Women in War

Women are serving in record numbers in the Iraq war, but the public seldom sees their faces or hears their stories.

Women and the issues they face as a consequence of deployment tend to be invisible, said Moni Law, civil rights lawyer turned film producer, who would watch news of the war and ask herself, "What about the women?"

Of those serving in the military today, one in seven are women, she said. So far, more than 160,000 women have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 80 have died in the conflicts. Many thousands more are mothers and wives who are grieving dead soldiers, or caring for those who return physically or psychologically scarred. And an even greater number of Iraqi women have been displaced, tortured, raped or killed in the war.

Law's question about the female experience of war drove her to help produce a documentary highlighting women's voices.

The documentary, "Female Faces of War," made by Seattle filmmaker Kiya Bodding in conjunction with Law, debuted Tuesday night at the Seattle Art Museum during a public forum examining women's issues related to the war in Iraq. The forum was presented by King County Washington Women Lawyers.

"Iraq is unlike any previous war," Law said. In previous conflicts, women had non-combat roles. But in Iraq, they are dying alongside male soldiers, and they are exposed along with men to the same conditions that produce post-traumatic stress symptoms when they return.

In addition, an estimated 70 percent of military women experience sexual harassment or assault during their service, she said. Military sexual trauma tends to be underreported and undertreated, said Sara Rich, whose daughter, Suzanne Swift, was raped in the military and subsequently court-martialed for refusing to redeploy. That experience thrust both of them into the national spotlight, and Rich has been outspoken about the need to change a military culture that she said cultivates an environment that allows such sexual assaults to persist.

Rich appeared on a panel at the screening, along with female veterans, counselors and advocates for veteran support services.

Several counselors who deal with female veterans said they are seeing emotional and behavioral issues similar to those in male veterans, especially as lengths and numbers of deployments increase.

The increase in domestic violence among male veterans is better known, but domestic violence episodes involving women have also increased, said Tracy Simpson, co-director of the Women's Trauma and Recovery Center at VA Puget Sound. Women face many of the same anger issues that their male counterparts face when they return, she said.

Other panelists highlighted the challenges faced by families, many of which were largely unprepared emotionally and financially for long stretches of deployment.

The "culture of toughness" in the military prevents many women from seeking help, said Lourdes Alvarado-Ramos, deputy director for the Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs.

Panelists said solutions involve better educating women about their options and resources in reporting sexual abuse, and in seeking help for their problems. They also called for tougher consequences for sexual assault in the military.

The post is an excerpt from YWCA member,By CAROL SMITH; and can be reached at: 206-448-8070 or carolsmith@seattlepi.com.