The Department of Veterans Affairs’ new research findings indicate that half of women sent to Iraq and Afghanistan report that they were sexually harassed by male officers and the ratio of one to four were sexually assaulted. The new study that is based on anonymous surveys of female servicemen deployed to war indicate the unceasing number of female sexual assaults against women in war zones.

In February this year, around 20,000 women serving in Afghanistan reported sexual harassment. VA’s PTSD Center deputy director Amy Street stated that the findings show the traumatic strains beyond combat of troops both male and female.

Representative Jackie Speier, who pushed to investigate the cases more promptly, says that women have no safe spots during wartime because the military culture of male dominance has not changed even with the new rules and regulations by secretaries and generals. The sexism has not been scrubbed out of the military. Even with new reforms, the military cannot completely erase this particular culture.

Military academy reports show that from 65 in 2011, numbers of sexual misconduct by instructors have increased by 80 in 2012. Cases of sexual assault by instructors in Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and a brigadier General’s trial for sexual misconduct with lower ranking servicewomen have also received the Pentagon’s attention.

Source: USA Today

The Violation Documenting Center, a group that makes documentation of all the casualties of the ceasefire between the Syrian government and the rebels, has tallied that at least 407 people were killed during the celebration of Eid holiday up to Wednesday. The total number of death upon the over a year civil war has now reached 32,013.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani stated that the Syrian regime is waging a “ war of extermination” even against Syrian civilians. The Qatar president also blamed the UN for just “idling” while the Syrian government killed hundreds during the four-day ceasefire.

UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi was the one who proposed the ceasefire for Eid, which started on Friday and ended on Monday. However, it became evident to many Arab countries that the ceasefire was never fully observed. Qatar’s Prime Minister pointed out that Syria did comply with the truce with a special condition, that it would respond to “anything that took place on the ground”.

Brahimi recently met with Chinese and Russian officials to discuss solutions about the Syrian civil war. China has declared its support to Brahimi’s idea of having a political solution to the entire situation. China and Russia are well-known opponents who have vetoed more than once stronger actions proposed by the UN Security Council.

Source: CNN