her microphone.

Article: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/10/us/california-valedictorian-speech-cut-off/index.html

 

What do you think was the school’s motive for not wanting her to talk about sexual assault in her speech?

University of Southern California being sued – Campus Physician Sexually Abusing Females

In the news again – sexual abuse on campus – NBC Nightly News reporting on campus doctor (Dr. George Tyndall) sexually abusing students where the university has received over 300 complaints of sexual abuse and in 2016 he had violated the university’s policy on sexual harassment but not removed and thus having the environment to continue predatory behaviors. CBS news coverage states that students report that the university “deliberately concealed” Tyndall’s sexual abuse.
I do not know if it’s just because I’m in this class or has there not been enough publicity regarding sexual abuse and harassment against women. When we use gender abuse/violence, this seems to minimize the DECADES of trauma to women.
This report states that the university was aware of the gynecologist’s sexual abuse dating back to the beginning of 2000; that is over 18 years ago. Calls for the chancellor to resign in light of these allegations are rampant.
To my peers, my question is should the chancellor resign? Do you feel that this culture of sexual abuse was perpetuated and/or sanctioned because there was no action taken against Tyndall? How could he go under the radar for such a long time and allegations be swept under the rug?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/students-say-usc-concealed-gynecologist-sexual-abuse-dr-george-tyndall/

Student takes clothes off during thesis in protest of professor’s comments

Cornell student took off her clothes during her thesis presentation after her professor commented that her shorts were too short. Some students supported the professor saying that it wasn’t a matter of the shorts being inappropriate due to length, but rather that wearing the denim shorts was unprofessional. Letitia Chai said she felt that she was being forced to change her appearance to make others feel comfortable. During her thesis she asked others to join her as she stripped her clothing to reveal that she was simply another person of the human race and will not tolerate acts of hatred against her. Many students also took off items of clothing to join her in protest. The professor later stated that she does not ” tell students what to wear, nor define for them what appropriate attire is”.

 

Would this same comment be made if a male student wore the same button up and denim shorts? Do you think that the length of her shorts was an issue because people would “find it distracting”? Is this a matter of professionalism or a true discriminatory judgement based on the professor’s comment?