[Svrilist] Sexual Violence Research Reports

[Liz Dartnall]

Dear SVRI List Members

In an effort to minimize the email traffic you receive from the SVRI, I 
will try to provide a summary email on a daily basis of relevant 
research resources and articles.  This will serve to ensure that at most 
you will receive one-two SVRI emails daily (unless we are in the midst 
of an active discussion).  This is our first attempt at a compilation 
email - let us know what you think.

Best regards
SVRI Secretariat

 

ITEMS:

1.  Violence against Women Study in Syria
2.  Two new research reports from www.VAWNET.org <http://www.vawnet.org/>
3.  Gender perspectives in peace initiatives: opportunities and challenges
4.  News - LIBERIA: 17 UNMIL personnel investigated for sexual misconduct

1.  Violence against Women Study in Syria:  
UNIFEM and the General Union of Women released the first-ever 
comprehensive field study of violence against women in Syria in May 
2006. The study included close to 2,000 families, selected at random, 
with men and women in each family questioned separately. According to 
UNIFEM, formal studies on the issue had not been done before and there 
was no data to conduct any sort of analysis. It is hoped that the report 
will bring the issue out into the open, and stimulate dialogue on topics 
such as honour killings, domestic abuse, forced marriage and sexual assault.

Some general findings include:
 -- 56% of the reasons given for women's being punished were for 
"disrespect" and cursing; 14% for neglecting their household duties. 
Husbands beat their wives in 49% of such cases, used insults in 38%, and 
used silent treatment in 8.4%.
-- 67% of women had been punished in front of their families
-- 52% were insulted and 87% were beaten.

For a summary of key findings visit 
http://www.unifem.org/news_events/currents/documents/currents_200606_SyriaVAWstudyKeyFindings.pdf 


The full report is currently available only in Arabic. For more 
information, contact Shirin Shukri, shirin.shukri at unifem.org 
<mailto:shirin.shukri at unifem.org>
(Source:  UNIFEM Currents) 

2.  Two new research reports from www.vawnet.org:

2.1  The Psychological Consequences of Sexual Trauma By Nicole P. Yuan, 
Mary P. Koss, and Mirto Stone (March 2006)
"This document provides a review and critique of current trends in 
mental health assessment and treatment for sexual trauma survivors with 
an emphasis on early intervention. Treatment approaches are restricted 
to psychotherapy". 
http://www.vawnet.org/SexualViolence/Research/VAWnetDocuments/AR_PsychConsequences.pdf

2.2  Marital Rape: New Research and Directions by Raquel Kennedy Bergen 
(February 2006)
"This document provides an overview of the research on marital rape 
including a brief legal history of marital rape; discussion of its 
occurrence; summary of the effects; and an analysis of practitioners' 
intervention with marital rape survivors." 
http://www.vawnet.org/DomesticViolence/Research/VAWnetDocs/AR_MaritalRapeRevised.pdf 


3.  Gender perspectives in peace initiatives: opportunities and 
challenges  Authors: Chhabra, S.

This paper analyses the issue of women and conflicts. It looks at of 
women as victims of violence, and also as active participants in wars 
and conflict situations. The author also points out that women's issues 
and rights are usually ignored in conflict situations, and in the 
context of post-conflict rebuilding of peace.
Available online at: http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC21934
(Produced by: Eldis Document Store (2006))

4.  News - LIBERIA: 17 UNMIL personnel investigated for sexual misconduct

MONROVIA, 9 June (IRIN) - The UN Mission in Liberia said it is 
investigating 17 cases of sexual misconduct by personnel, up from eight 
cases UNMIL said it was investigating last month.

A statement released by UNMIL on Wednesday said 17 cases of Sexual 
Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) were under investigation dating back to the 
beginning of the year. In a statement issued on 7 May UNMIL had said 
eight SEA cases were being investigated for the same period.

But on Friday, the head of UNMIL, Leuitenant General Chikadibia Isaac 
Obiakor, told IRIN while in the Senegalese capital Dakar for a meeting 
of regional UN peacekeeping force commanders, that this did not reflect 
a growing problem.

"It's not that there has been an escalation of incidents of that 
nature... What has happened is out of 17 cases in total, eight have been 
dealt with so the others are ongoing," said Obiakor.
 
UNMIL has some 15,000 troops in Liberia maintaining peace and security 
following the end of 14 years of brutal civil war in 2003.

The UN peacekeeping department issued a new zero tolerance and zero 
contact policy after a report last year found that peacekeepers in 
Congo-Kinshasa had been having sex with women and girls for money and 
other gifts.  Obiakor said his force was doing the utmost to ensure that 
that new zero tolerance policy is being enforced in Liberia.
(Source:  "IRIN" <IRIN at irinnews.org> <mailto:IRIN at irinnews.org>)

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