The Sudan Massacre: Patterns of Oversight in the Media

The situation in Sudan This week was marred by reports of a gruesome massacre occurring in Sudan. According to these reports, civilians engaged in peaceful protest against a military government have become victims of Sudanese militia. More specifically, hundreds of people have died at the hands of armed forces, while at least 70 rape caseshave been reported.  It goes without saying …

Women in Conflict: Untold Narratives in the Media

The Discipline of International Affairs has made significant attempts to acknowledge the unique ways that conflict affects women. This is most evident from the many international laws and resolutions that seek to acknowledge women’s positions in war. UN Security Council Resolutions 2122 and 1325 are further illustrations of this.   Representation of women in conflict in the media Mainstream media, …

Child Marriage – A Worldwide Epidemic

The Many Perils of the Child Marriage Trend While the vast majority of countries today have elected 18 as the minimum marrying age, this does not dispel the rising rates of child marriage worldwide. Many of us tend to think that this traumatic practice solely exists in non-Western, developing countries run by evil dictators, this is far from the case. …

Consent: Yes or Maybe

As I sat in one of Uganda’s most prestigious universities with my multi-cultural co-workers trying to raise awareness about women’s reproductive health, I had the most cringe-worthy moment of my life. As we answered questions about how condoms and religion don’t agree with each other, a guy in his mid-20s told us we should talk to the women exclusively. When …

The Informal Justice System, Panchayat

A few weeks ago, one of Times of India’s headlines read, “UP woman tied up, thrashed on panchayat’s order; molested”. I received this video as a part of a forward message thread. Amongst these angry and reasonably reacting people were people, who supported the panchayat’s decision. They wanted everyone to honor the decision of a panchayat since this sort of …

Why we need to talk about marital rape

“A married woman has the same right to control her own body as does an unmarried woman” Rape is never an easy topic to talk about. We are talking about a violation of a human being’s body, trust, emotions, sanity, and confidence by another human. It seems unthinkable when you put it that way, no? Unfortunately, marital rape exists in most …

Shut Up Or Be Shamed

India is a diverse country and full of contradictions. On one side we have a long history of influential women leaders while on the other, girls and women are asked to dress in a certain way to not entice men into raping them. Women are sacred only for as long as they follow a prescribed outline of how to look, …

The Nirbhaya fund, an act of publicity?

Six years after, men, women and kids alike protested the lax laws and their enforcement for sexual assault in India, but how much has it changed? Rape cases are reported every week, without consequences. These instances are cruel and too brutal to explain to a kid, yet girls across the country are going put through these scarring and life-threatening experiences. …

Brave Miss World, Fame Done Well

http://www.thedailybeast.com/brave-miss-world-linor-abargil-on-her-journey-from-rape-victim-to-beauty-queen-to-activist

Linor Abargil Uses Her Platform To Support Survivors One thing I have come to appreciate about celebrities is when they devote themselves, their platforms, and their resources to worthy causes. Fame, I imagine, can be a lot of things to a lot of people. But I think everyone has the option to put their fame to good use. Examples are …

The Many Facets of Violence Against Women

The Widespread Nature of Violence Against Women (VAW) Before I begin, I’d like to give a couple of disclaimers. If any readers are sensitive to the discussion about sexual trauma, please read with caution. This blog post outlines the prominence of VAW in several areas of life, which may induce anxiety for certain people. Additionally, I would like to disclose …