Chapter 4, Rule by Rape

           Chapter four of Half the Sky begins with a quote by Even Ensler: “The mechanism of violence is what destroys women, controls women, diminishes women and keeps women in their so called place.” This powerful quote speaks to the root of the problem- as long as women are beaten down and then held there, not by the perpetrators, but by ideals and stigmas of their world, the issue will never resolve. Gender based violence, especially the unfair stigmas attached to the victims of rape, is a large focus in the chapter. The stories of two courageous women who overcame these obstacles after facing rape, Mukhtar Mai and Woinshet Zebene, were the highlights of the chapter. Their incredible journeys show the possibility for all women to fight to change their fates after suffering gender-based violence if they are empowered to do so.

            Woinshet Zebene, a young Ethiopian woman, was to be forced into marriage by a suitor Aberew by a particular law stating that no man could be prosecuted for rape if he later married the girl he violated. By kidnapping and raping Zebene, he aimed to ruin her chances at marriage to anyone else because she would no longer be a virgin. In the chapter, Kristoff says that families on both sides essentially let this happen: it does not appear that the rapist’s family stands against him and the girl’s family is usually too ashamed to speak out (although in Zebene’s case, she sought justice with her family’s support). This lead to collective disbelief amongst the class in response the familial role in this outdated law- how could they stand by and watch something as medieval as this unfold before their eyes? Did they not think it was wrong? After class ended I researched more into this Ethiopian rape law and found an interesting article that shed more light on the law and, in particular, Zenebe’s case.

            The link to the article can be found here: http://www.equalitynow.org/node/264

The class found it particularly frustrating how the judge and officials who Zenebe went to expecting justice simply told her to comply with Aberew’s wishes. Says one official, “Even if you go home, Aberew will go after you again. So there’s no point in resisting.” The judge on the case, who was opposed to prosecuting the rapist said to Zenebe, “He wants to marry you. Why are you refusing?” 

It was apparent to everyone that corrupted officials paired with outdated, sexist laws create an unsafe environment for women to live in. What would it be like if judges, officials, laws, etc. were like that here in US? After this question was posed, it seemed the class came to a general agreement that it would be chaotic. There would be women here like the ones in the book giving up and accepting their fate, feeling helpless and resigned. When no one is on their side, the law is of no help, and their families are too ashamed to speak up, it is not hard to imagine a world similar to the ones we read about.

It is not to say that sexist beliefs, laws, etc. do not exist in the US. The major discussion topic that arose from the question of the existence of such domestic opinions came to the widely publicized case of the Stuebenville high school rape case.

 An article overviewing the case can be found here: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/17/two-teens-found-guilty-in-ohio-rape-case/?iref=allsearch

“A judge found two Steubenville star high school football players guilty Sunday of raping an allegedly drunk 16-year-old girl,” the article reads. A classmate brought up something they found particularly offensive: while watching a news story covering the case, it seemed as though the football players were being sympathized with and the girl was painted in a negative light. This certainly sparked an interesting conversation about how, even here in the US, the victim of rape is sometimes seen at fault for it. Even though it seems nothing as extreme as the Ethiopian rape law occurs here in the US, it is the general attitude toward rape that needs continual progress.

A somewhat divided class then began discussing the topic of the idea that as westerners we try to change the laws and not the culture. One woman who’s story is told suffered through great abuse at the hands of her husband’s family—yet even she said that the husband may reserve the right to beat his wife if she is disobedient. It was apparent that this was a cultural, even perhaps a religiously based, belief. Is it right to attempt to change their deep rooted principles and way of life? Some argued strongly that it is immoral and wrong to go in and attempt to change a people’s culture- it is their decision and free will to live how they want. It was opposed by the argument that perhaps if we changed only certain aspects of a culture (i.e., reduce the acceptance of misogynistic practices like beatings and rape) it would be beneficial in the larger picture. As Sunitha elaborated in her TED talk: we must change the “culture of silence.” In perhaps moderate agreement, it was said that we can try to influence opinions but we cannot always change foundations.

One student elaborated on this cultural debate with an example of a analogous situation dealing with inferiors not speaking up against their elder. Doing so could have saved their lives, but, because of a cultural belief, they were taught it was unacceptable. This same situation could be applied to young girls globally who are not speaking out against gender based violence because they are taught not to do so—that it is shameful and dangerous. If we could only teach these girls to speak up, to educate them between what is right and wrong, to empower them, we can make a difference. It would not be changing the entire culture or their way of life, but altering an aspect of it to improve the safety and well-being of these girls.

The discussion ended on an idea that seemed to resonate with everyone: it is not external pressure from the US that will generate change but the people on the inside. Wonderful, courageous people like Sunitha, Zenebe, and Mukhtar that make programs successful are the ones to set precedence for others to follow. It is a global struggle that must be fought from the inside out and if we continue to fund and empower these life changing people, progress can and will be made.

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As a class, we did not discuss Mukhtar’s story in great depth, but a link to her organization’s website where you can read further into the cause and donate can be found here: http://www.mukhtarmai.org