Feminist Peace Network

Many thanks to Jan Strout, Director of the NW Organizing Project of the National Organization for Women for letting me reprint her remarks at the press conference held in conjunction with the release of Suzanne Swift from prison. Suzanne went AWOL from the military after she was ordered to return to the same unit in which she was sexually assaulted. I’ll be posting more on this in a later post, in the meantime, you can learn more about Suzanne’s ordeal at her website. Here is Jan’s statement:

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN NW Organizing Project
Press Conference for Suzanne Swift and Violence Against Women in the Military
Seattle , WA
January 2, 2007

GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU FOR INVITING THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN TO ADD OUR VOICES AND SUPPORT FOR SUZANNE SWIFT AND HER FAMILY AS WELL AS TO ADDRESS THE IMPACT ON THE MANY FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.

AS THE LARGEST ORGANIZATION OF FEMINIST ACTIVISTS IN THE US, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN HAS 500,000 CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS AND 500 CHAPTERS IN ALL 50 STATES AND DC. OUR GOAL HAS BEEN TO TAKE ACTION TO BRING ABOUT EQUALITY FOR ALL WOMEN BY WORKING TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE, SCHOOLS, THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ALL OTHER SECTORS OF SOCIETY — INCLUDING THE US MILITARY. THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN BELIEVES IN FULL EQUALITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN THE US MILITARY – INCLUDING COMBAT ROLES — WHILE OPPOSING THE WARS AGAINST IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND THE INCREASING MILITARIZATION OF WOMEN’S LIVES AND U.S. SOCIETY.

ONE OF OUR 6 PRIORITY ISSUES IS ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS. N.O.W. IS UNIQUE IN OUR APPROACH TO THE ISSUE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, EMPHASIZING THAT THERE ARE MANY INTER-RELATED ASPECTS TO THE ISSUE – DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; SEXUAL ASSAULT; SEXUAL HARASSMENT; VIOLENCE AT ABORTION CLINICS; HATE CRIMES ACROSS LINES GENDER, SEXUALITY AND RACE; THE GENDER AND RACIAL BIAS IN OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT FURTHER VICTIMIZES SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE; AND THE VIOLENCE OF POVERTY EMPHASIZED BY THE RADICAL RIGHT’S ATTACKS ON POOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN – ALL OF WHICH RESULT FROM SOCIETY’S ATTITUDES ABOUT KEEPING WOMEN IN THEIR “PLACE�

GIVEN THAT NEARLY 1 OUT OF EVERY TWO WOMEN IN THE U.S. HAS OR WILL EXPERIENCE SOME FORM OF VIOLENCE IN OUR LIFE TIME, THESE HORRIFIC REPORTS OF RAPE, HARASSMENT AND OTHER ASSAULTS MEAN EVEN FEWER OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN TO ACHIEVE OUR FULL EQUALITY WITH MEN. THESE FORMS OF VIOLENCE PERPETRATED BY STRANGERS ARE IN ADDITION TO 1.5 MILLION WOMEN ARE RAPED AND/OR PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED EVERY YEAR BY THEIR INTIMATE PARTNERS.

RECENTLY, IT HAS COME TO LIGHT AND REPORTED IN THE PUBLIC MEDIA THAT WOMEN IN THE U.S. MILITARY AMD RELATED INSTITUTIONS ARE RAPIDLY AT RISK OF BECOMING OR HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, HARASSED AND RAPED BY THEIR FELLOW SERVICEMEMBERS. WHILE THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HAS PLEDGED TO CRACK DOWN ON VIOLENCE AGAINST THE WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES, FOLLOW-UP ON THAT PROMISE HAS BEEN SLOW AND PIECEMEAL. SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS, THEIR ADVOCATES AND THEIR SUPPORTERS IN CONGRESS CONTINUE TO CALL LOUDLY FOR A SYSTEMIC CHANGE THAT WILL PROVIDE FOR SAFE AND CONFIDENTIAL REPORTING; EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION; COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION, AND A CONCERTED EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO RECORD AND ANALYZE INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN ALL BRANCHES OF THE ARMED FORCES AND PUNISH THE PERPETRATORS.

