Sunday, January 26, 2014

Rape as Genocide in Darfur, Sudan

http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-scheffer13-2008nov13,0,4737847.story#axzz2rZ2RTP8o

26 comments:

  1. Doing all those crimes is one thing but after doing them why take the last bit of someone's dignity. "Maybe around 20 men rape one woman," said one victim in a report cited by the prosecutor. "These things are normal for us here in Darfur. ... They rape women in front of their mothers and fathers." How can anyone do that, surely they have children, a mother, father, or siblings. This just shows they don't have a heart. Later on in the article they say that that normal in Darfur, I don't see how anyone could be able to live there and try to raise children, just leave.

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  2. The rape is a pretty hard thing to prove I suppose. He probably messed up somewhere and did some raping himself. I wish I had a better understanding of foreign policy. Hopefully this dude gets found guilty on at least one of the charges. What will his punishment be for this specific crime if found guilty? What is really troubling is the reaction of the men from the same ethnic background in the other countries mentioned. They shun the women who have been raped. Is this how it works in Darfur? I can’t imagine trying to live through a death camp. I’d love to laugh with the president’s threat on U.N. peacekeepers but with today’s world he’s probably right. The poor saps representing the U.N. over there probably have their hands tied. If any fighting started they most likely wouldn’t get any support. They probably only be authorized to stand their ground and fire a water gun as a warning shot. As I learned earlier today through class discussion it is also not surprising to learn natural resources play a part in this. Apparently China fuels this in some way. I just wonder how that continent would be if every country united. How could this happen? Is it even possible? They would then have the power to tell the rest of the world to leave them be and make some better money while doing it.

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  3. The author was right when he says that when the common person hears the word "genocide," we immediately think about the Holocaust and the other more famous genocides involving the Jews and Cambodians. I was also unaware that rape could wipe out a small nation. After previously looking into this it seems everyone is aware and able to tell the stories of exactly how these poor people are torchered through these acts of violence but not enough is said about the solution to the problem. Like the previous genocides, maybe we didn't know the extent of situations but our government has been well aware of what's been going on since the Bush administration. Why mass sanctions can't be handed down along with neighboring countries putting a stop to this with constant pressure on Sudan can't be done amazes me.

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  4. Joyce Shelby January 29, 2014 6:32

    I just cannot believe that there are people that will do thing like that in front of their mothers and fathers. They did care about if they have children or if it was one of their children, if it was someone, they know. As I was growing up they call it gang -rape but here they will be found guilty of what they did, and they establish of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt, if life is like that I could not live there. There is just too much violence of that kind because if it was my children I will have to find me guilty of what I will do to save my children. I can just imagine that some of their mothers and fathers die save their children.and that they were torchered to. there have to be a solution to this.what I don't know but it little girls that been rape

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  5. After being charged for everything it says the courts prosecutor charged him with I would hope he gets punished pretty bad. I mean I don't really know how the court systems work over there in Darfur, but something needs to happen about this. Rape is so wrong! It is just terrible. Then It says the babies born from these women being raped "rarely have a future in the mothers ethnic group. Infanticide and abandonment are common." That is so sad! It also says one of the reasons he rapes these women is "not only to terrorize women or force a population out of a particular region but to end -- or substantially imperil -- the very existence of the three ethnic groups that dared to challenge his power." That's messed up. Most of them probably didn't do anything but have a little different beliefs and they get raped and their lives ruined.

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  6. "Normal?" This is absolutely disgusting. How this could go on for any extended period of time is just downright disturbing. Even if this scumbag wanted to wipe entire groups of people off the face of the Earth, murder would be still be preferred than absolute degradation and torture to the point to where they just slowly but surely die out. Why hasn't anyone stepped in? Are we as a human race seriously so afraid to step in to declare martial law and systematically wipe out the scum that are committing these horrendous, reprehensible acts? I know fighting fire with fire can sometimes make things worse, but sometimes people who do things like this who actually believe they can, and actually DO, get away with things like this sometimes need to be put in check. On a scale and method like this, I don't see it too ridiculous to compare it to the Nazi's genocide of the Jews, if it can't be considered worse. I personally consider this the worst crime any person or group can commit, and anyone who commits anything remotely close to this deserves to suffer an excruciatingly miserable death. I have no sympathy for people like this, and this story will stick in my mind to always remind me what I want to do with criminal justice: to work as hard as I possibly can to ensure things like this happen less and less. Petty theft, murder, and even drug-related crimes pale in comparison to the crimes being committed in Darfur. Preventing people from doing things like this (not just putting one man away for another just like him to take his place) is what's going to make a real difference.

