"A nation is not conquered until the women's hearts lay on the
ground." -- Cheyenne Indian saying
In war, rape is an assault on both the individual woman and her
family and community. Many hundreds of thousands of women have been
raped in wars in this century alone, as reported in areas as
diverse as Korea, Bangladesh, Liberia, Southeast Asia, and Uganda.
Bosnian refugees have described how, in the former Yugoslavia,
military forces publicly raped women to systematically force
families to flee their villages, contributing to the goal of
"ethnic cleansing." Assaults are often gang-related and sadistic,
including other forms of physical torture. These women may also
experience loss of home and community, dislocation, injury, and
untreated illness, and these women may witness the murder, injury,
or rape of loved ones. The effects of these types of trauma are
immeasurable, long lasting, and shattering to both inner and outer
worlds.
The situation is worsened by the religious and cultural
attitudes surrounding rape. In a Muslim culture, the honor of the
woman reflects upon the entire family; rape victims of Muslim faith
may believe that the rape is a punishment for some sin that they
have committed. Even if they do not blame themselves, they may feel
such a strong cultural responsibility to protect their family that
they often remain silent about the trauma. Many of the Bosnian rape
victims told nobody, or very few people, about what happened to
them.
The number of women being subjected to rape in Kosovo is not yet
known. Rates of rape and sexual assault ranged from 3% to 6% in
Bosnian refugee women. Long-term emotional, mental, and physical
consequences of rape are found in up to 60% of U.S. female
survivors. Similar posttraumatic symptoms were found in up to 75%
of Bosnian refugees, even in women who did not report a rape, It is
estimated that the long-term consequences of rape will be present
in the majority of women subjected to war-related rape in
Kosovo.
Consequences of rape
Immediate consequences of rape, affecting the majority of women
who are raped, include:
Physical symptoms: bodily injury; sexually transmitted
diseases; muscular tension; fatigue; edginess; change in sleep,
appetite, and sex drive; gastrointestinal problems; racing heart;
bodily aches and pains
Long-term consequences of rape can be complex and severe,
including injury and sexually transmitted diseases; marked
interpersonal changes such as distrust, anger, and isolation; and
psychiatric disorders such as:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): reexperiencing the
trauma in memories and dreams, avoiding anything reminiscent of the
event, memory loss, emotional numbing, sleep disturbance,
anxiety
Depression: loss of hope, self-worth, motivation, or purpose
in life; fatigue; decreased pleasure in previously enjoyed
activities; changes in sleep and appetite; suicidal thoughts or
actions
Alcohol and substance abuse
Treatment
While the consequences of rape are severe and complex,
treatments are available that significantly reduce symptoms and
improve quality of life. See our section on treatment for more information.
