Indigenous Studies 420: Response Paper on Sexual Violence and Genocide

This response paper for Indigenous Studies 420 analyzes sexual violence as a tool of genocide, drawing on Smith (2005). The paper defines sexual violence, highlighting rape as a key example, and explores its prevalence in conflict and ethnic divisions. It discusses the negative impacts of sexual violence, including physical and psychological harm, sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancies. The assignment emphasizes the importance of prevention strategies, including governmental approaches to promote social standards, marshal support, and provide assistance to victims. The paper concludes that sexual violence hinders peace and security, and it calls for societal efforts to combat this form of violence and its devastating consequences.

Running head: INDIGENOUS STUDIES 420
Indigenous Studies 420
Name
Institution

INDIGENOUS STUDIES 420
Sexual violence is referred to as any sexual performance or effort to acquire a sexual
action by both violence and compulsion. Rape is a good example of sexual violence. Sexual
violence is common in the context of genocide for two reasons one of them being divisions of
ethnic groups due to frequent conflict that grow in the environment for dangerous forms of
political fierceness. Another reason is that the thrilling backgrounds of the development of
the permissible position of rape as a contrivance of genocide brings international negative
outlook.
Most of the culture observers easily come to assumptions concerning some of the practices
and they differentiate what they think is assimilated or a regular behaviour. Some of the
communities view women as some objects that can be raped which are an act that should not
be overlooked. Different people scrutinize the matters concerning sexual violence differently
but the truth of the matter is that most of the sufferers of the sexual violence are the non-
white communities specifically women (Smith, 2005).
Sexual violence comes along with some of the negative and brutal impacts on both girls
and women and even some of the men and boys. One of the effects is cautious self-injury that
is imposed on the victim without them knowing. Another major effect is the acquiring of
sexually transmitted contaminations which are infectious and passed to one another through
the oral contract. Sexual violence at times results to unwanted pregnancy to the girls and
women and this cases always bring suffering to the unborn baby because they lack the good
parental care.
Sexual violence as a tool of genocide is a difficult challenge that has dangerous and
harmful effects on the sufferers, the communities, family and friends. Therefore, the main
aim of sexual violence prevention is to make an end to it so that people may not suffer more
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INDIGENOUS STUDIES 420
and more. Stopping sexual violence necessitates lecturing some of the basic influences at all
stages. The government has come up with some of the strategies and approaches to help the
situation. One of the strategies is endorsing social standards that guard against fierceness and
the approach is marshalling both men and boys as friends.
Some other strategies include providing chances to authorize and care for both girls and
women, producing defensive surroundings and offering great support to the victims of the
harassment so as to reduce some of the dangerous arms that might come their way. The
government has also set the policies to punish those caught in the act of abusing gender
through sexual harassments; they are to be given a lasting punishment like being sentenced in
jail for life to serve as an example for others who also had the same intention.
In conclusion, sexual violence is an obstacle to peace and security in the nation. It
demoralises women from taking part in the peace and democratic procedures in the
reconciliation as well as reconstruction after a conflict. As a tool of genocide it might become
a way of life in the conflicted society. Many women misplace their health, spouses and even
kids as a result of rape. This lessens the community standards and interrupts the programmes
to the future groups.
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INDIGENOUS STUDIES 420
References
Smith, A. (2005). Sexual violence as a tool of genocide. In conquest: Sexual violence and
American Indian genocide (pp. 7-33). Boston, MA: South End.
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