Rape As A Weapon Of Warfare And Civil Conflicts - 1802 Words

The use of sexual violence as a weapon in warfare and civil conflicts has been around for centuries, from the Crusades to the World Wars and to this day, rape is still a tactic used in warfare and conflicts. This essay explains why rape is such a popular tactic, it’s prevalence from early times to today and the cultural, social, economic and political factors that come to play in regards to rape in warfare. The culture of militarism comes into full effect when talking about warfare. Rape is a tactic used by the military to ensure their power and control. It is to show that they have the masculine privilege by showing their strength and dominance over the women. (Chinkin, 1995) In a patriarchal culture, and in a military culture that is dominated by men, war provides the perfect psychological backdrop for men and even an excuse to show their distain towards women. In military culture, the weapons are in the hands, or dare I say, between their legs, and this, along with orders given and the soldier’s need to follow the orders to the highest extent give the soldiers a sense of dominance. The spiritual bonding of soldiers, along with the sense of dominance, confirms to men that women are secondary, and that they are of nothing and are just spectators in the world of action. (Brownmiller, 1975, p. 45) Thus explains why rape is such a popular military tactic during wars. It emphasizes on power and humiliation of the weak, hence why the rape is always targeted towards the womenShow MoreRelatedThe Rise Of The Arab Spring1555 Words   |  7 Pagesdemonstrations, riots, and civil wars in the Middle East that began on 18 December 2010, pro-democracy Syrians rose in rebellion to the existing regime of Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president. 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