Pauline Aweto Eze:

"Stop violence against

African women!"

Friday, 03 June 2011 12:30

 

Exclusive interview with the author of “Wartime Rape”

Many aspects of African cultures seem to tolerate if not promote violence against women. A new book titled “Wartime Rape: African Values At Crossroads” by Dr. Pauline Aweto Eze explores some of these elements within African cultures that continue to perpetuate violence against women and how this is further instrumentalised and worsened during conflicts and crisis. The book is a call to reflection on these attitudes and practices, and a challenge to stop all forms of violence against women. It was published in Nigeria in order to raise funds in support of the new church building in Ovu Inland.

The book has been launched in Nigeria, Italy and the UK. On 8th May it was launched at St Gertrude’s Catholic Church, Bermondssey, London, while on 16th May, it was launched at St Benet’s Catholic Church, Abbeywood, London.

Here’s an exclusive interview Pauline granted The AfroNews.

Pauline, I recently watched a video on YouTube showing Congolese soldiers justifying why they rape women. Your new book is titled “Wartime Rape”. Now, why do you think women and girls are commonly raped during war?

Rape is never justifiable, even in times of war, when, as it were, the end justifies the means. In the video you refer to, reasons why Congolese soldiers rape women during the war range from being sexually starved for a prolonged period of time, simply doing what others are doing, obeying an explicit command, to some superstitious belief that they would be protected in battle when they rape women. It is curious to note that while these soldiers are equipped with some magic powers that would guarantee their success in battles, the only prerequisite for the desired result is to rape women. Like I said earlier, there are no justifications for the use of rape during war; this becomes more problematic and unreasonable when it comes to its use in African wars. For example these Congolese soldiers testify to their use of rape as a means of protecting themselves in battle, while at the same time, HIV positive Congolese soldiers have been deployed to rape and infest women with the virus. 

The unreasonableness accompanying the rape of women during war is highlighted by the testimony of one of the Congolese soldiers in the same video in question. He said they had to rape women, simply because they were found in the combat zone. This is the opportunistic pattern I refer to in my book and this goes far beyond wartime to include everyday life and practice.

Coming back to your question about why women and girls are raped during war, it is simply because it is an “instrument”, that is to say, a means of achieving a purpose or an end, which, in the instance of war is victory, subjugation, elimination, annihilation or humiliation of the enemy. The practice of the use of rape as an instrument of war is ageless across history and its use is generally defined by a specific purpose. For instance, in the Old Testament, women were raped as trophies of war. Generally, there seems to be some kind of evolution in the use of rape as an instrument of war that goes from its random use to meet the needs of men at war to include its strategic use as a standard operating procedure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline Aweto Eze, author of “Wartime Rape”

Why did you decide to write on this subject?

The title “Wartime Rape” is in response to the UN inquiry into rape as weapon of war in Africa in October 2009. Sympathisers of afro centrism saw this as a one sided and uncalled for attack, aimed at blaming the entire continent as an international scapegoat for her barbaric ways of being, thereby proposing and predilecting a defensive approach, while at the same time, adopting an offensive approach, especially towards Europe and America for pioneering worse cases of war and war rape.

Rather than adopt an offensive or defensive approach, I opted for a retrospective approach, looking at the continent from within and identifying instances of violence against women, thanks to the instrumentalism of culture and tradition. In the same way, my book presents a qualitative leap and shift from the use of rape exclusively as a weapon of war, to its use in moments of apparent peace, as business as usual. In other words, rather than wartime rape, the book focuses on peacetime rape, with the former acting as a stepping stone, pointer or point of departure for the latter.

In your book, you talk of different types of rape. Which is most common in Africa today?

I mentioned four specific types of rape, namely date rape, marital rape, gang rape and war rape and introduced a fifth one, which I referred to as “mobile rape”.  Date rape is perpetrated by acquaintances, proposed marriage suitors or in social, school, work or even religious environment. This type of rape, understood in the west as product of blind date is rather unveiled in its African replica as perpetrators are both known and trusted, including respectable members and friends of the family.  Marital rape on the other hand is a taboo topic. Gang rape is common in African universities and higher institutions where cultism prevails; it is also common during war and conflicts. However, it is difficult to establish which among them is the most common, as the various categories are applicable, as the case might be, depending extensively on the target group of women, place of occurrence, motives behind practice and most especially perpetrators.

