Local Testimony and the (Un)Silencing of Sexual Violence in Lithuania under German Occupation during WWII

The memory of sexual violence in Eastern Europe under German occupation during WWII has long been silenced by the opacity of local events to outside observers, a conspiracy of silence on the issue of collaboration, and conventions on how the Holocaust should be represented. Since the collapse of the USSR, the opening of archives has stimulated the production of a large and growing literature on the nature and causes of communal violence, but with relatively limited attention to sexual violence as an aspect of genocide. Based on a qualitative analysis of select audio-visual testimonies collected from non-Jewish Lithuanians since the 1990s, this paper demonstrates that local knowledge of sexual violence has persisted for decades in the post-genocidal space. However, these testimonies have been overshadowed by politicized narratives of national martyrology, and neglected by local and international researchers alike, despite their importance to the process of historical reckoning.

Avoidant Coping of the Decision-Making Process on the Location of Care in Old Age: A Possible Conspiracy of Silence?

The conspiracy of silence is extremely important due to both its high incidence and its consequences. This process usually occurs in situations of palliative care, or death; however, this concept is also mentioned in the literature linked to other contexts. Therefore, our objective was to study whether the conspiracy of silence may be extrapolated to the context of decision-making on the location of care in old age. To this end, we first analyzed the in-depth semi structured qualitative interviews conducted with older people, caregivers, and professionals, about decision-making on the location of care in old age. Subsequently, a comparative analysis was performed between the basic elements of the conspiracy of silence and this decision-making. Our findings revealed an avoidance process developed by all three groups. Furthermore, this decision-making presents similarities with the conspiracy of silence in the process of avoidance coping and denial that is developed. However, there are significant differences, as information is not withheld from the older person, who has an active attitude in the process of avoidance. Decision-making on the location of care in old age does not exactly match the conspiracy of silence process, but it does seem to correspond to a pact of silence.

A Million Famines

This chapter examines how the Indian democracy faces a new challenge: hunger that kills its citizens in silence. Thanks to the public distribution system, when it is applied properly, there is some food some of the time these days. But for particularly vulnerable groups, such as tribes whose livelihoods have historically been tied to the forests that are increasingly being appropriated for mines and factories, and who now have to depend on uncertain menial work, it is still not enough. The scale of dispersed and slow-motion famine that afflicts Indian democracy should be an ethical and political scandal, but it is hardly ever an election issue. In the world’s fifth largest economy, starvation deaths sometimes do cause brief media outrage when they occur. But a conspiracy of silence by incompetent officials, ephemeral media attention, and the indifference and complacency of well-fed citizens helps to temper outrage. Avoiding words like starvation — using malnutrition instead — and hiding hunger under the garb of diseases allows India’s million famines to go untreated, debilitating the social foundations of its democracy.

Combatting the conspiracy of silence: Clinician recommendations for talking about racism and racism-related events with youth of color

This manuscript provides recommendations to clinicians on how to support youth of color and their families following highly publicized acts of racial violence and related events.

A Conspiracy of Silence: , , and Restitution

When patients are harmed by their treatment, they want three things from their doctor: they want the doctor to tell them what happened, say they are sorry, and tell them what will be done to keep it from happening to someone else. “What happened” is an acknowledgment that something went wrong, followed by an explanation of why it happened, and some guidance on what the future holds. If they have additional medical expenses or a disability, they also want compensation. Sadly, none of this happens most of the time [1].