A Bengali woman raped by Pakistan Army Weeps (1971)
Photo Courtesy : Kishor Parekh
It was summer 1971 in Bangladesh. Fourteen-year-old Noor was playing in the courtyard of the house located on the north bank of Padma river with her little sister when a loud military truck stopped outside their house. Armed soldiers grabbed the two girls and threw them into the back of the truck, they were told to remain silent. The truck continued through the small town, making several stops to load more women and girls into the back, treating them like cattle. All the women were sobbing silently, too afraid to make a sound. Jahan and all these women were about to become victims of one of the most brutal acts in the history of war by the invading army.
“We lay there like corpses, side by side. There were 20, maybe 30, of us confined to one room,” she recalls tearfully. “The only time we saw daylight was when the door creaked open and the soldiers marched in. Then the raping would begin.” 65 year old noor recalls.
We often hear about wars and the bravery of tremendous freedom fighters, but stories like Noor’s are missing from the narratives told to us. Being a woman during a war is far worse than being a soldier, and history has proven this, whether it was the Sino-Japanese war, where woman as old as seventy years old and girls as young as six were raped and murdered, or World War II ,where the only escape for women from the enemy forces and the sexual violence was suicide. Or subcontinent where, women like Noor, who were raped and impregranted by enemy soldiers, chose to kill themselves rather than giving birth to the children of their assailants. The numbers reported from every war are conservative because it’s impossible to count the victims who were not just raped once but repeatedly, often by gangs of soldiers.
Rape has long been a tragic and pervasive element of wartime culture. For the victors, it serves as a way to demonstrate to enemy soldiers that they cannot protect their women, thus dishonouring the men’s military honour.But When have women not been spoils of war? From ancient battles to modern-day conflicts, rape has consistently been used as a weapon of war, leaving a devastating impact on countless lives.
These women endure the horrors of war, but the true terror often begins when the fighting stops. For them, life becomes a relentless battle after the war. In the aftermath of conflict, many women face severe ostracization and shame from their communities. Some are even killed by their husbands, while others take their own lives or harm their children born of rape. Desperation drives some to plead with their perpetrators to take them away, seeking escape from the unbearable future that awaits them—a future marked by societal rejection, isolation, and the crushing burden of being deemed unworthy or unacceptable by those around them.
The terrible part is that these atrocities still happen to women today, anywhere there is conflict. In war-torn Sudan, we see how women are forced to exchange sex for food with soldiers, enduring immense suffering to meet their basic needs. Similarly, in Gaza, amidst ongoing conflict, women face the threat of sexual violence, where their bodies become targets in the struggle for power and control. Conflicts in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria have also seen similar patterns of sexual violence, underscoring the persistent use of rape as a weapon of war. Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of these heinous acts, their bodies turned into battlegrounds in the quest for power and domination.
Rape is a crime against humanity. Sexual violence is, in a certain sense, so intimate that it can rupture family structures, connections, and the social cohesion of a society in the long term.
Women are often targeted to bring shame upon families, communities, and even entire nations. This mindset extends into war and conflicts, perpetuating a cycle of violence. Why do we allow this to continue, and when will we take a stand to end it?
The stories of women suffering in war reveal the harsh reality of sexual violence in conflict zones. Recognizing rape as a weapon of war and addressing the sexual violence faced by women is crucial for bringing their hidden suffering to light. By acknowledging these issues and protecting women’s rights, we can hope to heal the deep wounds of conflict and build a world where peace and justice prevail.