Degrade with the power of a hand grenade

This June the United States held the 'council president' position at the U.N. Council and we brought forth a powerful and devastating theme for debate: the use of sexual violence in war.

The council resolved unanimously that "sexual violence [is] a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instill fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group."

Eve Ensler, I pray you were there for this. In discussing such war-torn regions as Yugoslavia, Darfur, Rwanda, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Maj. Gen. Patrick Cammaert theorized that "it has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in an armed conflict".

The more surprising, and optimism-crushing, news is the rise in sexual abuse accusations against peace keepers and aide-workers. People who have been placed in the situation as care givers are taking advantage of the victims. It leaves you with a horrible feeling of "who can be trusted?"

This violence against women is devastating on immeasurable levels. According to Condoleezza Rice "we affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women but the economic and social stability of their nations."

And while I am proud and encouraged that we are finally taking steps against this atrocity, I find myself wondering, "What took so long?"

Two Sides of One Coin: Side B (Babies)

Most stereotypes exist for a reason. Some seem to be maybe 1% true, while others hit the mark more often. One of the many stereotypes surrounding teenagers concerns their developing and rudimentary decision-making skills. I want to explore two ways this can majorly affect the health of young women (in the words of Young Jeezy) "sexually, mentally, physically, emotionally".

In Gloucester, Massachusetts "a pact [was] made by a group of teens to get pregnant and raise their babies together". None of these girls are over the age of 16. "...students were coming to the school clinic multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and 'seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were.' Some of the girls reacted to the news they were pregnant with high fives and plans for baby showers, Sullivan said. One of the fathers 'is a 24-year-old homeless guy,' Sullivan told the magazine.

Employees at the school categorized these girls as "girls who lack self-esteem and have a lack of love in their life." These girls, unlike those in Side A, are trying to become pregnant. They are hoping to bring someone into this world who will have no choice but to love them and depend on them. If only they understood just how dependant this person would be and just how much they still depend on their own parents.

These girls represent a large culture of young women who try to force love into their life by dangerous or ill advised means. Think of all of the poor girls who, as a result of sexual abuse, latch on to older men and seedy men or anyone who gives them the time of day. Imagine the underage prostitutes who think of their pimp with adoration because he is a man who feeds them, gives them a home and says he loves them. Think of the young women who grew up with parents who were absent, abusive, emotionally unavailable. We crave love and affection as humans and when we are denied it one place, we will simply find or create it elsewhere, however unhealthy.

What kind of message can we spread to these girls that will keep them from rushing into the harsh reality of adulthood? What can you do in your community?

Two Sides of One Coin: Side A (Abortion)

Most stereotypes exist for a reason. Some seem to be maybe 1% true, while others hit the mark more often. One of the many stereotypes surrounding teenagers concerns their developing and rudimentary decision-making skills. I want to explore two ways this can majorly affect the health of young women (in the words of Young Jeezy) "sexually, mentally, physically, emotionally".

In London the abortion rate for young women has reached a record high. This past year (2007) there were a recorded 163 abortions by girls under the age of 14. This statistic is frightening, but not nearly as terrible as the statistic for girls under the age of 16: 4,376! That means that there were over 4,200 abortions for girls age 14 through 16!

Professors and professionals are churning out ideas to aide this new situation. They are aiming to prevent the pregnancy. I do not wholeheartedly agree with Julie Bentley's statement: "Younger women are making different choices about their lives and choosing abortion over motherhood. But education and contraceptive services will stop them becoming pregnant in the first place." Surely this is oversimplified! While I believe that our youth deserve and need a better sex education program, I do NOT think that we can lie to ourselves and them by suggesting that know-how and a pill will keep them completely from harm. We, as adults, need to be teaching them about consequences, about chances and about "fairness". If a teenager read the statement "education and contraceptives WILL stop you from becoming pregnant" they would be wholly misinformed. Most birth control has a success rate of 99%, which of course means that 1% of the time it is unsuccessful. That doesn't sound like much, it really doesn't, but that is one time out of 100 that someone gets an unpleasant surprise.

We need to teach our youth about the consequences of their actions. We need to be truly honest, even blunt, to get the point across. Too often people of all ages view life with the "it could never happen to me" lens on, and it is truly dangerous. They need to understand cause and effect: pregnancy is a possible effect of sex. Abortion is a possible effect of pregnancy. But how many teenagers have thought ahead to the possibles effect of abortion? On their body? On their spirit? On their friends? On their family?