The Invisible War

This past week I attended a showing the documentary "The Invisible War" at UNC Chapel Hill. It was both shocking and heartbreaking. The documentary portrayed the problem of rape in the military and the repercussions it has had on the lives of the victims. The film showed that most perpetrators of rape in the military are not convicted or punished in any way. I have the utmost respect for our men and women who serve in the military, but I am disgusted that these crimes are going unpunished. No one should get away with committing such heinous, criminal acts, even if they are serving in our military. The documentary will hopefully shed light on this problem and aid in getting laws changed that will make it easier for victims to report crimes and not fear being punished themselves. If you want to learn more about it, you can go to www.notinvisible.org and also join the discussion on twitter #notinvisible.

Labeling

I read an article recently online at NPR that exposed a school in Ohio for linking homosexuality and mental illness to rape and murder in a course description for a social deviance course. The article is here if you would like to read it: (http://www.npr.org/2012/09/10/160763549/college-course-lumps-homosexuality-rape-murder) Personally, I believe that the university does need to change the course description. Words are extremely powerful, and students reading that course description can be affected negatively by that flippant, ignorant linkage. For homosexual students, they may feel that they are in some way "less than", having their sexual orientation linked to crimes as heinous as murder. No one's self-esteem should be affected after reading a course description! I think it is very important that the social work accrediting body looks at this school's accreditation. As social workers, we have a certain ethical code to adhere by. One of those requirements is DO NO HARM. This course description does not follow that code. Social workers often are the voices for those unable to speak for themselves. I think it is important that the accrediting bodies also be the voice for students who do not have the power to change something, such as a course description.