December 16, 2009

Human Rights Watch has reported that U.N. peacekeepers in Congo are backing Congolese troops that have deliberately killed hundreds of civilians in their effort to oust rebels in eastern Congo. HRW says the U.N. peacekeepers are violating the laws of war and should immediately stop backing these troops. They say that the soldiers being fed and supplied with ammunition by the UN have killed civilians, sexually assaulted women and girls, and other "vicious" attacks. HRW said it has documented the killings of 732 civilians between January and September by the Congolese army and the troops from Rwanda that are fighting alongside the Congolese army. That's not to say the rebels are any better -- in that same nine-month period, HRW counted 701 civilians killed by the Rwandan Hutu rebels that the U.N.-backed troops are fighting. Furthermore, during those nine months, more than 7,500 cases of sexual violence against women and girls were registered at health centers. According to Oxfam (a British-based organization), "For every rebel combatant disarmed, one civilian has been killed, seven women or girls have been raped, six houses have been burned and destroyed, and 900 people have been forced to flee their homes." The senior researcher for HRW in Congo told a news conference, "These were not civilians who got caught in the crossfire; these were not civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. These were civilians who were deliberately targeted." She added that most of the victims were women, children, and the elderly.

The senior researcher said that the U.N. peacekeepers should immediately cease all support to the Congolese army, that they should arrest 15 known human rights abusers in the army, and that they should find a new approach to protect civilians. She said, "I don't think the UN is committing war crimes. But they are now in violation of the laws of war...if they knowingly continue to support operations where their partner is participating in and committing war crimes. (Full Story)

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In the Arab world many women are sexually harassed in the streets, on public transportation, at school, and at work. As a result, women are covering themselves up (i.e., wearing a full-face veil or niqab) or trying to stay at home as much as possible to avoid harassment. Recently, activists from 17 countries in the region gathered in Cairo for a two-day conference on this issue. They concluded that harassment was unchecked because often laws don't punish it, women don't report it, and authorities ignore it.

The harassment, which includes groping and verbal abuse, is a daily experience for many women in the region. It makes women hesitant to go to public spaces. Statistics on the prevalence of harassment in the region have recently started being collected. So far research has found that as many as 90% of Yemeni women say they have been harassed; 83% of Egyptian women say they have been verbally or physically abused; and a study in Lebanon reported that more than 30% of women said they had been harassed. An Egyptian activist said, "We are facing a phenomenon that is limiting women's right to move...and is threatening women's participation in all walks of life."

Experts say that in some places this harassment appears to be a result of men being unhappy that more and more women are going to school, are in the workplace, and are involved in politics. The harassment can be a form of vengeance from men who blame women for denied work opportunities. These men feel threatened by an increasingly active female labor force. While, on the other hand, conservatives say the harassment is a result of women dressing and behaving inappropriately. However, women have reported that they experience harassment regardless of what they're wearing. Even women that wear the niqab experience harassment.

Sexual harassment has long been a problem in Mideast nations, but it wasn't discussed much until three years ago. This is when blogs started talking about sexual harassment and showing amateur videos of women being harassed in public. This caused a public outcry and sparked a public acknowledgment of the problem. However, sexual harassment, including verbal and physical assault, has only been specifically criminalized in only a half a dozen Arab countries over the past five years. Most of the 22 Arab nations outlaw overtly violent acts like rape or lewd acts in public (I'm definitely concerned by that "Most"). An activist in Yemen said that if women report harassment, traditional leaders interfere to cover it up, remove the evidence, or terrorize the victim. (Full Story)