Reported at 12:38 am on March 9, 2007
"THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Women in Darfur continue to be subjected to rape by all sides in the brutal conflict in western Sudanese region, the U.N. human rights chief said Thursday — International Women's Day. "
The minute a woman in Darfur steps outside of a refugee camp, she is subjected to one of the most demeaning, horrible, and life shattering acts another person could inflict upon her.
Rape–noun
1.the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
2. Any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.
If you’re a female, imagine being forced from your home. Your house was burned down, you witnessed the gruesome murder of some of your neighbors, young children that you use to see walk to school everyday, abducted and forced to go with strange men; probably will become part of a child army. Now you live in a refugee camp. Displaced with no where to go, you now live in a camp with your family. Still, you must carry out essential chores to survive, such as fetching fire wood. Your father or brother would go get it, but your mother fears that they will be murdered if they leave the camp. So instead, you go, at least you have a better chance of coming back alive.
If your a male, imagine being in a similar situation. You’re in a camp. Your ego may even be bruised do to the fact that you couldn’t protect your family from this unfortunate event from happening. To add insult to extreme injury, you must watch your mother or sister leave your side. As she walks out of your protection, away from your watchful eye, you think of all the horrible things that could happen to her on her journey. She's only going because its better that you stay alive, despite the fact that a rebel may take full advantage of her vulnerability.
It seems as if that could never happen, especially when you live in America. However, human beings in this world, in this life, living at this moment, go through this everyday. We take advantage of the fact that we live freely. Our everyday concerns are how we are going to get through school without fighting someone, or how I can get those sneakers with this paycheck. No one can just come and burn down our home. When we go to the store, in the middle of the day, do we really fear being raped by some guy backed by government power? It may cross our mind when we see someone strange, but is it a priority concern? Do you fear your father or brother being murdered just for being a civilian every time they walk out the door to your home?
In addition, some of these women in Darfur are having babies because of these rapes.
""These women have children from these rapes — children to whom they cannot give a name because they're the children of janjaweed," as the government-backed rebels are known, Arbour said. The janjaweed are blamed for some of the worst atrocities in the Darfur conflict."
How would it feel to raise a child without a name? How would it feel to raise a child whose father you barely know, but hate? What do you do in these situations?
After reading this article, my daily concerns and conflicts seem ignorant and childish, almost irrelevant. I almost feel ashamed for living the life I do, knowing that there are probably young women my age living in fear and desperation. It makes you wonder, how do they live? How do they find the strength to go on? The murder rate in Africa is probably higher than it is in America, but I wonder if America's suicide rate is higher than it is in Africa. If it is, why? Compared to the things that Africans go through, Americans have it a lot easier.
When a woman gets raped in America, and God forbids gets pregnant because of it, it becomes a media issue. Even now, that issue is being discussed in Congress. However, these are hypothetical theories being tested- in Africa, its happening. Who’s coming up with laws to help them? Women in America take the morning after pill because of a one night stand. African women in Darfur need the morning after pill after being raped by janjaweed man. I wonder if Bush would still be pro-life, if the same atrocities going on in Africa, were happening here in America...
http://www.unobserver.com/articleimages/Mercy%20Corps%20Darfur%20Lg.jpg
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