Women and Genocide in Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Jessee
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
International Law ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Resistance Movements ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Written Sources

Genocide, defined in international law as killings and related mass atrocities that are committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group,” has negatively impacted countless communities across Africa over the centuries. The resulting historical literature is strongest regarding those genocides that occurred in the 20th and 21st centuries due to a tendency to privilege written sources. Within this literature, African women’s experiences remain understudied compared to the experiences of men, despite widespread recognition that genocides often affect people differently according to their gender identity. However, in looking at the widely studied examples of colonial genocides in Belgian-occupied Congo (1885–1908) and German-occupied Namibia (1904–1908), and the subsequent genocides in Burundi (1972), Rwanda (1994), and Sudan (2003–2008), it becomes evident that perpetrators have targeted women in particular ways as part of their broader efforts to exterminate unwanted communities. While women are frequently killed alongside men during genocides, the literature on these case studies abounds with examples of sexual violence, particularly rape, that the perpetrators inflict upon women as part of their efforts to undermine the social vitality of their intended victims’ communities. Women’s experiences of genocide are often far more diverse than the literature’s singular focus on sexual violence suggests, however. The case of Rwanda demonstrates that women can also serve as combatants and perpetrators, while the case of Belgian-occupied Congo reveals that women can lead resistance movements in opposition to genocidal violence. Similarly, German-occupied Namibia and Rwanda demonstrate that women can serve important roles in rebuilding their communities and advocating for recognition and reparations in the post-genocide period. Scholars are beginning to pay greater attention to women’s diverse experiences of genocide, but there is a great deal of research to be undertaken, particularly regarding how different facets of women’s identities, such as class, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, among others, shape their experiences of genocide.

Sexual Violence as a War Weapon in Conflict Zones: Palestinian Women’s Experience Visiting Loved Ones in Prisons and Jails

Affilia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 088610992097861
Author(s):  
Ferdoos Abed-Rabo Al Issa ◽  
Elizabeth Beck
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
International Law ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
Women's Experience

At present, there are about 4,500 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and jails. This study explores Palestinian women’s experiences with sexual violence by prison personnel as they visit their detained loved ones. In interviews with 20 participants, the prevalence of, type of, and reaction to sexual violence were explored. Nineteen of the 20 participants stated that they experienced some sort of unwanted verbal and nonverbal sexual comments or gestures, forced nudity, or forced touching by prison personnel. The women talked about how the experiences have harmed them as well as the strategies that they use to overcome their experiences. The findings are contextualized within international law and describe the implications of sexual violence within a culture that links modesty with religious beliefs and honor. The implications of as well as strategies to address sexual violence are discussed at micro-, mezzo, and macro level.

Socio-Economic Status of Dalits Community in Sindhuli District

Patan Pragya ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-161
Author(s):  
Bed Prasad Neupane
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Social Awareness ◽  
Service Work ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
The Social ◽  
Traditional Occupation

This study is based on Kamalamai Municipality, Sindhuli District. There are 56 households of Dalit (Damai 29 and Kami 27) in this area. The census method was used in the study where, total population is 365 from 56 households. Among them, 172 were male and 193 were female. The general objectives of this study are to identify demographic and socio-economic status of Dalits and to find out causes of deprivation of Dalits people in the community. They worked as agricultural labour and service work. Their income is less than their expenditure. Most of them are uneducated but nowadays, the level of education has increased so that their children go to school and college. Only 39 percent were literate and only 7 percent Dalits have passed SLC and +2. They give priority on arrange marriage. Youth generation doesn't like the traditional occupation and skills. They use a lot of alcohol (Jaad and Raski) in the festivals and rituals ceremony however the economic condition of Dalit is poor so many children of them are forced to dropout from schools because their parents cannot afford their education fees. The social status of the females in the Dalit community is very low than the males in the society. After the father's death all the properties is transferred to the son. The main causes for degrading status of Dalits are due to poverty, lack of education and lack of social awareness. So far, there have not been any kinds of policies and plans to uplift the Dalit community in this area.

