Using female pain for political gain
an. 12, 2019, 5:03 AM EST
By Danielle Campoamor
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in a last-ditch effort to persuade Americans that our southern border is under siege. Of particular focus in his appeal was the high risk of sexual assault migrant women face during their journey to the U.S.
“One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico,” the president claimed. “Women and children are the biggest victims, by far, of our broken system.” The president doubled down on this talking point during a visit to Texas on Thursday, claiming criminals attempting to enter the United States illegally kidnap and restrain women along the way. “They drive, they just go where there’s no security, fencing or walls of any kind, they just make a left into U.S. and they come in and they have women tied up,” the president said. “They have tape over their mouths, electrical tape. Powerful stuff. Not good” ...
The president’s apparent concern for the plight of women seeking asylum in the United States is curious considering his actions, past and present. It’s difficult to believe that the man who called Mexicans rapists and who last year enacted a family separation policy that forcibly removed over 2,000 children from their parents truly seeks to aid the estimated six in 10 migrant women who are sexually assaulted during their journey to the United States. Indeed, while the journey is often harrowing, many women seeking asylum are fleeing sexual violence in their countries of origin. Despite this, in September the U.S. government made it much harder for such women to seek protection, with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions ruling that domestic abuse or gang violence were not grounds for asylum ...
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-claims-his-wall-will-keep-women-safe-he-s-ncna957816
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