Syrian army forces are sex predators: U.N.
UNITED NATIONS The U.N . Security Council on Wednesday accused Syria’s army and intelligence agency and a pro-government militia of being sexual war criminals for rape and assaults on women and children, along with the al Qaeda movement in Mali and various African rebel movements.
The “name and shame” tally of alleged sexual predators and outlaws was in a report adopted unanimously by the U.N . Security Council as part of a debate on “Women in Peace and Security.”
20 Photos 
Two years of strife in Syria
It was drafted by Zainab Hawa Bangura, the U.N .
chief’s Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict.
“For too long has war been waged on the bodies of women.. . for too long have women borne the crippling consequences — physical, psychological, social and economic — of war-time rape . They have been ostracized from their communities, cast out by husbands and family, left destitute with their children,” Bangura said.
She urged the council Wednesday “to renew our pact to break the silence and turn the tide on the world’s oldest and least condemned crimes.”
“In so doing, we stand in solidarity with the many thousands of victims and survivors around the world, not only women but also children and men, to say to them that they are not forgotten, that their plight is of the highest priority at the highest level of the international system.”
Her report contains a “List of parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict…”
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The report cited Syria’s army, intelligence services and the government-controlled Shabbiha militia, relying on an independent international commission of Inquiry that investigated Syria in 2012 and 2013.
“In several egregious incidents, (Syrian) government soldiers and Shabbiha elements allegedly entered homes and raped women and girls in front of male family members; they sometimes killed the victims afterward and forced men at gunpoint to rape their wives and daughters .
The Commission concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that such acts of sexual violence, perpetrated in connection to the armed conflict, could amount to war crimes,” the report said.
In Mali, where French troops have largely ousted an Islamic occupation of the northern part of the country, the U.N . list named al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine, and the lesser-known National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad and the Movement for uniqueness and jihad in West Africa.
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“A total of 211 cases of sexual violence (including rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, torture and sexual violence in places of detention, gang rape, abduction and sexual violence during house-to-house operations or at checkpoints) have been reported since January 2012.
The majority of women and girls refused to report for fear of retribution and banishment by their spouses and the community,” the U.N . report said. “In rebel-controlled zones, rape was used as a tactic of war, contributing to mass displacement …”
The rest of the groups “credibly accused” of violence were also in Africa, including:
–In Central African Republic, the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony, and the Seleka rebel movement that overthrew the government three weeks ago.
–in Ivory Coast, ex-militia groups, and former army and state security forces.
–in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 16 parties are named, including the Lord’s Resistance Army, the army and national police, the M-23 movement, several Mai-Mai militias, and other insurgent groups linked to Rwanda and Uganda, which were accused by a U.N .
panel of experts of supporting the insurgency . Both countries have denied the accusation.
The full U.N . report4 on sexual violence is available online.
References
- ^ 20 Photos Two years of strife in Syria (www.cbsnews.com)
- ^ Play Video War crimes found on both sides of Syria’s civil war (www.cbsnews.com)
- ^ Play Video Hunting the world’s most wanted warlord: Joseph Kony (www.cbsnews.com)
- ^ U.N .
report
(www.securitycouncilreport.org)
U.N .lists Syrian army and militias as sex predators
UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council1 Wednesday accused Syria’s army and intelligence agency and a pro-government militia of being sexual war criminals for rape and assaults on women and children, along with the Al-Qaeda movement in Mali2 and various African rebel movements. The “name and shame” tally of alleged sexual predators and outlaws was in a report adopted unanimously by the U.N . Security Council as part of a debate on “Women in Peace and Security.” It was drafted by Zainab Hawa Bangura, the U.N .
chief’s Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict. “For too long has war been waged on the bodies of women.. . for too long have women borne the crippling consequences – physical, psychological, social and economic – of war-time rape .
They have been ostracized from their communities, cast out by husbands and family, left destitute with their children,” Bangura said. She urged the council Wednesday “to renew our pact to break the silence and turn the tide on the world’s oldest and least condemned crimes.” “In so doing, we stand in solidarity with the many thousands of victims and survivors around the world, not only women but also children and men, to say to them that they are not forgotten, that their plight is of the highest priority at the highest level of the international system.”
Her report contains a “List of parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence in situations of armed conflict…” The report cited Syria’s army, intelligence services and the government-controlled Shabbiha militia, relying on an independent international commission of Inquiry that investigated Syria3 in 2012 and 2013. “In several egregious incidents, (Syrian) government soldiers and Shabbiha elements allegedly entered homes and raped women and girls in front of male family members; they sometimes killed the victims afterward and forced men at gunpoint to rape their wives and daughters .
The Commission concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that such acts of sexual violence, perpetrated in connection to the armed conflict, could amount to war crimes,” the report said. In Mali, where French troops have largely ousted an Islamic occupation of the northern part of the country, the U.N . list named Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine, and the lesser-known National Movement4 for the Liberation of Azawad and the Movement for uniqueness and jihad in West Africa.
“A total of 211 cases of sexual violence (including rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, torture and sexual violence in places of detention, gang rape, abduction and sexual violence during house-to-house operations or at checkpoints) have been reported since January 2012 . The majority of women and girls refused to report for fear of retribution and banishment by their spouses and the community,” the U.N .
report said. “In rebel-controlled zones, rape was used as a tactic of war, contributing to mass displacement …” The rest of the groups “credibly accused” of violence were also in Africa, including: –In Central African Republic, the Lord’s Resistance Army, and the Seleka rebel movement that overthrew the government three weeks ago.
