Rape as a Weapon of War

On this blog I generally write about the “good” aspects of sex and how to have good sex. However, there is a flip side to sex:

There are some women whose sexual rights and bodily integrity are violated through a myriad of factors including sexual abuse and rape. It is hard to categorise the severity of different types of abuse but in my view one of the most insidious types of violence is the use of rape as a weapon of war. In times of war, the warfront becomes women’s bodies with the rape and sexual abuse of women becoming part and parcel of wartime stratagems (some will argue that this is the case in times of peace too)

Below is a solidarity statement by a diverse group of young African women

MILEAD FELLOWS’ STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY TO GUINEA

STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY

Following the 28th September violence in Conakry, we, the first generation of Fellows of the Moremi Initiative for Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD), joining hands with several organizations and millions of people around the world, raise our voices to condemn the deterioration of the political situation to the detriment of the people of Guinea.

We raise our voices first and foremost to express solidarity with our fellow MILEAD sister Aminata Fall, with the families of the victims and with the People of Guinea.

We condemn fervently the deaths of several innocent Guineans and the physical and sexual violence committed against the women of Guinea. These atrocities should not, indeed will not go unnoticed. These events must be brought to the forefront because once the people of a country face the butts of the army’s guns we must respond and act with the urgency that such a situation demands.

The military regimes that have held power in Guinea since 1984 have continually perpetrated acts of violence against the Guinean population and have violated human rights and the rule of law. Indeed the massacre of 28th September was an inevitable deterioration of an already deplorable situation following the forcible military takeover led by Moussa Dadis Camara on 23rd December 2008. Less than a year later Camara rescinded his promise of a smooth transition from military rule to a democratically government chosen through free and transparent elections.

We the young women of MILEAD, our partner organizations and other concerned individuals raise our voices in solidarity with the people of Guinea whose right to free political expression was mercilessly trampled upon by unscrupulous forces of the same Dadis Camara who now confesses to have lost control of the army that helped bring him to power. We not only condemn this obvious weakness of political structures and lack of institutions, we also demand that action be taken and encourage our partners to join us in working with the people of Guinea to restore hope, healing and political change.

We raise our voices particularly against the violent physical and sexual abuse of women and girls on this terrible day in Guinea’s history. We decry the use of rape as a tool of conflict, of intimidation or of punishment and we above all decry the use of the female body as an arena for violently hashing out political differences. Brutal gang rape will not go unpunished and we will seek redress at the appropriate national, regional and international institutions.

As young women desirous of making a tangible contribution to the advancement of democracy and the rule of law in our respective countries, we use this statement of solidarity as a platform and a symbol of our socio-political engagement. We pledge to take a stand on issues, to vocalize our concerns and above all to take action whenever necessary since passive leadership is in fact no leadership at all.

We demand that the Presidents of our respective African countries (Ouganda, Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroun, Somalie, Kenya, The Gambia, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia, Lesotho and Tanzania) make a formal condemnation of the Guinea situation and to express support for free and transparent elections founded upon the right to freedom of speech.

We also call on the Guinean authorities to work towards a speedy return to peace and a respect for the rights of the people. We are aware that Guinea today is working towards finding her place on the African continent and on the international scene however this cannot be achieved by alienating the people and civil society.

Our thoughts, our hearts, our sympathies go to the people of Guinea, to the victims, to those hurting and to their families.

Ghana, 5th October 2009