- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Daesh Selling Sex Slaves on Facebook - Part of Global Misogyny Trend

© Photo : PixabayModern slavery
Modern slavery - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Revelations emerge that Daesh are selling brides online, experts believe that this is a wider issue relating to misogyny and the growing trend of sexual slavery and discrimination against women and girls.

"What makes her worth that price? Does she have an exceptional skill?" one of the potential buyers asks about the woman in a photo.

"No," the Daesh member replies. "Supply and demand makes her that price."

© AP Photo / Seivan M.SalimYazidi Kurdish women chant slogans during a protest against the Islamic State group's invasion on Sinjar city, in Dohuk, northern Iraq, August 3, 2015.
Yazidi Kurdish women chant slogans during a protest against the Islamic State group's invasion on Sinjar city, in Dohuk, northern Iraq, August 3, 2015. - Sputnik International
Yazidi Kurdish women chant slogans during a protest against the Islamic State group's invasion on Sinjar city, in Dohuk, northern Iraq, August 3, 2015.

The above quotes are from a Facebook post advertising the sale of a young girl by members of Daesh. The post was removed immediately after it was published, however it only highlights the growing issue faced by online regulators, police and authorities to try and combat the issue of sex slavery.

A Bahraini woman takes part in an anti-government protest that marks a 1000 days since the Shiite-led uprising demanding democratic reforms in Sunni-ruled but Shiite-majority Bahrain, in the village of al-Shakhurah, west of Manama, on December 13, 2013. - Sputnik International
'Hit, Attacked, Raped by Men High on Drugs,' 18-Year-old on Daesh captivity
Recent revelations have shown that Daesh have in fact been trading young women and girls online. The demand for these women is huge and there is no shortage of potential buyers.

However, experts believe that this is not just an issue faced by people in areas of conflict, where war is used as a tool to rape and enslave women and girls. This is a growing trend of discrimination against women, which is prevalent in societies and communities where misogyny and gender based violence is a part of the culture.

Aiden McQuade, Director of Anti-Slavery International, believes that countries legal systems need to be challenged in order to stop the growing trend of sexual slavery and discrimination against women and girls.

"To put it bluntly, reducing violence against women and girls, particularly in the current wars waged by the proxies of Saudi Arabia, requires their jurisprudence to be explicitly and loudly repudiated," Aiden McQuade told Sputnik.

It is widely known that in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the rape victims are the ones who are punished and prosecuted. It is this link between Saudi Arabia and Boko Haram, Daesh and other similar organizations, which has allowed the use of women as sex slaves and has caused a growing amount of discrimination against women.

It was only recently that the Council of Islamic Ideology, in Pakistan, allowed for a wife to be lightly beaten by her husband if she disobeyed him.

"The relationship between Saudi Arabia, Boko Haram and Daesh has been well established. What we so see is this attitude of misogyny prevalent in Saudi. Daesh is linked to Saudi Arabia and it has taken on a terrifying life of its own. So a lot of the issues and attitudes such as misogyny have translated into Daesh and it is manifested out into their views of women and girls," Aiden McQuade told Sputnik.

Aiden believes that the only way to solve this issue of sex slavery is to provide a robust and structured police gathering system that will help tackle and find the perpetrators. The International Criminal Court defines sex slavery as a war crime, but the only way to achieve justice is to have a good amount of evidence.

© AP Photo / Dalton BennettIn this photo taken on October 8, 2014, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl captured by the Islamic State group and forcibly married to a militant in Syria.
In this photo taken on October 8, 2014, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl captured by the Islamic State group and forcibly married to a militant in Syria. - Sputnik International
In this photo taken on October 8, 2014, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl captured by the Islamic State group and forcibly married to a militant in Syria.

Another solution to help curb the issue of sex slavery is to ensure humanitarians are trained appropriately.

"Until now neither the humanitarian, nor development communities have in any significant way grasped the issues of slavery, trafficking or child labor. So they fail consistently to address them," Aiden McQuade told Sputnik.

"Humanitarian assessments and peace-keeping planning should include components relating to trafficking analysis. 

Modern slavery - Sputnik International
Modern Slaves: Nearly 46 Mln People Live in Shackles of Servitude Worldwide
And that should in turn lead to the enacting of measures to reduce the risks of trafficking for all, in particular women and girls. Furthermore, all peace-keeping and humanitarian operations should have significant police or military police presence, with a mandate to investigate human trafficking and sexual violence, and with gender parity amongst such officers." 

The war against sex slavery has been an on-going one — some experts believe there is still hope, however not without hard work and a careful look at social systems that have incorporated misogyny within their regime.  

"Are we winning the war against sex slavery? Probably not. First of all, what tends to occur in war is we get breakdowns in social systems and it becomes difficult. We see similar types of discrimination against women in peaceful areas and the reason is misogyny and the law that institutionalizes it. Until we get this sorted, we will not see a reduction," McQuade told Sputnik.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала