Free «A Tool of War» Essay Sample

Background of the Study

On 1st September 1969, a group of Libyan military officers under the leadership of Captain Muammar al Gadhafi,the then army captain seizes the important government institutions in the city of Benghazi and abolishes the Libya monarchy. Since then, Libya has undergone immense changes but its relations with the outside world remains poor due to frequent wars and acts of terror; the country is listed as one of the state sponsors of terrorism. In February 2010, an uprising started against him after long-time leaders of Egypt and Tunisia were toppled. This turned out to be a serious war that has seen the reaction of the international scene with the UK, US and Italy conducting major attacks against the Gadhafi’s proponents.

However, there have been claims that he is using violence against women and rape among other tools of war. The BBC reports that there has been wide-scale rape by military against protesters; the military has been provided with drugs and ordered to do so. US secretary Hillary Clinton terms this as a violation of “basic human dignity”, with the ICC investigating on the matter (BBC Reporter 2011). This has triggered the urge to conduct the research on how rape and violence against women are being used as a tool of war in Libya.

Research Objectives

The research will seek to find out whether Gadhafi is authorizing the use of rape and violence against women as a tool of war; why he is doing it and the impact it is having on the communities affected as well as the victims. The study will also address how the victims are treated by their families and the Libyan society. The study will be of great help to the Libyan people for they will know the status in the country. The human rights activists and other bodies that may need to take action will also use the research as a source of information.

Statement of the Problem

Cases of violence against women have for a long time been prevalent in the whole world. However, massive rape and other violence has been reported among most of the Libyan women especially in 2011, when Libya is undergoing an uprising against their current leadership. Rape is a very serious offence. Using rape as a revenge attack against a community is the worst crime against human rights and the dignity of the people. This is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently. The cries of Libyan women and children and the contradicting reports by both the local and  international media on the issue has motivated the researcher to carry out a research on this topic.

Literature Review

Information previously written on the same or information related to the topic will be extensively studied. This will help to get a good foundation of the research.

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Method

Random sampling will be used to obtain data from the women in the provinces most affected by war. Questionnaires will be developed and face to face interviews conducted. Interviews will be conducted on the respondents identified. Ten Libyan psychologists will also be interviewed.

Data Analysis and Presentation

Data will be analyzed using statistical methods. Presentation will be done in form of graphs and charts.

Budget

A total of  7,000 dollars will be used to cover transport, materials, stationery and salaries.