Human Rights Activist in Syria - Assignment Example

Humanitarian Law December 12th, Human Rights Activist Since the war started in Syria in many people have had their human rights violated. Most of the civilians have been killed from the conflicts taking place between the rebel forces and the government in the country. A number of human rights activists also report that there is also considerable evidence of brutality, arbitrary arrests, rape, and torture by the police, clearly showing crimes against humanity. A large number of journalists coming from foreign countries to report the war are also being killed, arrested, or disappearing. Journalists are also revealing that internet connectivity in major cities and towns has been disconnected, making it hard for people from the outside world to access crimes that are taking place in the country (Abdulrahim). In this essay, I will depict the issue of sexual violence, especially mass rape as witnessed by Kazeem Salahi, a human rights activist in the Syrian Civil War, and how he portrays these incidences as constituting to crimes against humanity. After witnessing a young woman who was released from the custody of the government of Syria during a prisoner exchange program, a human rights activist, Kazeem Salahi noticed the signs of mutilation in her. Salahi reports that her husband divorced her immediately after realizing that she had been raped. The victim rarely undertook activities beyond her parent’s household because of the disgrace she felt after the ordeal. In calling the woman, who had worked peacefully with Syrian opposition, she declined to document her story regarding the alleged sexual crimes she encountered when she was a prisoner. She failed to understand why her story would be significant in terms of benefiting the antigovernment cause. Although she relented, the young woman at times described a situation as a captive in general terms (Abdulrahim). This indicates that she was terrified by the situation she went through as a prisoner and could not manage to reveal the entire ordeal for the shame she felt and fear. The woman kept saying that she was subjected to a lot of torment, and could not express any further. Nonetheless, after being pressed for long by the human rights activist, she started giving specific details regarding the rape incidence. The woman stipulated that she together with other women in the opposition were captured and kept captives at the local security headquarters of the state. During the days they at the stayed security headquarters, the security officer invited his solders where they raped the women repeatedly (Abdulrahim). The soldiers coined this heinous act as “a party.” For several years, the other women in the same situation as the victim have not talked about what happened. Salahi beliefs that the other women are so terrified and ashamed that they cannot imagine themselves revealing the story to other people. Reporters reveal that the Syrian Civil War is continuing and a number of violations on human rights are still taking place every single day and hour that goes by (Giovanni). Since the start of the rebellion, for instance, human rights activists have made efforts to give a reason for every injury, death, bomb, or rocket although the world seems disinterested in the daily massacre (Wolfe). Nonetheless, this is not possible because the government has disconnected much of internet infrastructure in Syria, making it hard for outside nations to understand what it actually taking place in the country. Just like activist Salahi, I, as a reporter of the violence being witnessed in Syria, believe this is heartbreaking particularly since I know that leading global powers have the potential of ending this ordeal with no significant struggle, but are encountering challenges in terms of understanding what is taking place in the country. Based on the incidences I have witnessed taking place in Syria, while serving as a reporter, I see them as providing evidence for sexual violence and as one of the biggest challenges that activists encounter. This is because cultural norms in Syria consider rape as the leading source of dishonor and shame (PHR). Reluctant families and horrified women are more worried about retaining the honor of their families rather than pursuing legal justice from being raped (Wolfe). This is particularly the case because victims understand that avenues for prosecution will not work as the conflict is ongoing (Giovanni). As such, I believe that this incidence is the one forcing victims to flee to neighboring countries, get divorced, become second wives, or be forced to marry men older than them (HRW). I also support that since rape serves as a source of shame and dishonor in the Syrian society, rape victims have are killed by their relatives in order to help restore honor in the family. I believe that even though the topic of rape is forbidden in the Syrian society, it should be documented since the topic of human rights violation is vital in the current world based on the widespread popularity of entities that