“ A Peril in War Zones” was a very interesting article to read because it talked about the stigma that comes with war, and also how a lot of sexual assaults and rape cases miss the radar. The article focused on Captain Margaret White who was deployed to Iraq. She had begun a relationship during training with a warrant officer and had ended things when she got to Iraq. After trying to end things with him, He would leave notes at her door, force her to have sex, and asked her to marry him even though he was already married. She said she felt safer outside of the wire then she did in the shower. She also said she would stop drinking water before 7 so she wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom by herself late at night. The military and Pentagon has changed the way they handle sexual abuse. They define sexual harassment and abuse to broadly include actions such as stalking and groping. It is thought that the strains of combat, tension, close quarters in remote locations, and boredom can trigger conditions for abuse. Women fail to report abuse in fear that they will lose their positions in the military and be sent home. They also are afraid that their comrades will react hard harshly, towards them.
In the chapter “All men are in Militias, and All Women are Victims,” Enloe talks about a man named Borislav Herak who had been oppressed. He did not know much about the politics of his country, and cared more about flipping through pornographic magazines, but once war hit Sarajevo, his home place, he fled to the mountains and was taken in by a militia who was “pursuing ethnic Serbian territorial control. ”The rest of the chapter talks about why militias resort to raping and abusing women during their combat. An interview with Borislave Herak reveals why he committed 16 cases of sexual abuse towards women. He says that he was commanded to rape women, because it was supposed to allow them to gain morale and confidence on the battlefield. The control they had with the women was supposed to transfer to the battlefield. However, Borislav states that he felt somewhat guilty, and it didn’t help with his morale, it was when he ate and drank with the men that he felt most bonded with them.
In Chapter 8, “Spoils of War,” Enloe talks about how a 12- year old girl of Okinawa was raped by three U.S Marines. She talks about the widespread belief that soldiers have uncontrollable drives that they need to satisfy. U.S base commanders have worked with local and national officials to provide “safe and commercialized sex,” however there are arguments that come with this too, including the fact that many view prostitution and rape to be connected with each other. However, I do not know what side to take because part of me feels like these issues are not exactly the same. Prostitution is women who are trying to make money by having sex with men. Women are consenting to sex for money, which is a whole different level then rape. Rape is when women do not consent and are unwilling to have sex. However I am open to hearing other peoples ideas about this issue.
I think that all 3 articles had a significant impact on my awareness of women in war zones and the militia, and the themes of sexual abuse were all relevant within all 3 articles.
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