Gendered Genocide

In pictures of displaced people in Darfur, there are never any men. There are only women and children. The Janjaweed targets the men and boys for murder. Like the violence perpetrated against women in Darfur, the violence against men is often sexualized. Men are often castrated when they are killed, an act that states that they are killed to prevent them from reproducing, thus implying that the Janjaweed's intent is to destroy the civilians in Darfur. Women are not killed, but they are raped, abducted, forced into sexual slavery, tortured, and forced to flee their homes.

After the women and girls are raped, they suffer myriad consequences. They are usually ostracized from their communities which causes them economic instability and affects their health. Ultimately, it leads to "the destruction of the social fabric of their communities". In perpetuating gender-based violence, the Janjaweed is tearing apart the culture these women knew prior to the genocide.

The Darfur Genocide harms women in other ways, as well. They are no longer safe going to the market, to collect food for their livestock, to draw water from the well because they may be raped by lurking soldiers. In Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps, families are marrying their daughters off earlier, in an attempt to protect them from rape. Early marriage robs women of educational and employment opportunities. Furthermore, due to the lack of educational and professional opportunities in IDP camps, more and more girls are becoming involved in sex work.

Providing protection for the people of Darfur is essential to resolving the crisis. We must remember, however, that the violence of the genocide is gendered. It is primarily women who will have to live in post-genocide Darfur and their needs--economic security, health care, education, job training--must be central to the rebuilding and reconciliation of Darfur.

Happy International Women's Day!