ACCORDING TO PROFESSOR CYNTHIA ENLOE, IN HER GROUNDBREAKING BOOK, DOES KHAKI BECOME YOU? THE MILITARIZATION OF WOMEN’S LIVES, THE SEXUAL DOUBLE STANDARD OF WOMEN’S ATTRITION IN THE U.S. MILITARY IS CLOSELY LINKED TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. WOMEN WHO ARE NOT ALREADY PURGED AS LESBIANS OFTEN LEAVE THE MILITARY BECAUSE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. THIS AND OTHER FORMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE ARE ON THE RISE AS A PART OF INCREASED MILITARIZATION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS ONLY WHEN OFFICERS THINK THEIR CHANCES FOR PROMOTION ARE AFFECTED BY THE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS UNDER THEIR COMMAND WHO DROP OUT OF THE MILITARY AND WHEN THEY BECOME CONVINCED THAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS A MAJOR REASON FOR WOMEN’S SOLDIERS’ DEPARTURE, THAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS LIKELY TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY ON ANY MILITARY BASE.

ULTIMATELY, WE ALSO KNOW THAT ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN – INCLUDING THOSE COMMITTED WITHIN AND BY THE U.S. MILITARY – ADD TO THE INCREASING SOCIAL CONTROL OF WOMEN WHICH ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE SERVE TO ACHIEVE.

THEREFORE, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN CALLS FOR:

1. SUPPORT FOR SUZANNE SWIFT IN HER CASE TO HAVE AN IMMEDIATE MEDICAL DISCHARGE FROM THE U.S. MILITARY AND THE SUPPORT SHE NEEDS FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER –WHICH EVERY SURVIVOR OF VIOLENCE EXPERIENCES;

2. ENSURE THAT ANY ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL OR RACIAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND GENDER OR RACE DISCRIMINATION ARE PROMPTLY AND THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED AND THESE SERVICEMEMBERS ARE PROTECTED FROM RETALIATION,

3. AMEND THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF BOTH VICTIMS/SURVIVORS AND THOSE WHO STAND ACCUSED,

4. APPLY ALL OF THESE ACTIONS TO WOMEN IN THE U.S. MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMIES AS WELL AS WHERE U.S. SERVICEWOMEN ARE STATIONED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

5. INCREASE SUPPORT TO THE MILES FOUNDATION AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED ADVICE AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MILITARY.

6. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES TO WORK WITH THOSE WITH ANTI-VIOLENCE FEMINIST EXPERTISE TO FULLY IMPLEMENT RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND RESOURCES TO ENSURE THE FULL EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL WOMEN IN THE U.S. MILITARY AND ALL SECTORS OF US SOCIETY.

7. PASSAGE OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION TO CREATE A DEPARTMENT OF PEACE WHICH CAN PROVIDE PEACE EDUCATION TRAINING TO U.S. MILITARY COMMANDERS ABOUT HOW TO STOP SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND PROMOTE GENDER EQUITY FOR WOMEN AT HOME AS WELL AS ABROAD;

8. FINALLY, WE CALL ON ALL WOMEN, REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE OR ECONOMIC STATUS, TO JOIN THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN TO COME TOGETHER IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE WOMEN IN THE U.S. MILITARY TO WORK TOGETHER IN UNITY TO ADVANCE THE STATUS OF ALL WOMEN.

PLEASE GO TO NOW’S WEB SITE WWW.NOW.ORG/ISSUES/PEACE IS A FEMINIST ISSUE FOR MORE WAYS TO END ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND TO PROMOTE PEACE WITH JUSTICE IN ALL OUR RELATIONSHIPS – PERSONAL AND GLOBAL.

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