Rape in war: how a US law prevents aid for safe abortions

Howard, Sally

doi:10.1136/bmj.g5073

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…So much so, Zainab Hawa Bangura, 'UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict' , noted an 'unprecedented momentum to end sexual violence in conflict' (Bangura 2014). With so many humanitarian power-wielders-governments, donors, and UN agencies-present in one place to talk about one subject, there could have been considerable potential to address some issues that obstruct the effective address of sexual violence (Howard 2014). Yet, this did not happen:…”

Section: Elephants In the Room And Complicity: Supra-personal Perpetrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overinterpretation of the Helms Amendment has also kept USAID from providing abortion services in situations that are exempted under the prohibition -that is, abortions to save the life of the woman or in cases of rape or incest' (Barot 2011, para 17). US law thus directly interferes with the provision of life-saving services for sexual violence victims/survivors (Howard 2014), even though in the absence of appropriate care, many (raped) women will continue dying from unsafe 'back-street' abortions (Kalonda 2012) or live with often debilitating consequences (Haddad and Nour 2009). Donor restrictions on funding can only be successfully challenged when the international humanitarian community unites in its resistance.…”

Section: Elephants In the Room And Complicity: Supra-personal Perpetrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The question is whether the mismatch between the nature sexual violence in armed conflict, the way in which the international humanitarian community understands it, and the manner in which it is subsequently addressed (or not addressed) in the field is either unintentional or part of the inherent hypocrisy of the international system (Howard 2014). The answer to this question is unlikely to be straightforward.…”

Section: Conclusion: a Case For Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Understanding sexual violence in armed conflict: cutting ourselves with Occam’s razor

Anholt

2016

Int J Humanitarian Action

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual violence has been firmly put on the internal agenda of the humanitarian community. Despite commendable advances in both policy and practice, there continues to be a gap between what is recommended and the reality in the field. In this paper, I argue that, notwithstanding the profound challenges of working in humanitarian emergencies, our understanding of sexual violence in conflict is watered down to such an extent that it impedes effective humanitarian action. First, humanitarians' reductionist approach to sexual violence not only disregards victims/survivors other than the stereotypical but also exempts perpetrators from scrutiny-including the international humanitarian community itself, through whose extensive depoliticisation of sexual violence has erased the link between gender inequality and violence. Second, the international humanitarian community has positioned itself as the white, western, heroic protector of vulnerable women and girls (and not men and boys)-a narrative that not only escalates power differences between humanitarian and beneficiary but also reproduces the subordination of women. Third, an exposé of silences in international discourses about sexual violence in armed conflict shows the humanitarian community's complicity in reproducing systems of gender inequality that allow for sexual violence to occur and remain unaddressed, by refusing to transform the restrictive political environment that ultimately impedes effective humanitarian action. This analysis of humanitarian sexual violence discourses indicates a mismatch between the nature of the issue and the way in which it is understood, leading to ineffective programmes on the ground. Humanitarians' engagement with critical research, as well as researchers' engagement with feminism, may recreate meanings that benefit our understanding rather than impede it.

show abstract

Section: Elephants In the Room And Complicity: Supra-personal Perpetrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Elephants In the Room And Complicity: Supra-personal Perpetrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion: a Case For Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding sexual violence in armed conflict: cutting ourselves with Occam’s razor

Anholt

2016

Int J Humanitarian Action

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example the 1994 genocide in Rwanda resulted in 5000 children born as a result of rape. In more recent conflicts, reports have estimated that around 1.8 million women and girls have been raped during the protracted series of wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Howard, 2014). Howard (2014) reports that few women who fall pregnant as a result of rape in conflict receive safe abortions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In more recent conflicts, reports have estimated that around 1.8 million women and girls have been raped during the protracted series of wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Howard, 2014). Howard (2014) reports that few women who fall pregnant as a result of rape in conflict receive safe abortions. The study conducted between 2003 and 2006 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found that the proportion of women raped in the conflict who sought medical care within 72 h of the attack ranged from 0.6 to 3.2%, rendering emergency contraceptive care, for most, impossible.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%