Module 14

Reading the Gender Stories was definitely eye-opening to women's experiences of oppression around the world, and the hardships and obstacles they encounter as a result of bias and discrimination. The Issue Briefs were also very informative, as they assessed not only commonly-discussed issues such as displacement, elections, health, trafficking, and violence, but also those that might receive less attention, such as landmines or reconstruction, and how these issues intersect. What struck me most as I was reading the Gender Stories and the Issue Briefs was the running theme of inadequate support and insufficient resources for women affected by these issues. Survivors of rape are left to deal with the consequences on their own, often without access to any sort of counseling, and subject to a great amount of shame in certain communities. This was evident in one story of a woman who tried to terminate her pregnancy (that was a result of rape) by injuring herself, because she was too ashamed to admit she had been raped, and didn't know what else to do. Another woman who had been raped by her father-in-law was treated as a criminal herself, sent to jail after being accused of adultery by the man who assaulted her, and as a result was unable to provide for or otherwise take care of her son. Another woman who had been abused said that she "suffers in some way from [it] every day." Society underestimates and ignores the damage abuse inflicts on its victims, making it less visible (like privilege) and thereby invalidating the experiences of those who suffer it. In consequence, there is not much emphasis placed on the need to make support and resources available and accessible to women who have suffered from abuse.