aim at defending human rights (HRW). In this case, I question as to what role the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Arab League (AL), the United Nations (UN), and other human rights organizations are doing to end this problem. This is because allegations pertaining to mass rapes have dominated Syria, particularly since militiamen and soldier in the country started storming towns and neighborhoods that hold people who are opposing the government (HRW). In order for any war and human rights violations to go on for such a long time, the contributing factors include lack of transparency and inaccurate data (Wolfe). As such, I believe that this is particularly the case in Syria because the fighting has been going on while being largely witnessed by international journalists and monitors (Wolfe). Some of observers in the country stipulate that there is no point in documenting the incidents for they believe it is not possible to restore the conditions of their relatives who have been subjected to sexual violence (Giovanni). As such, since the violence prevailing in Syria is so devastating, millions of individuals in the country are living in risky and dilapidated refugee camps in Syria and neighboring countries where the danger of sexual violence is inevitable (Abdulrahim). For instance, Kazeem Salahi, a human rights activist, has also documented various incidences of sexual assault by the Free Syrian Army. However, he failed to publicize them because he feared that the areas that were controlled by the opposition would retaliate further aggravating the situation in the country (Abdulrahim). In this case, it is true that the situation in Syria is continuing to worsen as the two opposing parties participate in various forms of sexual violence. As such, I believe that as the violence ranges on in Syria, the challenge of sexual violence is becoming dominant between the two opposing sides, posing greater problems with regard to addressing the dominant problem in the country. Kazeem also adds that in order to facilitate in addressing the issue of sexual violence in Syria, Khata his wife was arrested while organizing protests as well as delivering medical assistance to the opposing parties (Abdulrahim). Kazeem’s wife together with other young women were arrested for participating in antigovernment activities. Since the cell they were placed in was close to an interrogation room, they could hear sounds of prisoners being when being tortured (Abdulrahim). They feared they would not be freed and made a decision to document their unique cases. They started with the officers who debriefed them, the intelligence and military divisions they passed through, and the sexual abuse and torture they suffered (Abdulrahim). To avoid being caught while documenting these inhuman acts, they hid the papers containing the information, and passed them on to their relatives who visited them. The major issue, which they documented the most was that of rape since it has lasting adverse effects of the life of a victim. Based on the mass rape issues that have been documented in Syria, reporters, journalists, and human rights activists anticipate that they will assist the victims in the country, even though in a limited number of ways. For instance, based on the experiences that victims went through, they anticipate to be connected to psychiatrists or willing doctors for them to exchange their experiences. In this case, regardless of the various challenges that human rights activists encounter while recording sexual violence incidences in Syria, there has been insignificant interference from the international community (Giovanni). Regardless of the thousands of photos, videos, and interviews released to them, no such hope has been witnessed in the country (HRW). Based on the issue of sexual violence and mass rape taking place in Syria, it is appropriate to encourage the participation of the international community in order to facilitate peace talks in the country. For this to be possible, I believe that all those files that are suspected to be under the custody of the government in prisons should be released to help give proper evidence about the prevailing state of affairs in Syria. Once this piece of evidence is released, it is my thought that the United Nations should intervene to help detain the individuals responsible for the violence. This move will play a major role in helping to end the skirmishes in Syria, which have contributed to prevalence of sexual violence in the country. Works Cited Abdulrahim, Raja. "In Syria, struggling to shine a light on victims of sexual violence." Los Angeles Times. 2014, web. 10 Dec 2014. . Giovanni, Janine Di. "Syria’s Unspoken Crimes." Vanity Fair Worldwide. 2013, web. 10 Dec 2014. . HRW. "Syria: Sexual Assault in Detention." Human Rights Watch. 2012, web. 10 Dec 2014. . PHR. "Stop Rape in War." Physicians for Human Rights. 2014, web. 10 Dec 2014. . Wolfe, Lauren. "The ultimate assault: Charting Syria’s use of rape to terrorize its people." Women Under Siege. 2012, web. 10 Dec 2014. . Read More