Writing Wrongs

I'm usually stumped about what to write about on this blog. I want to write something that doesn't take too much time, but is something meaningful (more or less). At the same time, there's this paranoia (no doubt helped by the ads that appear on my site related to the topics I've written about) that I'm being profiled by THE POWERS THAT BE!

Well, that sparked an idea...

Let's take a look at the things wrong with the world and my feelings about 'em... helps me keep abreast of current events and all that...

Women in times of War

My inaugural hop is to the Amnesty International site, where we discover that women tend to bear the brunt of warfare.

"Rape is used in armed conflicts to intimidate, conquer and control women and their communities. It is used as a form of torture to extract information, punish and terrorize."

I was once a member of the Rape Education and Prevention Program at my college, and it was taught to me that in terms of rapes that take place in the United States, majority are NOT done by absolute strangers. Most are acquaintance / date rapes. Rape, of course, is forcing someone to perform sex acts against that someone's consent. I'm sure there's a more legally binding definition elsewhere... but the debate largely grew from what constituted "consent".

In the case of rape used as a form of torture to extract information, punish and terrorize... I doubt that there's going to be much nitpicking. It's immoral on three (and probably more) counts: rape (a crime of power) and torture... and the fact that it's against civilians... to shame the community, to sap hope, to reinforce contempt for the enemy.

So what's being done about it? How effective can protest marches and similar actions be in places that are at war... against armies that show so much contempt for life and the quality of it? Can this type of "warfare" truly reflect a group or nation fighting for worthy ideals or principles?

If I've piqued your interest, here's a link for you to peruse.