rape as a mechanisms of mass oppression

[justabit]

I have been following the various threads on rape and find they live on in your brain long after you leave the computer. I wanted to post something about what recently happened in Congo but didn't feel that any of the threads were the right place. I'm not expecting a discussion about Congo just wanted to share the information with such a bunch of aware women. As you will know women in Congo (and Liberia and many other places) contend with this abuse of power daily and it happens at such a level that it has become normalised. We don't even hear about it any more. I will post next an extract about recent attacks in Congo which only make news when the scale of atrocity is so high.

Just marking my place in this interesting and disturbing discussion.

I feel vulnerable writing about this as it is so very easy on subjects like this to undermine what you want to say by using language that either provokes a negative reaction or allows people to dismiss what you may have to say. I've been reawakened by some of what I have read on the other threads about how sexual discrimination (here) has mutated into newer and other forms. I think that this is correct. There is a lot to fight here. Given that, the overt brutality faced by women in the contexts that I have cited is so clearly unacceptable that we should be able to do more and say more about it. Why don't we? Do we simply feel that it cannot be addressed? Do we see it as "different" in so many ways from how we live here? Or perhaps is it too uncomfortable to know about as we are too uncomfortable with the subject in general. I don't know but I know that there is something I can't quite get to here. Thanks for responding today.

I can only speak for myself but the reason I don't really get into conversations about what is happening in some (lots) of places overseas is that I feel utterly powerless to do anything about it. I feel that it is just so utterly awful that anyone who looked at it and said that is wasn't awful would obviously have something wrong with them.

Whereas talking about things in the UK are things that I feel at least some power to change (that may be an illusion but still it is there), and we're nearer to changing it, and if we can change eg the political makeup in this country to comprise more women then maybe that will be the best way to help overseas, and also that there is a lot of flat denial in our society and here on MN that women are oppressed in any way so there's lots of talking and arguments to be had.

When someone posts something like eg your OP I normally read them but don't normally reply. Because I just don't know what to say, apart from how bloody awful it is. And there doesn't seem to be much point in saying that, I mean it's obvious. There may also be an aspect that I don't know much about history and feel that I might not understand a lot of the context of eg conflicts. I also wonder if there is a slight concern that I haven't lived in these places and i don't understand them and so I don't have the context there either to really understand why these things are happening or begin to think about ways of changing them. I'm just too ignorant to talk about it. My sum contribution would be "that's terrible", so I don't contribute.

Is that what you were asking?

That is interesting to me. We can tell our Government that we care of course. Whether that will change anything is questionable. Yes there will be a lot we don't understand about other contexts but gender oppression is gender oppression. I'm confused about the best place to put energy. Your second paragraph sums up the dilemma for me. Focus here first (but for how long?).

Thanks justa I was very honest

I know that others on this section are very upset at how little attention is given to the plight of women in different parts of the world.

I don't know the best place to put energy. Giving to charities with the specific aim of helping women elsewhere is the only thing I can think of. And of course that won't be any help for the women in the situations you highlighted in your OP, or in countries where charities of that type are not allowed to operate.

The things like the burning of girls schools in pakistan. What can I do? I mean really? Nothing. Look I'm going to get upset.

That is another aspect, it's just too upsetting for a lot of people to spend too much time thinking about.

OK how about a "overseas charities that feminists might like to consider"? Or would that be too controversial? I always plug the fistula foundation

Maybe we should have a thread where people can post links to their favourite charities and organisations to help women, or in fact to help generally?

I think that would be useful actually.

Will do

done... come and keep me company!

and I have another idea....

sorry justa that was a bit of a tangent.

Think that would be great. Then we just need to figure out how to keep it alive. I don't know how much appetite there is for information but I will post if people want it. For me this has been a very useful discussion.

whats the other idea? tell!

I will reveal it when I have a about 5 or 6 posts on the other thread....

So get posting!

just seen the reveal

So that's that done, I hope MNHQ give the OK on it. If not maybe we can try and do it anyone and keep it bumped.

we can try anyway. will be interested to hear what they say.

Well I guess we'll hear something tomorrow.

I'm off to bed now anyway, night and nice "seeing" you

sleep well. you too.