Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Innocent Victims
Don't read this story at work. It deals with the most innocent victims of the war in Bosnia Hercegovina. The ones no one will talk about.
Innocent victims
This story illustrates something important, and that is that when war is 'over' it really isn't.
Another thing I would like to say. In the Algerian war of independance the French raped women often in great numbers and often in very similar circumstances to how women were reaped in BiH.
Remember Algeria is to this day a Muslim country. The stigma towards women who have been raped is also a deep part of that culture.
The victorious revolutionary Algerian government took a very different approach to the problems of those women who were raped in the War of Liberation.
The Algerian government did provide compensation for these women. They also did something a bit unique for a Muslim country, they declared those women Martyrs of the Revolution! They gave them twice the dowry customary at the time for a virgin and encouraged men to marry them as an act of patriotism. That is what the Bosnian government should have done, and failed to do.
It's not like the example of how the Algerians handled this wasn't out there to be followed.
Algeria has had it's problems since, but at least Algerian people in the future can look with pride in their country and say 'we tried to do something better, we tried to pioneer a different approach.'
People in the Balkans generally were aware of Algeria, and the Algerian revolution, in fact anyone who has plotted revolution has to study Algeria!
Innocent victims
This story illustrates something important, and that is that when war is 'over' it really isn't.
Another thing I would like to say. In the Algerian war of independance the French raped women often in great numbers and often in very similar circumstances to how women were reaped in BiH.
Remember Algeria is to this day a Muslim country. The stigma towards women who have been raped is also a deep part of that culture.
The victorious revolutionary Algerian government took a very different approach to the problems of those women who were raped in the War of Liberation.
The Algerian government did provide compensation for these women. They also did something a bit unique for a Muslim country, they declared those women Martyrs of the Revolution! They gave them twice the dowry customary at the time for a virgin and encouraged men to marry them as an act of patriotism. That is what the Bosnian government should have done, and failed to do.
It's not like the example of how the Algerians handled this wasn't out there to be followed.
Algeria has had it's problems since, but at least Algerian people in the future can look with pride in their country and say 'we tried to do something better, we tried to pioneer a different approach.'
People in the Balkans generally were aware of Algeria, and the Algerian revolution, in fact anyone who has plotted revolution has to study Algeria!
# posted by Katja R. @ 10:04 AM 
Comments:
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I wish I had enough money to build a new home and hire a team of care takers for these orphans; as well as a support group for the rape victims.
I, for one, for the life of me, can not fathom hating a child simply because he/she is a result of rape!
A child is a child not matter who he or she was conceived.
Fucking money SUCKS!
It's wierd how something as simple as money can mean a life of misery vs. a life of not being hungry and cold.
It actually angers me to want to act out violently but, I know that's not an option.
John
I, for one, for the life of me, can not fathom hating a child simply because he/she is a result of rape!
A child is a child not matter who he or she was conceived.
Fucking money SUCKS!
It's wierd how something as simple as money can mean a life of misery vs. a life of not being hungry and cold.
It actually angers me to want to act out violently but, I know that's not an option.
John
Well that is a possible form of humanitarian work to raise money for and set up.
One of the features of these camps was that the normal Balkans response ro haveing been raped is 1. if pregnant get an abortion 2. Don't tell anyone ever, was prevented, the intention was to impregnate these women and girls. They were seldom released at a point in pregnancy when they could have had an abortion safely, and of course being able to find a safe place to give birth, and a place for these babies was not so easy in war time. Those kids don't really have a chance in life in their own country. They will grow up and have less of a place in society than Roma do.
The prevalence of 'honor killings is pretty low in the Balkans, the one place it's common is among Albanians, at least I've heard of it happening in Kosovo pretty regularly.
The silence is because whatever religion people are the stigma attached to rape is pretty serious. A lot of women who wind up trafficked were raped before being in the situation of being trafficked and silence might mena preserveing one's marriage if one is married, or being able to marry if one isn't. Most of the problem is that men commit this crime, they don't get punished, and it is a part of war, every war.
I really respect how Algeria dealt with the problem, it is too bad their example wasn't followed more.
A lot of it is that the woman gets blamed when there are two groups of men at fault, the men who committed the crime in the first place, with the intention of destroying the community of the people they fought against, and the men who failed in their duty to protect their wives,mothers, daughters, and sisters.
And of course children are the most innocent victims of all, and the ones least considered. Being 'mixed' and the result of rape, there is no community they can be part of as adults.
One of the features of these camps was that the normal Balkans response ro haveing been raped is 1. if pregnant get an abortion 2. Don't tell anyone ever, was prevented, the intention was to impregnate these women and girls. They were seldom released at a point in pregnancy when they could have had an abortion safely, and of course being able to find a safe place to give birth, and a place for these babies was not so easy in war time. Those kids don't really have a chance in life in their own country. They will grow up and have less of a place in society than Roma do.
The prevalence of 'honor killings is pretty low in the Balkans, the one place it's common is among Albanians, at least I've heard of it happening in Kosovo pretty regularly.
The silence is because whatever religion people are the stigma attached to rape is pretty serious. A lot of women who wind up trafficked were raped before being in the situation of being trafficked and silence might mena preserveing one's marriage if one is married, or being able to marry if one isn't. Most of the problem is that men commit this crime, they don't get punished, and it is a part of war, every war.
I really respect how Algeria dealt with the problem, it is too bad their example wasn't followed more.
A lot of it is that the woman gets blamed when there are two groups of men at fault, the men who committed the crime in the first place, with the intention of destroying the community of the people they fought against, and the men who failed in their duty to protect their wives,mothers, daughters, and sisters.
And of course children are the most innocent victims of all, and the ones least considered. Being 'mixed' and the result of rape, there is no community they can be part of as adults.
I really, truly believe religion is the work of Satan.
I dispise all things having to do with the church! Satan has acuried more souls in the name of religion than anything on the face of the earth, I believe.
Sorry to offend anyone.
The kind of money I'm talking about could never be raised by "humanitarian" work.
I've go to somehow figure out how to make money off the corrupt money. I've got to figure out some way to peek my nose into the ways of the evil corporate world and not be recognized as a threat, but a supporter.
I've got to find a way to make that kind of money!
I'm sorry if I seem a little upset. It's just I witnissed a group of local children perform at a village function today and this one little boy caught my attention and I remebered some bad things I wish I hadn't.
I'm actually going to write a post about it on my blog soon.
John
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I dispise all things having to do with the church! Satan has acuried more souls in the name of religion than anything on the face of the earth, I believe.
Sorry to offend anyone.
The kind of money I'm talking about could never be raised by "humanitarian" work.
I've go to somehow figure out how to make money off the corrupt money. I've got to figure out some way to peek my nose into the ways of the evil corporate world and not be recognized as a threat, but a supporter.
I've got to find a way to make that kind of money!
I'm sorry if I seem a little upset. It's just I witnissed a group of local children perform at a village function today and this one little boy caught my attention and I remebered some bad things I wish I hadn't.
I'm actually going to write a post about it on my blog soon.
John
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