VA finds sexual assaults more common in war zones

[happyslug]

9. The most violent of Societies, also tend to isolate woman from men the most

One of the problems of the Middle East, is the borders are not really fixed. Historically the three big powers (Iran, Egypt and Asia Minor) jockey with each other and the groups in between the three main powers. This leads to almost constant warfare, this is compounded by the fact much of the area is pasture, to dry for farming, but wet enough to graze sheep on. One of the characteristics of herding societies is extreme violence, for unlike farming societies, if you do NOT respond instantly to a threat, you will lose your herd (On the other hand Farming community know you have to wait for the crop to ripen and then haul the food out, that takes time, thus farming communities can afford to wait for assistance).

Notice, while farming communities can be as violent as herding societies, the speed of the violence is different. Farmer wait for the crop to be in, then go to war, come back to harvest the crop, then go back to war (or if to wet wait till spring). The above takes time, along with getting the transport together to haul the food around. This delay permits people to take their disputes to a central person (i.e. a judge) who decides the disputes one way or another, and due to the need to maintain a community the Judge's Decision, even if disliked, are obeyed.

Herding Societies are a different matter. If a herd is attacked, the herders must fight OR lose the herd. The herd, being mobile, is easy for a hostile group to take. There is rarely any time to seek assistance (and if any can be provided, it is expected). Thus violence tends to be the norm, even more then in Hunter-Gathering societies.

Side note: One of the problems with the US, is that after about 1695, the Frontier had become dominated by Scots and Scot-Irish groups. The Scots tended to be former highlanders, who prior to the 1700s were cattle herders (Scots and Sheep is a product of the depopulation of the Highlands starting in the late 1600s). Once kicked out of the Highlands (More by their clan chiefs, who were bought off by the simple fact sheep were more valuable to England then Cattle and people, thus the Clan Chiefs removed the people and their cattle and replaced them with Sheep), these highlanders brought with them their tradition of herding, including a high level of violence.

In the 1500s and 1600s, some Highland Scots, but mostly low land Scots, were settle in Ireland as Settlers. While they tended to be Farmers more then Herders, they were in conflict with the native born Catholic Irish. This tended to produce violence between the two groups. After 1690s these Protestant Irish (Scot-Irish, or simply called Irish before the Irish famine sent Catholic Irish to the US) while Protestant were NOT Church of England (Technically Called the "Church of Ireland" in Ireland) and thus came under many of the same laws as the Catholic Irish (religious services were banned, if one son converted to the Church of Ireland, that son inherited everything on the death of his father, if no son converted, the property was divided equally among the sons and other similar laws) and in response, due to the fact these Scot-Irish tended to have more money, migrated to America and then intermarried with the Scots from the Highlands.

I bring up these two groups, for it is from these two groups the America Tendency to violence developed from (Compounded by the need for violence to keep slaves in their place, during the time period when slavery was legal in the US). I point out that they tended to be more herders then farmers AND faced hostile enemies for centuries and their culture reflect those tendency to violence.

Back to the main Subject, violence and women status in a society.

One of the characteristics of the Irish is a tendency to "protect" their women. This is also characteristics of the people of the Middle East, another area of almost constant violence over the last several centuries (and in the Middle East last few Millenia). Why this need to "protect", for acts of violence, leads to other acts of violence, including rape. Thus a violence society also tends to have high rates of rape.

In the military, during peace time, they is little actually violence. Training is most dull repetition. Combat is another situation, mostly boredom, interrupted by seconds of sheer terror. Being on guard for violence from the "Enemy" (Whoever that may be) takes away from training, thus Combat beings a decline in the effectiveness of any combat unit. On the other hand, being on edge is a constant tension, such tensions must be "Released" and force sexual assault is one way for a man to relieve that tension.

Now, I am NOT saying most men will rape women in combat, the evidence is the opposite (most men do NOT) but the stress of combat can lead to the withdraw in inhibitions. In olden times, the ancients seems to have known this and thus is violence societies (especially heading ones) tend to insulate their women to protect them from the men. Notice the protection is NOT from most men, but those men who lose self control, but combat brings out such lost of control. This study just confirms these ancient traditions, don't leave women around men who have been in combat, keep them apart even if that means during times of peace.