Women In The Rwandan Genocide

Genocide is the deliberate fixation on a group of people with the intent of causing their destruction. Those targeted by genocide are usually the ethnic minority of their society, or have been marginalized by their society. When genocide happens, the gender that is most commonly associated with the violence is men. Men are the first to be accused of genocidal violence and the first to be tried in a court of law. However, men are not the only perpetrators of genocide, women also have a role in genocidal violence. Although women take part in genocide, many go unnoticed by the international community and by the justice system. Even if these women are held accountable for their crimes, female perpetrators still receive light punishments when compared

The Rwandan genocide began on April 7th and was aimed at the mass extermination of the Tutsi people. The Hutus viewed the Tutsi people as aliens and as enemies of the Hutu race. The Hutus believed that the Tutsi were just after power and wanted to enslave them. Rape and mass execution were used as weapons against the Tutsi people during the genocide. Over half a million Tutsi people lost their lives during this event. Pauline aided her state in the destruction of the Tutsi people during the Rwandan genocide. Pauline was accused of kidnapping, detaining, murdering, raping, and torturing the Tutsi people. When brought to trial for her crimes, Pauline was proved to be guilty of the accused crimes and was sentenced to life in prison. When these women’s crimes and convictions are compared, it is clear to see the lack of action from the international

The response of the international community in the case of both female perpetrators was skewed and not adequate at all. I do not believe that the international community responded fairly to both situations. In the first case, Irma Grese was sentenced to death. I agree with that decision. She deserved to die, for all the pain and suffering she caused to the prisoners that were under her thumb. In the case of Pauline, the international community did not respond appropriately. I think that Pauline, as well as her daughter and son, should have been sentenced to death. Killing those three people will not erase the crimes that they have done, but it would at least give some closure to the survivors. These female perpetrators who knowingly helped further the ideologies and goals of their state shouldn’t be allowed to live. They didn’t care about all of the lives that they took, so their lives shouldn’t be held to the same level of importance. Furthermore, I think the international community's response was skewed because of socialized gender stereotypes and differences in publicity. I believe Irma Grese received the death sentence because the Holocaust was widely publicized due to the fact that it occurred during a monumental historical war. On the other hand, Pauline didn’t receive the death sentence because the Rwandan