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  7. This form of genocide is worse than just a mass killing. With the rape on other horrible things that go on, it destroys the pride and installs fear in the people making them feel ashamed to belong to the ethnic group they belong to. Although it can't be proved and this is a form of dark figure crime except the police in the this case is the United Nations. It is so sad that this is happening in the world and countries can fight wars and invade others over resources but not over justice.

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  8. This is absolutely shocking. He deserves a harsh punishment for destroying many innocent lives. It’s hard to believe that a person with a high reputation would actually do this. Oh my god I’m trying so hard right not to course or anything, but this is disgusting and it pisses me off that people do this to others knowing that they have kids as well. Those women being raped even if they were still physically able to have children, these women were ostracized from their communities and could not marry their ethnic men. This is so sick at heart I pray for those who were victimized and their families. Hopefully Criminal justice works its system and captures that SOB.

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  9. Its so heartbreaking that rape is so common that it is being compared to the Holocaust. I knew that rape was something that happened but I did not know that it was to this extreme! I'm so disgusted that I man of authority in their country is a main reason this is happening to innocent people. I hope that the justice systems does its job and lock their president away for life.

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  10. To know that genocide still exist today is something very sad and tragic to just think about. Harming people by committing torture, beatings, rape, and mental harm shouldn't take part in order to solve conflicts, or keep humans from another ethnic or racial group away. If Omar Hassan Ashmad Bashir, which is the president of Sudan is really behind the use rape as genocide, he should truly be condemned and prosecuted! These men, women, and children and being victims of some of the worst type of genocide. I believe that a group of surviving rape victims from Darfur should be gathered and interviewed so that the International criminal court can take action. There are very serious outcomes and tragedies that result from this type of genocide. Many of the women are getting pregnant and the newborn is being abandoned or killed, which is against the will of god. This type of crime against humanity in Darfur has been around for about ten years, and thousands of people have been dying from an aim of to ethnic destruction. I truly hope that the judges of ICC review all the evidence closely and charge president Bashir and who ever else was behind this genocide.

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  11. As much as we live in our own little bubble we call the United States something as horrible as this would never come to mind here at home. Our domestic violence is such small scale as compared to this but similar ideas do happen to come up here just not nearly in such high numbers. You can in a sense compare Bashir to any particular local serial killer. He has his particular group he targets and indirectly causes mass murders. All he is is a serial killer whos found power and is using it for his own messed up pleasure. Its a horrible thought but it happens everywhere.

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  12. I didn't know that this still existed in the world that somebody would want to kill an entire raise of people just because they don't fit in his plain. What if those people could bring going to the country? I wonder what goes through the minds of the people that make this type of mass murder happen. It makes me think what else have they don't to people if they can do this and not feel any guilt.

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  13. I cannot believe genocide still exists in this time period. When I read this I was repulsed by what I was reading. To think a leader of a country can be the mastermind of using rape as a form of genocide. This is just as bad as the Holocaust, because just like the article said the rapes are destroying several ethnic groups in Darfur. Raping women from some of this ethnicities means they will no longer be able to marry or have kids with men of their own ethnicity. This would slowly eradicate their ethnic groups. I am glad somebody took action against this horrible crime and I hope they give some justice to all those poor women who got their life’s destroyed by the raping they went thought. I hope the International Criminal Court can do something to stop this man from more lives of women and their ethnic groups.

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  14. Its unbelievable that situations like this still happen, I do hope he is found guilty. He has no morals and hopefully he pays for all the things he has done wrong. His followers must be messed up also for going along with it, it does not matter what ethnic group they are people are still people. I guess not everyone has learned what happened to those who caused a holocaust in the passed.

