Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Iraqi Female Prisoners Face Future of Shame -- or Death
--Tracy Wilkinson, LATimes
Talking about her rape by a US soldier and then she fainted. Removing a woman's headscarf is traumatic enough. But rape? We normally embrace victims here in the US, but the culture's so much different in Iraq.
A woman who is raped brings shame on her family in the Islamic world. In many cases, rape victims have been killed by their relatives to salvage family honor, although there is no evidence this has happened to women who have been prisoners in Iraq.
As the administration decides when or if to publish more prison abuse photos, let's hope the identity of all the victims remain anonymous. I wish we didn't know the identity of the first prisoners photographed. The stigma is unbearable, and they're already emotionally sentenced to a lifetime of humiliation and disgrace.
[more»»]
This war has us all so fragile and emotionally drained, and still we keep getting slapped in the face with case after case of abuse and despair.
cross-posted on BlogSisters
--Tracy Wilkinson, LATimes
One woman told her attorney that she was forced to disrobe in front of male prison guards. After much coaxing, another woman described how she was raped by U.S. soldiers. Then she fainted.
Talking about her rape by a US soldier and then she fainted. Removing a woman's headscarf is traumatic enough. But rape? We normally embrace victims here in the US, but the culture's so much different in Iraq.
A woman who is raped brings shame on her family in the Islamic world. In many cases, rape victims have been killed by their relatives to salvage family honor, although there is no evidence this has happened to women who have been prisoners in Iraq.
As the administration decides when or if to publish more prison abuse photos, let's hope the identity of all the victims remain anonymous. I wish we didn't know the identity of the first prisoners photographed. The stigma is unbearable, and they're already emotionally sentenced to a lifetime of humiliation and disgrace.
[more»»]
This war has us all so fragile and emotionally drained, and still we keep getting slapped in the face with case after case of abuse and despair.
cross-posted on BlogSisters
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