–in Ivory Coast, ex-militia groups, and former army and state security forces. –in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 16 parties are named, including the Lord’s Resistance Army, the army and national police, the M-23 movement, several Mai-Mai militias, and other insurgent groups linked to Rwanda and Uganda, which were accused by a U.N . panel of experts of supporting the insurgency .
Both countries have denied the accusation.
References
- ^ Security Council (www.dailystar.com.lb)
- ^ Mali (www.dailystar.com.lb)
- ^ Syria (www.dailystar.com.lb)
- ^ National Movement (www.dailystar.com.lb)
Autumn Sandeen: Violating Sex And Gender Norms While Traveling
I’m a transsexual who also identifies as transgender. Traveling by air two or three times a year, I have had expectations of insensitive treatment for the the TSA, and once actually had an experience with a full body search with them. However, I worked to turn that experience into a positive one — and, not just a positive experience for myself but as a teaching moment for at least two TSA officers that for them, may help my trans subcommunity of the broader LGBT community.
Let me begin by saying that I “pass” as female in almost all settings — that’s including in bathrooms. I definitely passed with three TSA officers back on that day that I was body searched. When I traveled there was no piece of documentation that I carried that said I was anything but female.
When going through a body scanner I actually left seven cents in my right front pocket. So, the TSA officer who was at the scanner station said I was going to be given a full body search. I was taken to a separate room with two female TSA officers. Before they began the search, I disclosed that I was transgender and that they may feel something that wasn’t normally expected by to be on a female body when they touched my crotch. They asked me then if I wanted male officers to conduct the search, and I said no: I said I’d prefer female officers to do the search. I was pleasant and smiling when they did the search, and they were pleasant in return.
They learned something about trans people being human; I learned that I could be treated by TSA officers when I outed myself.
I haven’t always been treated well by other federal law enforcement officers. I twice handcuffed myself to the White House fence in my female U.S. Navy uniform for repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I participated in the GetEqual Six and GetEqual Thirteen protests. The first time I went jail, a Park Police officer referred to me 1by the epithet “Impersonator,” and a Federal Marshal mocked me, calling me the pejoratives “it” and “shim.” On my second trip to jail, I was body searched above the waist by a female officer, and searched by a male officer below the waist — that after asking that a female officer search me.
I’m so aware that many of my community sisters in LGBTQIA community don’t “pass” as female. And, I just don’t mean my trans community sisters; there are many butch lesbians who don’t “pass” as female by societal gender expression norms. And beyond trans women and butch lesbians, I have trans community siblings that identify as genderqueer which are folk who identify as both male and female, neither male or female, somewhere on the continuum between male and female, or gender fluid on that same continuum.
In American society we have sex and gender norms. “We,” in the societal sense of “we,” have a binary division of male and female, and given visual and voice clues of the people we meet decide whether folk are male or female within seconds. We consciously notice physical features such as hairlines, and unconsciously notice features such as the presence or absence of brow ridges and breasts, the size and shape of noses and lips, prominence of high cheekbones, skin texture, height, big or small boned, and size of hands, feet and butts. Plus we look at gender expression, such as hairstyle, presence or absence of make-up, and how feminine or masculine the clothes appear to be based on gender norms.
Early in my transition, by these standards I didn’t “pass” as female more than I did “pass.” Sometimes I was referred to by female pronouns, but more often by male pronouns. And, sometimes I was asked if I were male of female or what pronouns would I prefer.
When I have been called “sir,” “he,” or “him” in my life, I first gently corrected those who misgendered me. Sometimes those who misgendered me would self-correct; sometimes they wouldn’t, and would misgender me once or twice more. With conscious intent, I expressed on the second misgendering a level of irritation, and on the third misgendering I would express controlled anger.
“We” in American society who don’t conform to societal sex and gender norms seem to be presented with what, in my opinion, should be a false choice: either we have surgeries to deal with the physical gender clues that functionally misgender us and change our gender expression to fit more closely with societal sex and gender norms or we who don’t conform to societal sex and gender norms must accept when people misgender us.
Given the choice of someone presuming my gender incorrectly or that someone asking me what pronouns I’d prefer that he, she, or ze referred to me as, I’d prefer to be asked. Being asked means I don’t have to enter teaching mode about trans people and gender expression. However, when I am misgendered I’d prefer to be a teacher than to embrace hurt or anger; being a teacher can change hearts and minds about me, the trans woman, as well as about the we of trans community.
And as a teacher, I likely changed the hearts and minds of two TSA officers. I consider that a win.
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References
- ^ referred to me (pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com)
The Rarer Sex : The Self-Made Women Billionaires Of 2013
It was a record-setting year for women on the Forbes Billionaires list. For starters, there were more than ever, 138 in the ranks, up from 104. Plus there were also more who started their own businesses, 24. Among the new women are designer Tory Burch 1 and restaurateur Peggy Cherng, who runs Chinese food chain Panda Express with her husband Andrew. Zara co-founder Rosalia Mera 2 , now the richest self-made woman in the world, is worth a record $6.1 billion, ranked no. 195. It is a reason for celebration but also for consternation. That means only 1.6% of all billionaires are self-made women and that only 17% of the women on our list got there without inheriting a big chunk. Plus of those 24, the vast majority of whom are from the U.S. or China 3 , 15 co-founded their businesses with husbands or siblings. Among the 9 who went on their own are Oprah Winfrey 4 and Spanx’s
Group Sex: Thre s a hot body under that uniform
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