Androcide

Androcide, the systematic killing of men or boys due to their gender, stands as a grim parallel to femicide, the gender-based killing of women or girls. This phenomenon spans various contexts, including wars, genocides, and targeted gender-based persecution. It often aims at the elimination or significant reduction of a population by targeting males of certain age groups, primarily to achieve political, social, or military objectives. This blog explores the multifaceted dimensions of androcide, its historical instances, and the enduring generational trauma it inflicts on communities.

The Purposes Behind Androcide

Targeting males, particularly those of fighting age, emerges as a calculated strategy to demoralize and weaken communities, effectively removing potential resistors and facilitating oppressors' control or outright elimination of the remaining population. This tactic extends into the realms of genocide and ethnic cleansing, where androcide acts as a brutal tool aimed at halting the birth of future generations within a targeted group, thereby diminishing its numbers. The central roles men often occupy within societies—as leaders and protectors—underscore their targeting in efforts to unravel social cohesion and identity, furthering the disruptors' aims. Moreover, the systematic killing of men instills a pervasive fear among survivors, serving as a mechanism for controlling or manipulating the population, suppressing any form of resistance, and ensuring compliance. In the context of armed conflicts, the elimination of male civilians is strategically employed to deplete enemy forces of potential recruits, based on the assumption that males are more predisposed to join opposition forces, thereby achieving strategic military objectives.

Historical Examples of Androcide

The Srebrenica Massacre (1995): During the Bosnian War, the Srebrenica massacre is one of the most infamous examples of androcide. In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces. This event was declared a genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

The Rwandan Genocide (1994): While the Rwandan Genocide targeted Tutsis regardless of gender, there was a significant component of androcide, as adult men were often the first to be killed. The aim was to eliminate potential threats, which were perceived to be predominantly male.

The Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia (1975-1979): The Khmer Rouge targeted various groups within the Cambodian population, including intellectuals, religious figures, and ethnic minorities. Men and boys in these groups were often specifically targeted for execution.

The Armenian Genocide (1915-1923): During the systematic extermination of the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire, many men were killed in mass executions or died during forced marches. The genocide targeted the Armenian population as a whole, but adult men were often killed first, followed by the deportation and massacre of women, children, and the elderly.

The Anfal Campaign (1988): The Anfal Campaign was a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people (and other minorities) in Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime. While not exclusively targeting men, a significant number of Kurdish men and boys were killed, alongside the mass killings of families and destruction of Kurdish villages.

Generational Impact and Mechanisms of Transmission

The impact of androcide reaches far beyond the immediate, tangible losses, embedding itself deeply within the fabric of communities and echoing through generations. This profound effect is transmitted across various mechanisms, including narrative and cultural traditions, socio-economic trends, behavioral and emotional responses, and even biological channels, as highlighted by recent epigenetic studies. Such transmission ensures that the trauma inflicted by androcide is not only remembered but felt, influencing generations long after the events have passed. The mental health repercussions for descendants of androcide victims are significant, with an increased prevalence of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This inherited trauma also has a profound effect on individuals' social identities and worldviews, shaping their understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Despite the weight of this legacy, the resilience displayed by affected communities is remarkable. Cultural practices, storytelling, and the strength found in communal bonds play pivotal roles in healing and resisting the continuation of trauma.

References

Jones, A. (2000). Gendercide and genocide. Journal of Genocide Research, 2, 185-211. Link

Carpenter, R. (2006). Recognizing Gender-Based Violence Against Civilian Men and Boys in Conflict Situations. Security Dialogue, 37, 83-103. Link

Holter, Ø. G. (2002). A theory of gendercide. Journal of Genocide Research, 4, 11-38. Link