Sunday, January 25, 2004

Female GIs report rapes in Iraq war

37 seek aid after alleging sex assaults by US soldiers
By Miles Moffeit and Amy Herdy
Denver Post Staff Writers

Female troops serving in the Iraq war are reporting an insidious enemy in their own camps: fellow
American soldiers who sexually assault them.

At least 37 female service members have sought sexual-trauma counseling and other assistance from
civilian rape crisis organizations after returning from war duty in Iraq, Kuwait and other overseas
stations, The Denver Post has learned. The women, ranging from enlisted soldiers to officers, have
reported poor medical treatment, lack of counseling and incomplete criminal investigations by military
officials. Some say they were threatened with punishment after reporting assaults.

In the context of the prior excerpt, it's not hard to imagine that it might be the culture of the military and
not a few "rogue" soldiers acting out. For years our military has been portrayed as a righteous and
unbeatable killing machine. Similarly, these problems are rampant in the US domestic prison system.
Maybe war naturally creates of culture of molestation?

All too commonly, whether implicitly or explicitly, women are the 'other'. Consequently, it
(continued)
becomes necessary in the eyes of those who seek Power Over to control and belittle women, and all
aspects of womanhood. In many cultures, women are viewed as the possessions of their men.
Therefore, when a woman is raped, it is effectively an attack on the manhood of her man.

Using this reasoning, women become the targets of war in order to attack the honor of the men of a
particular culture, ethnic group or country. For these reasons, rape and other forms of sexual assault
against women are always a part of war and conflict. When women are assumed to be possessions that
can be attacked, stolen and dishonored, they become a means of feminizing and degrading the enemy.

Many types of violence against women are exacerbated by militarism, including the indirect effects on
civilian populations and post-conflict situations. These include: Rape/sexual assault and harassment
both within the military and perpetrated on civilian populations. Domestic violence. Prostitution,
pornography and trafficking.

Since the beginning of the patriarchal age, women have been considered the spoils of war, invisibilized
under the euphemistic phrase, 'collateral damage'. In Rwanda, at least 250,000 women were raped in
the 1994 genocide.
 We can not confirm the validity of the two rape photos used in this article. We
ran them because the depictions are all too real, even if these are found to be simulations. We found them on the same
website as the "Iraqi Torture" photos. complete photo gallery

During the 1990's, more than 20,000 Muslim women were raped as part of an ethnic cleansing
campaign in Bosnia. And as recently as 2003, the UN reported thousands of women and girls had been
raped during fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gang rape was so widespread and brutal
that doctors began classifying vaginal destruction as a combat-related crime.

Many types of violence against women are exacerbated by militarism, including the indirect effects on
civilian populations and post-conflict situations. These include: Rape/sexual assault and harassment
both within the military and perpetrated on civilian populations. Domestic violence. Prostitution,
pornography and trafficking.

Since the beginning of the patriarchal age, women have been considered the spoils of war, invisibilized
under the euphemistic phrase, 'collateral damage'. In Rwanda, at least 250,000 women were raped in
the 1994 genocide. During the 1990's, more than 20,000 Muslim women were raped as part of an ethnic
cleansing campaign in Bosnia. And as recently as 2003, the UN reported thousands of women and girls
had been raped during fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gang rape was so widespread
and brutal that doctors began classifying vaginal destruction as a combat-related crime.

Military training frequently encourages the hatred and belittling of women. The use of gender slurs
motivate men to act aggressively, both toward women within their own culture and women of the 'other'
culture. Pornography and prostitution have always been unofficially sanctioned forms of entertainment
for soldiers. Until 1999, pornography could easily be purchased by servicemen at US military base
commissaries, which were one of the largest purchasers of hard core pornography. It's removal cost the
commissaries at least $10 million. Complete story