An article I poured by heart and soul into and sacrificed sleep for my school newspaper which was flagged for being ‘inappropriate’ and containing ‘too strong opinions,’ so I’m posting here instead xx
Trigger Warning: Mention of Rape and Sexual Assault
As early as April last year, merely two months after the outbreak of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, there have been reports of sexual assault and rape in Russia-controlled areas of the country. These acts by Russian soldiers constitute not only as human rights violations, but also as wide scale war crimes. As of June 2022, 124 cases of sexual assault were reported, however the actual number is estimated to be far higher and to only have grown in the time since. The victims of these atrocities vary in age from an eighty-two-year-old woman to a four-year-old girl. Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, asserted that rapes and sexual assaults by Russian forces in Ukraine are part of Russian “military strategy” and a “deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victims.”
Gender-based violence in war has historically been used as a military tactic for an array of reasons. Mia Bloom, expert on rape during ethnic conflict, asserts that such acts of brutality primarily occur in wars with the aim to “terrorize the population and demobilize people so that they will flee in great numbers.” As a military tactic, rape posseses the consequence of annihlating a community’s integrity by targeting the women who form its backbone. Bloom comments on the current conflict in Ukraine and affirms that she believes that the Ukraine war constitutes an ethnic war. This is predominantly due to a key aspect of these wars being the goal of “destruction or deconstruction of culture”, which she claims Russia aims to achieve in Ukraine. In history, wartime sexual assault has been misinterpreted as an unexpected and inescapable result of battle, stemming from the fact that soldiers were brutal, and women were viewed as property and thus were among the spoils of victory. However, the present day situation is vastly different. The ongoing atrocities among men, women, and children in Ukraine appears to be preordained and systematic as victims attest to Russian soldiers being armed with Viagra.
Moreover, events like the heinous crimes in Ukraine highlight the blind eye which is often turned to sexual assault. The sexual abuse violations are significantly less emphasised as opposed to other aspects of war like the bombings and death tolls which can be seen in daily newspaper headlines. While there are reports and statistics published about these happenings, they are not nearly as emphasised to the public. This could largely be due to the stigma that surrounds sexual violence and the general graphicness and atrociousness of what victims endure. Yet, this is highly riveting considering that bombings and shootings in the war are equally as graphic and atrocious, and are constantly being pushed to the public. Alternatively, another possible reason for why it receives less coverage could be because its damage is not as physically visible, or the statistics are not very high in comparison to other crimes that take place amidst the war. Nonetheless, it is equally, if not more, damaging to the Ukrainian community as the psychological scars and repercussions will be prevalent long after the war is over.
Even sexual assault outside of war, at an individual level, is frequently overlooked and ‘swept under the rug,’ this is largely owed to society’s perception of rape. Sexual violence, particularly that of men towards women, is often viewed and depicted as unavoidable because “boys will be boys” and “men cannot control themselves”, right? Or perhaps they will even pull the “she was asking for it” along with “did you see what she was wearing?” In some cases the state or governing body does not intervene as it is seen as a ‘private matter.’ With regards to war, a 1996 Human Rights Watch report stated that “rape has long been characterized and dismissed by the military and political leaders as a private crime or the unfortunate behavior of a renegade soldier.” Yet it should be the state’s responsibility because rape and sexual violence constitute as human rights infringements and anyone who defends this behaviour claiming that it is “natural instinct” should be lectured about consent.
The manner in which sexual assault and rape is characterised and viewed by society has fostered widespread stigma around these violations, worsening the situation for victims. Survivors of such experiences receive reactions of discomfort when they speak out about what they endured which causes them to feel humiliated for what happened to them. Additionally, they often face questions and comments like “what time of day was it?”, “what were you wearing?”, “were you alone?” or “were you drunk?” that imply that they are partly at fault for being sexually assaulted. Through encountering these sorts of reactions, victims are revictimized and made to feel guilty for what happened to them even though, in reality, it is not in the least part their fault.
This is one of the major contributing factors to the millions of sexual harassment cases that go unreported each year as victims feel shame and guilt when speaking about what they endured. In fact, approximately only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police. The stigma and feelings of shame that society inflicts on rape victims is also a contributing factor to why it is being employed in wars to gain advantage. If we could correct the way in which it is viewed and shift the blame from the victims to the perpetrators, then the impact of sexual assault would lessen and it would not be so easily weaponised to bring down a community.
Furthermore, although men and boys are often victims of these crimes, it is girls and women who are the primary targets and the most affected by the persisting preconceptions and stigma of rape. The fact that this societal prejudice continues unabated perpetuates gender inequality worldwide. The occurrence of rape is born from the stereotypes about men and women, and what their respective roles in society should be. The imbalanced and polarising conceptions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ are what lead to the enhanced probability of sexual violence. Consequently, as rape occurs, it reinforces these misconceptions and the imbalance of power between genders through the stigma that it is surrounded by, and the cycle continues. We as society are long overdue to effectively make efforts to eradicate the injustices of gender inequality, injustices that have been present perhaps since the beginnings of civilisation. The manner in which this situation has worsened so gravely that sexual assault is being weaponised against communities demonstrates that we are not advancing as a society, we are regressing.
Hope this article is better appreciated here
References
Gall, C., & Boushnak, L. (2023, January 5). Ukraine Finds Sexual Crimes in Regions Russia Occupied. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/05/world/europe/ukraine-sexual-violence-russia.html
Getting Raped: The Stigma of Being A Rape Victim | HealthyPlace. (2021, December 17). https://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/rape/getting-raped-the-stigma-of-being-a-rape-victim
Ochab, E. U. (2022, October 14). United Nations: Rape Is Part Of Russia’s Military Strategy. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2022/10/14/united-nations-rape-is-part-of-russias-military-strategy/?sh=31e8824036a0
Outlook. (2022, October 15). Explained: How Grave Sexual Violence Has Become Part Of Russia’s Military Strategy In Ukraine. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.outlookindia.com/international/explained-how-grave-sexual-violence-has-become-part-of-russia-s-military-strategy-in-ukraine–news-230101
Reports of sexual violence in Ukraine rising fast, Security Council hears. (2022, June 9). UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1119832
Rwanda. (n.d.). https://www.hrw.org/reports/1996/Rwanda.htm
The Criminal Justice System: Statistics | RAINN. (n.d.). https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system
Ukraine: Apparent War Crimes in Russia-Controlled Areas. (2022, October 11). Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/03/ukraine-apparent-war-crimes-russia-controlled-areas