Lifting the Veil: A Comprehensive Analysis of Sexual Violence in Iraq and Afghanistan from 1989-2009
Open Access
- Author:
- Stulpin, Alexandra Anne
- Area of Honors:
- Interdisciplinary in History and Women's Studies
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Mia Bloom, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Mia Bloom, Thesis Supervisor
Catherine Wanner, Thesis Honors Advisor
Lorraine Dowler, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Iraq
Afghanistan
sexual violence
rape - Abstract:
- Iraq and Afghanistan have labored under the stresses of occupation and war which dramatically affected their civilian populations. Both nations serve to illustrate a new trend in warfare as sexual violence and armed conflict become increasingly and inextricably tied together. In recent decades, this complex relationship has jettisoned to the forefront of human rights concerns as armed forces began using rape as a weapon of war in order to subjugate local populations beneath their control. Iraq and Afghanistan already have high levels of violence in their societies, as gender based violence is employed in order to strip women of their agency. Forcible marriage, acid throwing and self immolation have been extensively documented as abuses that disenfranchise women in their own homes and society at large. However, rape is a dramatic departure from other types of gender based violence. This new “weapon of war” systematically terrorized and humiliated local women and children into submission as part of a larger military strategy. Despite the fact thousands of women were brutalized during these military engagements, there was a severe lack of legal recourse available to rape victims. Due to the fact both Iraq and Afghanistan are highly conservative Islamic societies; the victim is more apt to be blamed rather than the assailant. This thesis will examine the types of gender based violence that occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan from 1989-2009, with special emphasis on how militaries utilized rape as a weapon of war in order to reward, recruit, punish and cleanse ethnic populations.