Violence Against Women Under ISIS Occupation： A Critical Feminist Analysis of Religious and Political Factors that Commodify Women＇s Sexuality in the War Zone

Since the end of the 20th century the Middle East （ME） has witnessed increasing war and violence and proportionally more US intervention in the region. The growth of Islamic fundamentalism, A1-Qaeda and Intermediate System to Intermediate System （ISIS） would not happen without political and economic support, posing the crucial question of who benefits, both locally and globally, from the deconstruction and reconstruction of countries involved in war. US opposition toward the founding of an Islamic state obscures the economic and political benefits it gains from ongoing conflict in the region; the profitable conflict between the US and ISIS reinforces the hegemony of both powers and perpetuates Islamic fundamentalism and Salaflsm in the ME rather than promote non-patriarchal ideology. I argue that ISIS claims the purpose of war is creating an Islamic state in the region and question how this claim can be ontologically coherent with Qur＇an, the main resource of Islam. When ISIS occupies a region, destruction and sexual violence against women are the immediate results, and both are incoherent with a non-patriarchal reading of Qur＇an. In this article, I use a critical feminist perspective to explore how establishing an Islamic state goes against Qur＇an and is, therefore, un-Islamic in the way ISIS enforces its hegemony in ME. As a result, women＇s sexuality in particular has become a site of political economy, they are abused and/or sold in other markets for the use of ISIS soldiers. This specific religio-economic commodification of women is unique in the history of war, and the world is largely silent about it. There are brave Iraqi women, however, who use their potential and assets to support underprivileged women of the region. Their voices need amplification to gain support for their grassroots resistance to fundamentalist hegemony and political and economic disenfranchisement.

Analysis and Commentary:“Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence”

On May 11, 2011, 13 mem- bers of the Council of Europe signed a legally binding international in-strument, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, as part of a program to protect and aid women. The Convention aims to increase aware- ness and understanding among the general public of the different mani- festations of all forms of violence and their consequences on children,

We Can End Violence Against Women

Canada’s government and NGOs pay more attention to protecting women’s rights Holidciy decorations started appearing as early as late November around Vancouver,

Stop Domestic Violence Against Women

IN the beautiful autumn of 1995, women from all over the world gathered at the NGO Forum of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing to discuss the ugly topic of "women and violence." An American woman said angrily that domestic violence was "as common as giving birth to babies." She denounced the prevalence of the violent behavior that was hidden in families and called upon the participants to strive for women’s dignity and safety. The participants all recognized that domestic violence had become a

Vulnerable and without protection: Lifetime experiences of abuse and its influence on mental ill health -—An interview study among Swedish women within general psychiatric care

Violence against women is a major global public health issue, and experiencing violence has substantial consequences for the lives of abused women. This study aims to illustrate experiences of abuse and its influence on mental ill health among women seeking general psychiatric care. Ten women seeking general psychiatric care in southern Sweden participated in a qualitative interview study. Content analysis resulted in four categories: Living in fear that persistently influences the substance of life, living with the sense of being worthless, living with a constant question about who you are and living between hope and despair. The theme evolving from the analysis was: Being vulnerable and without protection in a frightful reality that limits one’s possibilities of living and being the person one wishes to be. The results showed that the women described their mental ill health not only in terms of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and self-harm, but also in relation to feelings of hope and despair, fear, worthlessness and living with a constant question about who they are. The abuse reduces freedom of action, and leads to feelings of insecurity, of not having any boundaries, isolation, and self-contempt and a need to escape. This study provides knowledge of abused women self-reported mental ill health in relation to abuse.

Trafficking of Vietnamese women and girls for marriage in China

Background:Bride-trafficking has been a growing phenomenon in Southeast Asia,particularly in China,where one-child policies have resulted in demographic imbalances favoring males.Yet,empirical evidence about women and girls sold into marriage in China remains sparse.Methods:This study describes the experiences of 51 Vietnamese women and girls as young as 14 in post-trafficking services who were sold into marriage in China.A consecutive sample of individuals from five services in Vietnam were invited to be interviewed within the first 2 weeks of admission.It is part of a wider dataset for research on the health of men,women,and children in post-trafficking services in Cambodia,Thailand,and Vietnam,the largest study to date on human trafficking and health.We calculated proportions for all variables and conducted bivariate analyses using Fisher Exact Tests for their associations with mental health disorders symptoms.Results:Before leaving home,31%(n=15)participants were married.Participants reported high levels of sexual violence(n=43;86%)while trafficked and59%(n=30)spent time in detention before returning to Vietnam.Once in post-trafficking care 52.9%(n=27)reported probable depression,anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorders(PTSD),two women(4%)attempted suicide in the past month and 38(75%)remained afraid of their trafficker.Ten(22%)became pregnant while trafficked,and seven(16%)were pregnant at the interview.Conclusions:The cross-border bride trade between Vietnam and China raises complex policy issues,including questions about detention and immigration rights and strategies for supported return processes,including maternal and child health services.As the repercussions of China’s absent female population will persist,Vietnam and China must grapple with the political and social conditions to implement prevention strategies,and resources for women who fall prey to this cross-border bride trade.