Blog by Elena Kerr, SI Edinburgh (SIGBI)
SI CSW70 Delegate
16/03/2026
CSW70 Parallel event: Authoritarian Power, Gendered Body, and Politics of Autonomy
Gendered Violence and Genocide
Today I attended this informative and very important event moderated by Hafza Girdap representing Advocates of Silenced Turkey. This event brought together an impressive panel of experts: Rachel Miner, Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain, Cindy Morris, Prof Manisha Desai, and Sevinc Ozarslan.
Rachel presented data regarding the core issue of genocide, which occurs approximately every 2 years. Although the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide does not include gender and political ideologies as part of the definition, Rachel suggested genocide to be a working definition and a developing term. Despite the UN referring to the situation in Afghanistan as gender apartheid, Rachel urged this to be recognised as gendered genocide.
Men are killed in genocide, but women are raped and sexually trafficked disproportionately more than men. Around 2900 women are currently held captive in ISIS sexual slavery, and families are unaware of their location. The lack of tangible legal frameworks for this was exemplified with the Epstein files. Rachel also referred to genocide as a cycle, as countries that have experienced genocide in the past are three times more at risk of this happening again, exemplified with Palestine, Sudan, and Israel. It is therefore not random, but predictable, as the cycle becomes a trap.
The earliest warning sign for genocide is the treatment of women’s bodies, and we must therefore ask women what is missing. We must centre and give power back to women. Women are the experts in their own communities and families, and at the centre of their own narratives. Rachel is the CEO of Bellwether International, where they take action to disrupt the cycle of genocide through women’s trauma healing. Through their 8-week workshop, trauma scores were reduced from between 40–60/60 at the beginning to 12/60 at the end. Women’s bodies are therefore not only at the centre of genocide, but also key in its prevention through trauma healing.
Structural Violence and Cultural Norms
Dr Shilan continued the discussion on women’s bodies through her research on child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and honour killings in Iraq. In this context, tradition is weaponised, and the past is used to continue control over women. FGM begins in early years, with the idea of being pure and acceptable for future husbands. Despite all diseases, FGM is the largest cause of death amongst women in the Middle East. Pain is thereby sacrificed for protection and moral duties, where marriage means years of silence. Honour killings are used to maintain patriarchal order.
However, Dr Shilan reflected on the way women are also agents of their own oppression, as mothers may also participate in honour killings, demonstrating how patriarchy is understood as a mindset. To disrupt this, education was argued to be the key and most forceful factor. These practices do not only happen in the Middle East, but travel with the diaspora; changing one’s geography does not change one’s constraints. Culture must not become a shield for inequalities, or for this pandemic of violence that hides behind the words respect, family, and honour. We must therefore challenge minds through education and ensure economic independence so women can make their own choices. Tradition never asked women what they want, and we must therefore not let culture and tradition reinforce systems of inequality.
Collective Action and Lived Experience
Cindy Morris contributed to the panel with optimism and action for women, presenting her work with the organisation Women Who Change the World. She emphasised that we must come together to make change, fostering collective efficiency. It is important to maintain a sense of community and not become isolated. Women must define success themselves; self-determination was presented as a strategic approach to wellbeing. With the ability to create change through beliefs, participation fuels impact.
The continuity of trauma is central to oppression, as one is then not able to move beyond it. This reinforces the importance of the trauma healing work presented by Rachel. Professor Manisha Desai added to the conversation with a different perspective on oppression. She discussed the way upper caste Hindus in the US have captured identity politics to define a Hindu American, as opposed to Indian American, to decry Hinduphobia. In this sense, mobilising through social media is used as a tool and strategy to create a multiracial alliance with American Republican supremacy. However, there are also Hindus for Human Rights, who work against these narratives.
Following this, Sevinc Ozarslan, as a journalist from Turkey, presented cases of women who have been deprived of their rights, voices, and freedom. Intimidation is used as a weapon, as women who have been raped are afraid to speak up. Sevinc shared examples of women’s experiences in Turkey, including cases of sexual assault during strip searches in prison, and arrests for everyday activities such as teaching English, playing bowling, having a picnic, or studying together. She also shared stories of mothers seeking justice for their imprisoned sons. Sevinc emphasised that women cannot have justice if they cannot speak about their experiences of judicial and physical violence.
Reflections
We must therefore protect women’s bodies, prevent torture, and ensure that mothers seeking justice are not treated as criminals, but are respected in their pursuit of women’s rights.
Overall, this was an important event that gave a platform for expert women to share their work, inspiring action for justice.
