Eve Ensler & Riz Khan / Al Jazeera & – 2011-03-06 00:54:22
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/18/military-chaplain-soldiers-rape-must-have-been-gods-will/
Rape: A Weapon of War
Activist Eve Ensler explains her latest project to empower the numerous victims of sexual violence in the DR Congo
Riz Khan / Al Jazeera
(March 2, 2011) — What happens when women’s bodies become instruments for warfare?
In the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, records indicate that up to half a million women have been victims of sexual violence. For many, the trauma of the initial attack is compounded by social stigmas, leaving women isolated and marginalised.
On Wednesday’s Riz Khan we ask: What can be done to eradicate rape as a weapon of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo? We are joined by world-renowned feminist and activist, Eve Ensler, whose latest project “City of Joy” provides shelter and counselling to women of the DRC; and award-winning photojournalist, Marcus Bleasdale, who has spent nearly a decade covering the conflict there.
Military chaplain: Soldier’s rape ‘must have been God’s will’
Sahil Kapur / Raw Story
WASHINGTON (February 18, 2011) — A lawsuit targeting the Pentagon contains an astonishing anecdote about a retired Sergeant’s experience after being sexually assaulted by a colleague during a deployment to Afghanistan.
The lawsuit, available here (PDF [1]), was filed by 17 military women against Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Donald Rumsfeld in Virginia. It assails “the military’s repeated failures to take action in rape cases created a culture where violence against women was tolerated, violating the plaintiffs’ Constitutional rights.”
Sergeant Rebekah Havrilla alleges in the complaint that in 2006, after her military supervisor repeatedly sexually harassed her, she was raped by a colleague she was working with at the time.
“He pulled her into his bed, held her down, and raped her. He also photographed the rape,” it reads. Havrilla reported the incident within a month.
In February 2009, she reported for active duty training and, upon seeing her rapist, went into shock.
“She immediately sought the assistance of the military chaplain,” the lawsuit reads. “When SGT Havrilla met with the military chaplain, he told her that ‘it must have been God’s will for her to be raped’ and recommended that she attend church more frequently.”
The complains adds that “SGT Havrilla suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic depression.”
Havrilla’s harrowing story, and the broader lawsuit, sheds light on the ongoing and widely reported problem of sexual assault in the military.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said it was “a command priority” to “ensure all of our service members are safe from abuse” and pledged to commit more resources to the goal.
“Sexual assault is a wider societal problem and Secretary Gates has been working with the service chiefs to make sure the U.S. military is doing all it can to prevent and respond to it,” Morrell told NBC News [2].
Resources
URLs in this post:
[1] PDF: http://servicewomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/48879866-Military-Rape-and-Sexual-Assault-Litigation.pdf
[2] NBC News: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41598622/ns/us_news-life/
[3] Friendly Atheist: http://friendlyatheist.com/2011/02/17/military-chaplain-it-must-have-been-gods-will-for-her-to-be-raped/
Military Chaplain:
It Was God’s Will that You Were Raped
Jocelyn Morris / National Organization of Women
(February 26, 2011) — When military chaplains start telling women in the military that it was right that they get raped by their fellow Americans because God has some “purpose” behind the rape and assault, I think it’s time to start reconsidering whether chaplains should exist in the military at all anymore.
I know that there are valid constitutional and legal arguments for having them, but incidents like what happened to Sergeant Rebekah Havrilla in Afghanistan in 2006 may be enough to toss them all out.
Sergeant Rebekah Havrilla alleges in the complaint that in 2006, after her military supervisor repeatedly sexually harassed her, she was raped by a colleague she was working with at the time.
“He pulled her into his bed, held her down, and raped her. He also photographed the rape,” it reads. Havrilla reported the incident within a month.
In February 2009, she reported for active duty training and, upon seeing her rapist, went into shock.
“She immediately sought the assistance of the military chaplain,” the lawsuit reads. “When SGT Havrilla met with the military chaplain, he told her that ‘it must have been God’s will for her to be raped’ and recommended that she attend church more frequently.”
The complains adds that “SGT Havrilla suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic depression.”
That kind of advice only re-traumatizes the victims — and it’s just about the worst advice that a victim could be given. Then again, it is perfectly consistent with traditional, orthodox Christianity. That means it’s one more indication of how much harm traditional, orthodox Christianity can do to a person’s mental health and moral compass.
Why would anyone want to attend a church dedicated to the worship of a deity that wants you to be brutally raped? What if this god wants you raped more often — should you go even more often? I’m not sure who is more sick and twisted: the chaplain or the god he believes in.
Havrilla’s harrowing story, and the broader lawsuit, sheds light on the ongoing and widely reported problem of sexual assault in the military.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said it was “a command priority” to “ensure all of our service members are safe from abuse” and pledged to commit more resources to the goal.
When will it become a “command priority” to ensure that all service members are safe from psychological and emotional abuse at the hands of predatory chaplains? Indeed, is it even possible to protect service members form predatory chaplains when those same chaplains are integrated into the command structure — when they have extensive power over the same people who need to be protected?
Jocelyn “Joyce” Morris is a NOW National Board Member and Co-Chair of NOW’s Combating Racism Committee. http://www.now.org
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
