AI Flashcards Lecture 9
What is the guiding theme of Lecture 9 on Collective Sexual and Gender-Based Violence?
How professional cultures of specific institutional sectors facilitate sexual and gender-based violence, and how to identify both common and sector-specific causes.
Why is it important to consider institutional contexts when studying sexual violence?
Research on sexual violence often neglects institutional contexts. Institutional logics can facilitate or condone gender-based violence in particular ways. Research and policy on violence prevention should incorporate insights from organisational studies and the sociology of work.
What are some statistics regarding sexual violence within the military?
29% of incarcerated active service members are convicted for sexual assault, and 25% of veterans in prison are sex offenders. Women in the military are more likely to be sexually assaulted than civilian women, which is a major cause of higher PTSD rates among women in the military. Conviction rates for sexual assault in the military are high, but lower than for other military crimes.
What types of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are committed by the military against civilians?
Sexual violence against civilians, violence in the commercial sex industry around overseas bases, sexualised torture, and military domestic violence (which occurs at five times the average rate).
What are some institutional factors that facilitate GBV in the military?
Institutional culture (e.g., reluctance to prioritise a rape victim’s needs over loyalty to a comrade-in-arms), hierarchy and gendered power differentials (reporting can be seen as disloyal), labour conditions (remoteness of some operations, college-like atmosphere of academies), and traditional gender norms (socialisation of recruits, underestimation of sex crimes by commanding officers, male victims’ underreporting due to shame).
How might the military attract potential perpetrators of SGBV?
15% of incoming U.S. Navy recruits attempted or committed rape before entering the military (twice the percentage of the civilian population). The ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (DADT) policy (1994-2011) prohibited people with a propensity for homosexual acts from serving, arguing that their presence would harm morale and unit cohesion.
How does race intersect with SGBV in the military?
Racist assumptions about sexual predators inform policy. Black service members are prosecuted and punished more harshly, despite a lack of evidence supporting higher offending rates. The rape of white women is more likely to result in a conviction (the ‘good victim’).
How was sexualised torture and race intertwined during World War II?
Sex was central to the Liberation. During this period, 25 out of 29 death sentences for rape involved Black men, reflecting France’s colonial history and the stereotype of the sexually threatening Black soldier. Women’s stories were more often questioned when the accused was a white soldier (seen as prostitutes, not victims), highlighting how racism trumped sexism in rape cases. The army presented rape as a minority crime to protect American authority in France.
What are some examples of scandals involving SGBV in religious institutions?
Scandals in the United States (Gilbert Gauthe, John Geoghan, Joseph Maskell) and in Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The Roman Archdiocese of Boston scandal involved the cover-up of systemic child sexual abuse by priests. The Archdiocese of Baltimore scandal is another example.
What institutional factors facilitate GBV in religious institutions?
Institutional culture (using the confessional to silence victims, parents’ trust in the church), hierarchy and gendered power differentials (maintaining an image of moral perfection, avoiding scandals), labour conditions (reassigning priests without disclosing their history), and traditional gender norms (celibacy).
What is a critique of focusing on institutional factors in explaining child sexual abuse (CSA) in the Church?
Some argue that CSA in the Church shouldn’t be treated differently from CSA in other contexts as the grooming and desensitisation processes are similar. They also argue that elevating priests above ordinary sex predators marginalises victims and that some individuals may be drawn to the priesthood for the access and protection it provides.
What institutional factors facilitate sexual violence in the cultural sector?
Competition for work, industry culture, gendered power relations, and the importance of informal networks.
