A Call to End The Silence on Hamas Terrorists' Sexual Violence.
Women’s Voices Now Executive Director Says “Rape Isn’t Resistance” & Asks for Reflection on the Silence and Denial of Sexual Violence from October 7th.
By Rachel “Sink” Lindsay
Newsweek Opinion Piece.
In an opinion piece for Newsweek, Women’s Voices Now Executive Director Heidi Basch-Harod called to end the silence on Hamas terrorists’ systematic use of sexual violence during the October 7th attack.
Source: WVN Executive Director Heidi Basch-Harod, Newsweek
Terrorist Groups Committed Mass Rape.
In real time, on October 7th, images and footage of sexual violence were uploaded by the attackers on social media and communication apps, including Telegram and WhatsApp, suggesting sexual violence was a designed strategy of the Hamas invasion of October 7th.
Source: The National Review
Silence is Complicity.
In her piece, Basch-Harod noted the widespread failure to speak out against the reported attacks, especially from prominent organizations like UN Women. UN Women only condemned the Hamas attacks and acknowledged “numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks,” on December 1st.
Source: WVN Executive Director Heidi Basch-Harod, Newsweek, UN Women
Hamas’ Denial.
Hamas officials have denied the reports of sexual violence and said that any atrocities were committed by other armed groups. Yet ample evidence has been collected, including bodies of women found partially or fully naked, women with their pelvic bones broken, the accounts of medical examiners and first responders, videos taken by Hamas fighters themselves, and even a few firsthand witnesses from the music festival where hundreds were murdered.
Source: The New York Times
What Next?
In her concluding thoughts, Basch-Harod argues that we’re witnessing a turning point in the struggle for gender equality, urging that during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, supporters of women’s rights reflect and decide how to move forward.
Source: WVN Executive Director Heidi Basch-Harod, Newsweek Op-Ed
“We have come so far in believing survivors of rape and assault in so many situations, yet this time, many are ignoring the stories that these bodies tell us about how these women spent the last moments of their lives.”
– Sheryl Sandberg, Founder of Leaning In
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