water Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Why isn't this all over the news? What an incredible conference. NOthing could be more timely and more needed right now. http://youtu.be/ov91wRRqUSs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Idk ... I'd heard nothing about it. I agree, it is an important topic to be dealing with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I heard a radio story about this summit. I did not realize the magnitude of the violence and rape of women in the Sudan. horrific.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 It's a horrifying, timely and relevant topic, but I'm afraid that I'm deeply cynical about how much change celebrities like Jolie and politicians can actually effect on the ground. Publicising something doesn't change the attitudes of the perpetrators of this kind of violence. I live in a country which has certain sectors in which lesbians are subjected to "corrective rape" or even murdered for their sexuality. It's talked about and analysed, but does it stop? No. Equally, I have been trained in identifying signs of childhood sexual abuse and in how to intervene, but we still have babies as young as 3 months old being raped. So... talking, discussing and raising awareness? All good, but what's being done at the actual sites of these crimes? They say that the summit IS going to look at "practical action that impacts those on the ground", but I'll believe it when I see actual, tangible results. Conferences are just excuses for people to sit around and sound noble. Words. Pretty words, but all words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emettman Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 So... talking, discussing and raising awareness? All good, but what's being done at the actual sites of these crimes? They say that the summit IS going to look at "practical action that impacts those on the ground", but I'll believe it when I see actual, tangible results. This ⇧ It requires considerable training and a firmly established ethos for well-ordered military forces to keep discipline in combat situations. In situations of civil war or ethnic conflict there is no great prospect any time soon for "better practice" to trickle down, somehow, from a lofty summit. There have been enough incidents of bad behaviour from the mild to the extreme even amongst some units acting in blue-helmeted UN peace-keeping deployments. Improvements will take a long time, and I'd think they'd have to start nearer the grass-roots or the private soldier. From the sergeant-majors, probably, if it's going to come from anywhere and stick. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Agreed Chris. I thought more about this today and want to add that there are three sets of players here: (1) the talkers (2) the policy makers (3) the policy implementers They are not the same thing. The talkers at the flashy conferences are not the ones who hash out the legislation, and those in turn are not the ones who have to implement the policy and deal with its intended and unintended consequences. In fact, the gaps between each of the three groups are huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickler Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 (edited) We can't seem to properly punish or end rape as perpetrated on cellphone camera and uploaded by high school football players in the USA. What makes anyone think our leaders give a rat's ass about ending rape anywhere, much less in combat? It seems hard enough to get prosecutions for intramural rapes in the military... Never mind the practicality of the goal, which I find questionable. I think rape of men and women will occur in combat; the best one can work for is a reduction in occurrence and prosecution of incidence. Admittedly me and the crew in my head had a shitty night last night, though. Edited June 11, 2014 by Stickler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiaB Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Admittedly me and the crew in my head had a shitty night last night, though. No, I think there's truth in what you say too. Basically, it takes more than Angelina Jolie dressing up in a business suit. I know she does a lot of "work" as a UN envoy, but there's more to it than just her showing up in countries to take notes from people who have never heard of her. And I'm not pleased to be so cynical; I just feel that I've seen and know too much to believe in these things anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Basically, it takes more than Angelina Jolie dressing up in a business suit. ^^THIS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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