Monthly Archives: February 2024

February 25, 2024 · 1:00 am

Sisterhood and Sexual Violence by Hamas

File:MeToo 7.10.2023 (cropped).jpg

Graffiti by Grafitiyul and Guy Morad critical of women’s organizations which ignored testimony by Israeli women regarding rape and sexual violence during Hamas terrorist attacks 10/7/23, Author Nizzan Cohen (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International).

WARNING:  Graphic Images

The BBC in December 2023 confirmed that it had seen and heard credible evidence of the rape and mutilation of women by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel [1].

The overwhelming evidence of savagery included cuts, bruises, broken pelvises, and vaginal tears.  Victims ranged in age from children and teens to retirees.  The majority did not survive.

“[Many victims’ bodies were] found mutilated and bound, with sexual organs brutally attacked, and in some cases, weapons were inserted into them [2A]”.

The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel has now gathered evidence that there were identical patterns of sexual violence at multiple locations [2B].  Some rapes were committed in front of family and friends, to increase the pain and humiliation of victims and their loved ones.  Gang rape followed by murder was not uncommon. Continue reading →

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Filed under Abuse of Power, Justice, Law, Politics, Rape, Terrorism, Violence Against Women

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February 18, 2024 · 1:00 am

Compassion and Contempt

File:Compassion holding hands.jpg

Image by U3190523 (CC BY-SA International)

Those of us who somehow managed to survive childhood abuse and/or domestic violence may actually have contempt for our fellow survivors.

Why is this?  Certainly, compassion would seem more natural.  After all, we know the pain of those who shared the same experience.

The answer is surprisingly simple.  We project onto others the contempt we feel for ourselves.

Weakness

They were weak, at least we think they were.  We do not want to be associated with weakness.  That might imply we were once weak, too.

It would dredge up the fear and vulnerability — the trauma — of childhood abuse or domestic violence.  It might imply that we were powerless in the face of abuse or domestic violence.  That knowledge is too distressing for us.  Better to hold others in contempt.

That we still have such intense feelings suggests we have not fully come to terms with our experience. Continue reading →

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Filed under Child Abuse, Child Molestation, Christianity, domestic abuse, domestic violence, Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Religion, Sexual Abuse

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February 11, 2024 · 1:00 am

Vulnerable

Backbone Mountain Youth Center

Backbone Mountain Youth Center, Garrett County, MD, Source https://djs.maryland.gov/Pages/facilities/Backbone-Mountain-Youth-Center.aspx

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, nearly 2000 children and teens are arrested everyday in the United States.  In 2018 alone, there were over 700,000 minors under the age of 18 arrested [1].

Tragically, young people are extremely vulnerable to mental, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect during incarceration [2][3][4].  The Dept. of Justice indicates over 36% of the youth in custody at one Maryland juvenile detention center (Backbone Mountain Youth Center) reported having been sexually abused there — fully three times the national average [5].

A total of two hundred victims of physical and sexual abuse have now sued Maryland’s Dept. of Juvenile Services [6A][7A].  Allegations are that abuse was systemic between 1969 and 2017 [8].  Fifteen facilities (three of which have since been closed) are involved in these suits. Continue reading →

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Filed under Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Child Molestation, Emotional Abuse, Justice, Law, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse

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February 4, 2024 · 1:00 am

Imperfection

File:Hand Pinted Kintsugi Pottery Bowl.jpg

Hand-painted Kintsugi pottery bowl by Artist Ruthann Hurwitz, Author Ruthann Hurwitz, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

One of the greatest challenges for those of us who have lived through abuse is coming to terms with our own imperfections.

Not Unworthy of Love

We were taught — endlessly, often by the most brutal means — that our imperfections made us unlovable, unworthy of love.

That, of course, was a lie.  However, it left us believing that any imperfection at all was unacceptable, in effect, that it disqualified us from membership in the human race.

Yet, humanity is defined by imperfection.  We may strive for excellence — at times even achieve it.  But all human beings are by nature flawed. Continue reading →

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Filed under Child Abuse, Child Molestation, Christianity, domestic abuse, domestic violence, Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Religion, Sexual Abuse

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