Violence in Chad:
an old problem
"not knowing the enemy contaminates all social relationships and raises suspicion for everyone destroying every sense of goodwill and neighborliness."
Domestic violence ends up camouflaged, aggression frequently adapted to by this point in time appears normal, typical, ordinary. The military-grade weapons, the acts of war, lead to murder and rape
street violence &
the civil war
Violence in Chad is not a new problem it has existed for generations. Elderly women cannot recall when domestic violence was not a major problem in their lives. In much the same way it affects their grandmothers, women, and girls suffer from frightening physical and mental effects of living in violent households. Children cope with the dangers by accepting violence as a normal condition and set their own violent expectations for the future. Most likely, violence against women will continue for decades. Domestic violence will not end anytime soon in Chad.
"The violence is so prevalent, that the population of chad has become desensitized to it"
Additionally, one must understand the significant role played by the civil war in Chad's post-colonial history. The civil war hardened life in Chad and made violence an intrinsic part of all social relations and interactions.
Besides just the unending war and the violence it sponsors, the unwise ethnic policies of Francois Tombalbaye (the first president of Chad) and Felix Malloum (Chadian politician) are also to blame. Most culpable is the irregular ways in which the violence of civil war enters into all conditions of ordinary life to become a constant irritant and negative influence on family and gender relations.
effects of the civil war
For 50 years, terrible levels of violence subjected the people of Chad to dehumanizing levels of psychological and physical suffering. Gun battles fought in the streets of villages and towns make daily routines impossible to perform. The unpredictable nature of constant but unexpected attacks makes their destructiveness ever more frightening.
Armed bands of soldiers rove through villages and across the countryside inflicting random acts of violence on villagers and farmers, extinguishing every aspect of civic life. Unable to keep the peace, enforce laws, or protect citizens the government not only proves itself unable to contain the war but also appears especially incompetent (Artega). Especially to those who regard the safety of women and children imperative.