Again, this is so because the stigma attached to rape victims makes it impracticable and extremely difficult and shameful for them to freely recount their experiences. While married victims of rape run the risk of being publicly disowned by their husbands, unmarried victims on the other hand, run the parallel risk of never finding a husband. It is particularly difficult to know with precision, the degree and extent to which marital rape occurs, since it is common place for men to resort even to physical violence to “take what belongs to them”. African cultures make it rather challenging to draw a line of demarcation between where the man’s exercise of his right of ownership ends and where violence, often culminating in rape begins.

In effect, while marital rape is limited, so to say, to married women, gang rape could be said to be common in situations of conflicts. Mobile or transit rape could, without mincing words, be said to be the most common as all women, in all circumstances, in war as in peace are potential victims. In the same way, all men including those in highly visible positions of vested authority are potential perpetrators.

How can we save our women and girls, especially those in countries at war from rape?

In countries of war, it is rather difficult to envisage this, as present day wars are fought, not in battle fields but on the bodies of women, right in their homes and domestic environment. I do not want to sound fatalistic and simply relent to the acceptance that rape would always be used as a weapon of war. I think there is a problem with the way Africans go about it and this must not remain unaddressed if we want to retain some element of humanity and rationality in the eyes of the outside world.

In my book I identified six peculiar characteristics of the African experience and extremist use of rape as war instrument: These are the public nature of rape, the intensity of brutality, the use and symbol of the machete as modern primitivism, the deliberate attempt at HIV infestation, the targeted rape of pregnant women and the killings following rape. In effect, while we cannot, to a certain extent “prevent” rape, we can, at least highlight the barbarism behind the African practice as unacceptable and dehumanising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please share with us the most touching story from a rape victim you’ve heard?

I am not a sensationalist and I believe every story of rape is as unique, unrepeatable, different and shocking as it could possibly be, most especially if one is to go by African extremism and modus operandi. It is  de-humanizing  and absolutely atrocious to think of pregnant women being raped by those young enough to be their sons, only to be battered, maimed and eventually killed and shredded into pieces and displayed in public market places. These forever untold and unheard stories I believe are the most shocking and shameful.

Many African girls and women are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Most of the time, they don’t know how to free themselves. What would you tell them?

On the contrary, I hold the view that they do know how to free themselves and where to go for help, the first point of contact being the client himself. The point however is that they “cannot” free themselves, considering the fact that many other factors and actors are involved.  They cannot even toy with the idea of freedom, until their mission of paying back their huge debt is accomplished, otherwise their families   would be made to pay the ultimate price. Do not forget that we are dealing with human trafficking and modern day slavery here, so those with vested and invested interests would go any length to protect their criminal business.

Domestic violence is widespread not only in African families and in European families as well. Of late so many cases are reported which may give the impression that domestic violence is increasing. Is the family increasingly becoming an unsafe place?

Unfortunately, yes and this is rather disappointing for the African continent, where the family swings between the balance of its contradictory identity as both protector and perpetrator. The issue of domestic violence is not pertinent to Africa alone but while this can be reported and monitored in order to avoid repeated occurrences in other parts of the world, the bitter truth is that domestic violence is accepted as common place and condoned by a culture of silence and stigma.

Please say something to rapists.

Often, we think of the rapist as a die-hard criminal. In reality a rapist could be anybody, including boys as young as eight or persons with outstanding moral or even religious values and convictions. While it would not be an easy task to find words strong  and persuasive enough to touch the heart of rapists in times of war, as most of them, by so doing are only “obeying commands”, it would be worthwhile to call the attention of all potential rapists in times of apparent peace, who would simply seize any and every opportunity, with the excuse that women provoke them by the way they dress to reconsider the double standards of how they would want their wives to appear on the one hand and their girlfriends on the other.

It is appalling to note that women in the 21st century cannot freely decide on what to wear without fear of bias, prejudice and rape. What is even the more inexcusable is the view that men hold. It is ridiculous to even think that women express the “need” to be raped simply because of the way they dress. What about finding out from her first rather than assume the unimaginable?

 

By Stephen Ogongo Ongong’a