women in war

I thought today's presentation on women in war was really interesting. I've been fascinated by this subject ever since reading the book called S., which colleen talked about. It details the stories of women in rape camps in the balkans. I forget the exact details but i know that i read the book last year for a class and it has haunted me ever since. The notion of raping women to ruin a culture and kill a blood line i think is absolutely disgusting and yet chillingly effective. The scars of rape are unrepairable and last a lifetime, both for victim and perpetrator. Like we said in class i dont beleive that rape is the result of some 'biological drive'-i think thats a bullshit excuse for men to stand behind and blame their genes instead of their own lack of control or desire for power. Like we also said in class i think rape is one of the most blatant displays of power that humans can exert. Yes physical violence shows a power dynamic, but rape takes it one step farther. The other article that we read about the villagers who were mass raped was extremely disturbing on many levels. it was disturbing not only because of the pure hell that the villagers were put through at the time, but also the side affects that are still being felt today. For example the numerous women in the same family who were all raped but refused to confide in each other and instead were forced to suffer in silence at the risk of being completely ostracized and isolated. Its no wonder that they cannot speak out when the one women's own husband said that if she had been raped he simply would not 'keep' her. This explicity implies that she is HIS property and would be cast aside like trash should she be tainted. This not only destroys her self-worth but it also places the blame on her. she is being punished for being raped. Like amidia said rape is the only crime in which the victim is prosecuted. i think thats horribly sad yet undeniably true. it also is shown in the article about sexual assualt in the military that we read. women are ashamed/afraid to report assaults because they first of all may not be beleived, and if they are, stand to lose the ranking that they've worked so hard for. not only that but what's the point of reporting something when chances are the perp. will simply get a slap on the wrist? its simply not worth the hell of reporting it. I think that is one of the biggest problems with the military. They see themselves as the most powerful force on earth and therefore do not subjugate themselves to societal/moral norms. They seem to have the mentality that if 'were out here risking our lives and defending our country, we get a few get out of jail free cards when we get a little rowdy with the natives or our female soldiers.' i came across this same problem last year when looking at the issue of UN troops raping girls in cambodia. the charges were swept under the rug or ignored all together simply because the assailants were UN peacekeeping troops. whether it was to protect the UN reputation, the UN mission in cambodia, or the soldiers themselves, this behavior is still unacceptable. How can we ever gain the trust and respect of those we 'protect' when we cannot even protect  them from ourselves? Overall the whole system of coming forward with charges of rape being seen as a 'weakness' or something to keep to yourself is disgusting. I think thats also one of the main factors behind women in the military hiding their sexual assualts. If they come forward and say they were assaulted that totally contradicts their whole image of being a tough military women. 'obviously she's not as tough as the male soldiers because they can still dominate her'. i think thats also a reason why men in the military dont come forward. im sure there is unrecorded abuse simply because being abused is a sign of weakness. we blame the victim for not defending themselves instead of holding the perp. accountable which is 100% backwards and probably contributing to the problem itself.