Tel-Chai Nation

The ultra-establishment Wash. Post says that the UN has released reports of gang rapes in Darfur, yet what has the UN itself actually done to put a stop to this? Nada. Nor, in fact, has the US done anything serious to put a stop to these atrocities against humanity.

To continue, the report here says that:

"Rape and gang rape continue to be perpetrated by armed elements in Darfur, some of whom are members of law enforcement agencies and armed forces, and the government appears either unable or unwilling to hold them accountable," the 29-page report said. "Many women do not report incidents, out of fear of reprisals, and are discouraged from reporting by the lack of redress for sexual violence."

Sudanese authorities have generally denied allegations that Sudanese forces engage in the systematic practice of rape, according to the report. Senior officials at Sudan's mission to the United Nations did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Arbour's report.

Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court justice, said the Sudanese government has taken some minor steps to address the crimes, including the establishment of a committee to combat gender crimes and a special criminal court to prosecute alleged war criminals. But she said Khartoum "needs to acknowledge the scope of the problem and to take concrete action to end the climate of impunity in Darfur."

Of the 230 cases of rape monitored by U.N. human rights observers in Sudan's courts, only seven defendants have been convicted of sex crimes. There have been virtually no convictions of Sudanese police or troops for the mass rape of displaced women living in Darfur's camps, Arbour wrote.

It's not entirely clear here, but lest we forget that Sudan for the most part is under not just an Arab controlled rulership, but also an Islamist controlled rulership, and just like in many Islamist countries where "honor murders" are considered a minor felony, if at all, even rape can be considered minor, if at all. Yet does the Wash. Post explore any of those questions? Nope.

Hat tip: American Blog Party.

Labels: Africa, misogyny, sexual violence