judspud
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Fantastic article
This is such an important topic which still needs so much attention in developing countries. It's hard for people in the 1st world to understand how such sexual violence can take place in this day and age with no repurcussions.
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5/2/2007, 2:38 am
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alanajelinek
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Re: Fantastic article
I completely agree - This is a hugely important issue to bring to global attention - as is state-sanctioned/state-diminshed cases of rape and trafficking in women and children worldwide but I wonder about the issue of stereotypes and African-ness.
Without a broader context, a context of cultures of misogynythat do occur globally, of Power and abuse, of the sexual abuse of women and children which happens across the globe, does this type of an article just add to western steroetypes of Africa running amok? Does it just add to the idea of an oversexed, out of control, uncivilised Africa? Here let me point out that I am citing racist discourse and not attempting to perpetuate it.
I'm not saying that this article is bad, or badly written or researched, but maybe that it isn't enough. Maybe there should be more contextualisation so that readers aren't led into any misleading, problematic, untrue assumptions around the topic?
Did you know, for instance, that in Britain, less than 6% of all allegations of rape that even come to court end in convictions? (and not every case of rape even gets to court - even of those reported to the police)
This has fallen by about 10% each decade since 1979 when conviction rates were at 33%. Now there are many in the criminal justice system who know that this conviction rate tells a worrying story about assumptions about women, assumptions about men and societal misogyny. I'm not comparing Britain to the Congo - but I would like to address misogyny over and above any assumptions of race, ethnicity and culture - even war.
Though misogyny and war might be an interesting article?
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5/4/2007, 7:39 am
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judspud
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Re: Fantastic article
While I understand the point you are trying to make, I think that not writing about real situations in order to avoid possibly contributing to stereotypes serves no purpose other than to perpetuate them. I mean, this treatment of women and children happens in countries all over the world, and a good article will in no way imply that it is a whole race, simply for being that race, that participates in this behaviour. In South America women face a variety of different problems, that of rape being just one, but if these problems are are never challenged publicly then the perpetrators will never be brought to justice. I believe we need to have faith in our readers' ability to differentiate between stereotype and fact. As for misogyny in general, yes I believe it would make a good article when linked to war. The stereotypical macho male image is pushed within the services and women, both soldiers and civilians, often face cruel treatment and mistrust. I do think it is an issue that needs to be dealt with on more general scale aswell, especially in light of woman's changing situation socailly and economically over the last century. What do you think?
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5/4/2007, 5:41 pm
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