Living Paradox in Riverine Bangladesh: Whiteheadian Perspectives on Ganga Devi and Khwaja Khijir

1969 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveeda Khan
Keyword(s):  
Alfred North Whitehead ◽  
Physical Entity ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Many

We begin with the words of rural and riverine women from Bangladesh recalling the events of their children's deaths by drowning. These events are cast as the work of supernatural beings, specifically Ganga Devi and Khwaja Khijir, who compel the mothers into forgetfulness and entice the children to the water. Is this a disavowal of loss and responsibility? This article considers that the women, specifically those from northern Bangladesh, assert not only their understanding of the losses that they have suffered but also their changing relationship to the river and its changing nature through their evocations of mythological figures. Alongside the many experiences of the river, the article takes note of its experience as paradoxical, with paradoxicality serving as the occasion for the coming together of the mythological, the material, and the social. The article draws upon Alfred North Whitehead to interrelate the strata of myths and their permutations, with the women's experiences of the river, and the river as a physical entity, allowing us to explore how the women's expressions portend the changing climate.

Muslim Women’s Experiences of Higher Education in Britain

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-69
Author(s):  
Fauzia Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
It Impacts ◽  
The Social ◽  
University Experiences

I explore British South Asian Muslim women’s experiences of higher education and how it impacts identity construction and negotiation. Through semi-structured interviews with thirty-five undergraduate and post-graduate Muslim female university students, I reflect on their perceived and actual experiences. By stressing how representations of them influence their participation and experiences, I analyze how individual subjectivities are mediated and negotiated while reflecting common experiences. I also consider their accounts of the social and personal benefits they felt that they gained during their studies, as well as to the more disturbing and racialized aspects of their experiences. They differentiated between three overlapping forms of beneficial experience: academic, social, and personal. While instances of anti-Muslim racism were rare or subtle, certain university structures and expectations of what being a mainstream student means often contributed to a noted sense of “othering.” I conclude by highlighting how their accounts of their university experiences directly challenge those stereotypes that misrepresent educated Muslim women as “religious and cultural rebels.”

scholarly journals Aastaanas of Magicians: A Ray of Hope for the Marginalised Community of Rawalpindi

2020 ◽  
Vol V (III) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Mahwish Zeeshan ◽  
Aneela Sultana ◽  
Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Economic Survey

People continue to believe in the efficacy of magic in the era of science and technology. Mythology pertaining to curative aspect of magic which is believed to solve the social, economic and medical problems of the people. Initially, a socio-economic survey of the households was conducted in Rawalpindi at Dhok Ratta and Dhok Khabba, which tapped 796 households. Later, 44 people who confessed using magic were interviewed with the help of an interview guide and participant observation at the aastaanas of the aamils. Mostly people who believed in the magical practices were inflicted with health, domestic, social and economic problems and sought magical cure as a last resort. The efficacy of magic is determined by socio-economic status, sex, marital status and education of the people rather than their belief in religion and fatalism.

scholarly journals Consequences of Gossiping on Women Empowerment

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Shumaila Umer ◽  
Zaheruddin Othman ◽  
Kalthum Bt Haji Hassan ◽  
Rahila Umer ◽  
Habib Ur Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Control ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Women Empowerment ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Inductive Approach ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Depth Interviews

AbstractGossip is prevalent and is widespread in human society. Gossip has been denigrated as ‘idle talk’, mostly among women based on ‘trifling or groundless rumour’. The nature and intensity of gossiping victimise women in society. Consequently, women bear serious threat to their well standardized lives. The study aims to understand the women’s experiences with gossiping as a barrier to empowerment. This is a qualitative study with inductive approach. Men and Women are selected as a informants for this study. The data were congregated through in-depth interviews. The results indicate that gossiping or fear of being gossiped is a strong social control in the social setup of Balochistan. This prevents women from being empowered. This paper is intended to be a contribution to exploiting the ideas of women about gossiping as an essential social control or barrier for empowering women.

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