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  15. The UN recently performed a multi-country cross-sectional study on "Men and Violence" which was published in several medical journals. The cross-sectional study began in January 2011 through December 2012. Six countries were included in the survey 10,178 men. The findings were 55.4% said they have raped 1 woman, 28.3% have raped 2-3 women, 12% have raped 4-10 women, 4.2% said they have raped 10 or more women. That means out of 10,178 men surveyed 5597 had raped a woman. Those figures are not from war torn areas. In my opinion rape is the most insidious, pervasive weapon known to man. It is dehumanizing mentally and physically. Rape has multiple affects in its victim’s short term and long term. Disease, unwanted births, and physical damage to the reproductive system, as well as shame, being ostracized by family and friends are some of the consequences. I do not believe any country including the US treats rape with the punishment it deserves. As most men do who rape Bashir uses rape as form of control in gaining power over his enemies “women and men” are victims of this atrocity. Rape at best is a form of torture and at its worst genocide. I was puzzled by the fact that rape as genocide is new terrain, when rape has probably been a part of every war ever waged. “The judges want to stick to more familiar war crime”, what is more familiar than rape?

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  16. This is a very sad story, but this is one of the many things that truly go unheard. It is about time that these charges are finally being brought up after so many years of this type of genocide The only reason that Ahmed Bashir really used the Janjaweed is because his army was only allowed to do so much and could only use so much tactics like starving and the use of pure physical abuse against the Sudanese, Fur, Massalit, and Zaghawa. The really sad part of this is that all of this is pretty much of the land that most of these tribes are on land that is rich in oil. There are some documentaries like “ The devil came on horseback” that say that Bashir does not use the Janjaweed and that he doesn’t support nor uses them even though he supplies them with weapons and food and the promise of other things. Now these JanJaweed, the spineless @#$% (rhymes with buck) that they are, they use these tactics of genocide rapping because they feel that this is way more affected than going in and killing, this is the best physiological warfare weapon that has been used since the time of the Vikings. They have also found ways to make it more affective by not just attacking women, they also attack men and their biggest thing is while raping these females is to tell them while in the middle of the act that they now have AIDS.

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  17. This situation is so horrible. The poor woman and young ladys are having to suffer this with no other option. And some having to deal with there babies they didn't really want not having a chance in there ethnic group. While this is an act that can permanently hurt someone as well as alter someones life this man that is organizing this needs to be taken away with the worst punishment in my opinion and looked at for serious help. Like someone said above its crazy that genocide still happens in todays time. You would think our world was past those actions. Also the demolishing of these ethnics groups living on these camps is very unfair and all if this done by ruler of a country? it really makes you realize how things in our world are back to going down hill. Hopefully we can rapidly get rid of him and the others helping rape these innocent people trying to simply survive.

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  18. Rape as genocide article got me thoroughly interested with that line alone. After reading the article I see why the prosecutor wants to charge these men within the Janjaweed militia with rape. To read the article and to know they lie in wait for the young women and girls to come out of these camps to retrieve wood or water is atrocious. The Janjaweed militia is a gang themselves they rule with fear and oppress the people around them. I applaud the actions of this prosecutor while fearing for her safety. I am appalled at the other nations who do not wish to have the charges brought at this time do to possibly escalating a already tense situation. When you see the connection of rape as genocide it truly makes sense. They hope to water down a particular ethnic group with both raping the women and killing of the men or even worse castrating the men so that they not have any more children. I could not believe the connection of genocide that continued if a child were born of the situation instances of infanticide and violence against innocent children is unbelievable. Again we see the same cycles of the culture of fear and violence present within the situation that perpetuate the genocide that occurs on a daily basis in Darfur.

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  19. This article really brought tears to my eyes; I never would have thought that rape could be used as a form of genocide. I do not know who worst Kony or Bashir, both of these men are horrible; to think that you can just do people any kind of way and get away with it makes me sick to my stomach. I learned a little about genocide last semester concerning Darfur. Just to listen to this guy’s story of how he survived was heartbreaking. I do not take for granted that I am living in a land that we call the home of the free. What are they serious???? It should not be a debate about whether this type of inhuman treatment is a form of genocide……it very well is!!!! So the courts believe that causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group" or "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part is not genocide? I beg to differ……something needs to be done about this so called man (Bashir). My heart goes out to all who were and still are affected by this madness.

