Abstract
Educators, activists, and researchers who are interested in issues pertaining either to violence against women or to the current intersection of sexual violence, war, and politics will find this book invaluable. It is impossible to be unaffected by the trauma stories in this book. Janie Leatherman gives us a wonderful starting point for gaining a greater understanding of the politics involved in the systematic abuse of women and children in war zones. Leatherman has done an exceptional job of explaining and detailing the ways in which sexual violence occurs during war.
The first chapter introduces the concept of sexual violence in armed conflict as a tactic of war. The rich descriptions and detailed examples make the reader instantly aware that this book has been well researched. Although the focus is mainly on sexual trauma in conflicts that have occurred since the cold war, older examples are used to showcase a long history of sexual exploitation of women using war as a backdrop.
Leatherman discusses sexual abuse in war zones as a runaway norm, something that has become so common as to be expected and replicated. There are many examples of the elimination of safe spaces for women, children, and the elderly during armed conflict. The book uses graphic detail to depict how soldiers use rape, mutilation, and the spread of HIV/AIDS as a form of domination and extermination of targeted groups. Many readers will appreciate the voice that Leatherman gives survivors of war. This humanizing thread continues throughout the book and lends richness to the details.
Extensive research is used to offer current examples of structured violence and the eradication of safe spaces from sub-Saharan African to Asia and the Middle East. Feminist readers will not be surprised by the connection that Leatherman makes between the lack of gender equality and the increased risk of sexual trauma as a tactic of war. This familiar concept anchors the argument that inequality continues to put women at increased risk of sexual trauma during war.
Leatherman describes a framework for analysis that links the social construction of gender and the global and political economy of war. The book uses an example from the Congo to help the reader refocus an understanding of the wars in Africa as a global battle over rich resources. The author makes the point that sexual violence is often a direct result of a gendered globalization. The reader is called upon to immerse herself in the local resource-rich economies and truly look at the effect that war and the loss of local resources has had on the lives and status of women and children, as well as the lives of civilian men. Although few solutions are offered in the final chapter, the reader is challenged with an increased awareness of this pressing issue.
The book is a compelling call for education and social action. Educators and activists will experience this book as a compelling, eye-opening read. Sexual Abuse and Armed Conflict not only increases one’s awareness of sexual trauma and the politics of war but spurs one to speak out on the issue. The connections that Leatherman makes to sexual violence, gender inequality, and the global economy cannot be ignored.