RAPE as A WEAPON of WAR

• In times of peace women fear the possibility of rape; in times of conflict rape is inevitable.  Women and children’s bodies are the 2nd battleground, raped by men–both soldiers and civilians, enemy and neighbor, as “spoils of war”.
• How can we stop the global epidemic of war-rape tragedies like the Congo? How do survivors heal?  Can perpetrators heal from being rapists/sex offenders?  What does their impact and presence mean for their post-war communities?

•Support the International Violence against Women Act
•Support Panzi Hospital, the Congo’s pre-eminent treatment center for rape survivors

RAPE in the U.S. MILITARY radio interview with Helen Benedict, author of The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq and Reverend Dorothy Mackey of Survivors Take Action Against Abuse by Military Personnel, with host Nathalie Thandiwe.

• U.S. Women Soldiers face battle on two fronts–the enemy on the frontlines and the enemy within the military.  Increasingly, women soldiers in Iraq and on other fronts report deep-seated hostility, widespread sexual harassment and assault from their fellow male soldiers.
• 30% of women veterans surveyed reported being raped in the military, in a study of Vietnam-Gulf War enlistees
• 90% of women veterans surveyed reported being sexually harassed, in a study of those enlisted between the Gulf war and earlier wars.

What recourse do U.S. female soldiers have and what happens to both targets and perpetrators of sexual violence after these crimes?

Additional Resources:
• Military Rape Crisis Center: www.stopmilitaryrape.org
• S.W.A.N. Service Women Action Network: www.servicewomen.org
• Military Families Speak Out: www.mfso.org

Real Dads Stand Up! What Every Single Father Should Know About Child Support, Rights & Custody
As the number of children living without their fathers increases, dads are saying it’s not their fault, it’s…their ex’s fault…

According to Attorney Alicia Crowe, Real Dads accept their parental responsibilities and use mediation and the law to protect their parental rights. Ms.Crowe has represented parents in family court for over a decade and “created this book as a way to inform, inspire, empower, and challenge fathers to step up to the plate and become active, responsible, and nurturing adults in their children’s lives.”

Check out Ms.Crowe’s upcoming appearances

TO ENTER GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment on the show and an email letting us know which items you are interested in!

Afterbirth by Dani Klein Modisett: Thursday May 7th 12 noon-1pm EST WBAI Fund Drive Feature “…the Vagina Monologues for the stroller set..” -NY Post

Support independent media with a donation during the show; premiums include:
-a copy of Afterbirth
-a bonus director’s cut CD of show performances
-a ticket to the Thursday May 7th NYC show at The Triad
Details on the air!

Afterbirth is a hilarious book and live show by Dani Klein Modisett featuring honest parenting stories by well known actors and writers. Afterbirth has sold out for five years in Los Angeles, and is popular in NYC. Performers have included: Patricia Heaton, Andrew McCarthy, Cindy Chupack, Moon Zappa, Carnie Wilson, and more. Dani, an actress, playwright, producer, director and mother, also taught Stand-up comedy at UCLA and privately for almost a decade.

WHY DONATE to WBAI’s Fund drive?
To support independent media ownership, diverse & often unheard voices. To cultivate a truly competitive media markets reflecting grassroots interests, in a media landscape dominated by 6 multinational corporations that have consolidated their control over what we see, hear and read! http://freepress.net/ownership/chart/main

“But I could just buy the book for less..” Um, we know! The books/CDs/theatre tix are just our way saying-Thanks, (mwah, we LOVE you) for donating! Cooler & more fun than just getting a letter.

Call 212-209-2950 May 7th between 12 noon & 1pm EST
If you are a fan of Dani’s or Women Body & Soul, show your fandom with a donation Thursday May 7th 12-1pm EST!

To enter the book giveaway for a free copy of Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex and Power email hidden; JavaScript is required">please send us an email.

Dr. Shira Tarrant is an assistant professor of Women’s Studies at California State University, Long Beach and an expert in gender politics, feminism, pop culture, and masculinity. A disabled, transgender freelance author, Jacob Anderson-Minshall writes syndicated weekly column TransNation, co-hosts the Gender Blender radio show. Byron Hurt is a filmmaker, activist and educator addressing sexual and gender violence prevention, and masculinity. Jeremy Adam Smith is senior editor of Greater Good magazine and author of the book, The Daddy Shift, out on Beacon Press in June.

GuestLinks:
Shira Tarrant, PhD: http://www.shiratarrant.com
Jacob Anderson-Minshall: http://trans-nation.org
Byron Hurt: http://www.bhurt.com
Jeremy Adam Smith: http://www.jeremyadamsmith.com

In April 2009, 11-year-old Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hanged himself after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay, despite his mother’s weekly pleas to the school to address the problem.  Four months into the year and this is at least the fourth publicized suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying thus far.

Prepare Inc. offers inter-active self defense skills training, practiced full contact, full force, against padded, trained instructors recreating assault scenarios. A CALL TO MEN engages men in ending violence against women and eradicating sexism. The organization acknowledges that men play a primary role in this problem and therefore in the solution. A Call to Men maintains strong coalitions with anti-violence women’s organizations.

Agenda Index Stats:
-Males are both the majority of perpetrators and victims of violent crime except rape/sexual assault, in which women are the majority of victims (US Dpt. of Justice).
-Globally, 1 out of 3 women and girls are beaten or sexually abused by men over the course of their lifetime (UN Commission on the Status of Women, 2/28/00).

Commentary
“The first world extracts love from the third world.”
“Globalisations pound of flesh” Author Arlie Russell Hochschild calls it, looking at children left behind by immigrant childcare workers who then transfer huge amounts of love onto children they are employed to look after. “The first world extracts love from the third world. But what is being extracted is partly produced or ‘assembled’ here; the leisure, the money, the ideology of the child, the intense loneliness and yearning for one’s own children” [prol-position news #5 | 2/2006]; Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild, Global Woman, (Granta Books, London, 2003), p.15 – 31.

Guest Susan Shapiro Barash is an established writer of books on women’s issues, covering topics such as women and: in-laws, lying; extramarital affairs; sister relationships; stepfamilies; being 2nd wives; recovering from bad choices and more. Ms. Barash teaches at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrwence College and Gender Studies at Marymount Manhattan College.

Tripping the Prom Queen Quote:
“As with all types of female competition, the perpetual beauty contest is fueled by basic scarcity, what I call the not enough pie syndrome. If there were enough to go around-enough solo violin recitals,good men, high-powered jobs–I believe that female rivalry would be far less sharp. But because women have so little access to the goals they seek, they are forced to compete for a tiny slice of the pie, a situation that cannot help but breed the virulent competitions we have observed.”

Guest Akiba Solomon is a freelance writer and editor for publications including, Essence, Jane, Redbook, Glamour and is part of the BET News special “Hip-Hop Vs. America.”

Guest Ayana Byrd is a Glamour magazine articles editor whose personal essays have appeared in “The Fire This Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism” and “Split: Stories from a Generation Raised on Divorce.”

Naked Quote:
“The most common way to talk about the female body in America is to discuss how it should be fixed and how much it appeals to men…From reality shows peddling makeovers, to front-porch conversations about where to get the tightest weave, the message is obvious: what we’re born with is not going to get us very far”

Host Commentary:
Throughout the book Naked, we see how for black women this is compounded with racially specific messages that say if you are born black with black features and black hair, what you’re born with is going to get you even less.