Some anti-violence against women groups supported the bombing of Afghanistan in 2002. Invoking reasoning that said they thought it was necessary in order to save women from the Taliban. It is hopefully clear to many now that the invasion and bombing of Afghanistan has not only directly resulted in violence against Afghan women, but also created conditions for many other forms of oppression to flourish. The concern for one type of violence but not another has characterized liberal and conservative responses to violence against women abroad and at home.
Many of these same groups support fighting violence against women in the United States by relying on criminalization as their primary strategy for ending domestic and sexual violence. In fact, increased criminalization has built up the prison-industrial complex. This has meant an increased incarceration of women as well because often police arrest ‘both’ parties. This has contributed to increased state violence against women of color by police and in prisons, and contributed to mass incarceration of communities of color without appreciably increasing safety for women or helping to transform the perpetrators.
