Sexual violence is an example of sexual dominance that was conceptualized largely by colonialism. According to Smith and Rose (2014), the history of colonizing native people is directly related to the colonizer’s sexual assaults throughout the entire period. The authors further state that colonialism was significantly characterized by sexual violence specifically to native women (TEDx Talks, 2013). The Columbus voyage sailed through the ocean and upon discovering the indigenous natives America and Indians, Columbus to decided to promote sexual violence upon native women since he considered them not pure for their newly found continent.
Among the reasons for the sexual violence was the attempt to eradicate the native Indian sense of identity. Sadly, perpetrators considered native women as not equal to them. Smith and Rose (2004), state that the colonial process resulted in the Native Americans being marked as being permanently dirty hence making the society to consider them violable. Additionally, this was not considered a crime it no charges was pressed due to the victim’s “impure bodies”. It is open from the history of Indian body mutilation including the dead ones. They strongly believed that the native women did not deserve bodily integrity. The ongoing legacies and policies from colonialism are further responsible for the deeply rooted sexual violence culture.
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It is also correct to state that the US government is implicit of the sexual violence on native women that have become ongoing and rampant. From statistics, 94% of native women from Seattle state having been raped or coerced into sex at least once in their lifetime. Generally, every one in three native women reported to have been raped at least once in their lifetime. The US government does less or no support at all means that it has chosen to give the practice a deaf ear rather than making it a priority issue in the nation.
Sexual violence is correlated with colonialism and the native women still continue to suffer even in this modern context. Judging from the number of cases both recorded and not recorded, it is evident that the US government has chosen to remain silent on the issue since no action has been taken to bring the perpetrators to book.
References
Smith, A., & Rose, L. (2004). Introduction: Native Women and State Violence. Retrieved 6 November 2019, from http://www.socialjusticejournal.org/archive/98_31_4/98_01Intro.pdf
TEDx Talks. (20113). Violence against Native women is not traditional: Whisper at TEDxABQWomen. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Mg2Jjam0p-U