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  20. This is so sad. The need to rape someone in front of their parents and cause harm or death to them is bad enough. However, to do this mass rape in order to wipe out a whole ethnic group this is just so degrading. I do feel like that the charge of genocide should be issued, but gently so that no one can turn around and decide that this is not a legal defense. However, I feel like them using this as a war crime will stick and maybe get some national publicity so that he might be stopped. I just feel like Bashir has entered into controversial waters and that if he is allowed to continue a major out cry will occur and that his crimes might be repeated by other war lords in other countries around the world. I feel so sad for the families of the raped as well as deeply sad for the rape victims. If this was happening over here it would have been dealt with a long time before it got to this point but; however, we do not have the relaxed legal system like other countries have. I hope they are able to pin his butt and keep him locked up with no chance of getting out. This will not help the victims to much but it will help the people that have not been raped yet.

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  21. I think Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, Sudan’s president, will face a stretched out court process. This will be due to the U.N.’s probable choice of suspending his hearing for one year. China, Russia, and Africa are the catalyst to this most probable decision of a stretched court process. Yes, these countries are trying to keep the evolvement of peace in Sudan, but in contrast they are prolonging the massive rap’s occurring daily in Sudan. Even if the U.N. Security Council decides to move forward immediately, it will be very difficult to prosecute Bashir with the intent to diminish a population by way of raping women. Even though there are many forms of evidence, it could be easily viewed as a different form of crime. I hope they have the best prosecution team on this; I want him to go down.

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  22. This gives evidence to the fact evil will find creative ways to inflict harm and death upon others. Though the numbers might not be recorded to that of the genocide committed in WWII or perhaps even Rwanda, this is no doubt inexcusable and not permit-able. Mass rape to women and children is an indirect form of genocide. It is destructive in ethnic tribes who hold norms of ostracizing rape victims who are then looked upon as unclean. Not only is this a physical act of terror but also a psychological assault on human psyche. It is a shame that the division of ethnic groups elevates some to desire the submission and destruction of others. I know I do not have all the evidence or hold more knowledge than those who have witnessed these things first or second hand, but to deny the involvement of Bashir with the Janjaweed would have to be done out of sheer ignorance or blatant disregard. These camps holding the individuals also give weight to the systematic approach of the perpetrators. If Bashir is saying he is not guilty because he is not involved with these parties, then he is guilty for not becoming involved in stopping these genocidal acts from materializing or continuing.

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  23. It is in my opinion that any type of offensive or abusive behavior geared toward a specific ethnic group should be considered Genocide or a sub-type of genocide. To be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law should be built around the fact that is was only happening to a certain ethnic group, which is the definition of how genocide is identified. If anyone was hurt, not just a particular ethnicity, it would just be a rape crime. Prosecuting the rapes in Darfur as a crime against humanity is a way of proving the crime's seriousness, as genocide is another order of destruction altogether. Increasing the mass-rape charges to a higher level indicates that Bashir intended to not just terrorize women or force a population out of a particular region but to end or substantially limit the very existence of the three ethnic groups that dared to challenge his power. It is with hope that this judge punishes Bashir to the fullest extent and anyone else who was even partially responsible for this type of barbaric behavior that was allowed to be used against these women and children.

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  24. “Normal” ….This is not normal!! It is unbelievable how Darfur people has to see rape a normal thing. This genocide is extremely crazy; I was really surprised when I first read the article because it is very sad finding out what girls from another country have to go through every day. I never thought the president of a country would even think of doing such thing. I hope he is found guilty and hopefully he gets the death penalty because he did not just rape thousands of women, but he also destroyed many lives. Getting rape destroys you physically and mentally, and it is a long process to forget about that terrible moment. Before anyone takes his place a serious investigation needs to be done in order to get rid of anyone who was involved.

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  25. I can't believe that people don't see this as genocide. It might not be the same form, but it is definitely destructive and just as bad. Raping women and children is mentally and physically torturing. There needs to be even more punishment for these crimes in order to stop this from continuing. There has to be a way to make this more known so that it can stop because it is a form of genocide.

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  26. This guys just needs to be away for a long time. If we look at some of his other crimes that he has committed other than rape, genocide of his own people, the helping of known gangs that should be more than enough to put him away for life. Rape does harm a woman mentally and physically. If they can prove without a reasonable doubt that he is guilty then they should bring it forward in his case. But since there is already so much other offenses that will easier to charge him on those. I would bet by the time I graduate if he is not taken into court, that there would be uprisings.

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