Palestinian survivors of sexual abuse receive tragically little attention in Western media. This includes Palestinian women, who have been sexually assaulted for decades. In contrast, a lot more mainstream media space was afforded to Israeli victims of sexual abuse from October 7th even though some of that narrative has been problematized.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.ca/post/163072

The sexual abuse of Palestinian men and boys under Israeli authority seems to be a systemic issue. There already exist video testimonials from last year in which Palestinian detainees allege torture and sexual abuse in Israeli detention and prisons. Such testimonies are also reminiscent of male rape and sexual abuse in the Abu Ghraib prison after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

It takes immense courage for survivors of sexual abuse to come forward. Yet when they do, time and again Palestinian voices are sidelined. This may have to do with the dehumanization of Palestinians, Islamophobic hatred, or the simple fact that such victims are not white.