The last few days I have read a string of articles that reiterate in my mind the close connection between sex and disaster. I remember reading a book once in my 20th Century American Wars class in college, which talked about the relationship between sex and the brutal savagery of war. For some reason in the midst of an inhuman situation, a significant portion of the population becomes aroused and often times crosses the line into sexual deviancy. If anyone can point me to a specific study I’d appreciate it but in my view there is already anecdotal evidence in the wake of the Tsunami disaster. From the AP (thanks for the tip Julie T):

A teenager who escaped death but was left orphaned and homeless by the Asian tsunami met yet one more agony: gang rape, one of several cases of child abuse being investigated in the disaster zone, an official said.

Of all the human tragedies emerging from the worst natural disaster in decades, sexual abuse of vulnerable children in refugee camps must be among the most shocking.

… But psychological and behavioral problems are certain to become more important as the authorities gain control over the life-threatening issues.

De Silva said his governmental agency already is investigating several complaints of sexual abuse in centers housing tens of thousands of survivors.

So far, the cases of suspected abuse have been isolated. But officials are concerned that the trauma of the catastrophe, coupled with the close quarters in the refugee centers, could spawn many more cases.

“In the aftermath of displacement and shock you do see an increase of abuse and violence against women and children,” said Ted Chaiban, head of the U.N. children’s agency in Colombo.

With the huge number of orphans, the worst elements of society are out and practicing their trade:

Text messages offering to sell hundreds of Indonesian orphans into sexual slavery are fueling fears that pedophile rings are prowling the tsunami-ravaged region.

“Three hundred orphans aged 3-10 years from Aceh for adoption,” read the message that appeared yesterday on the cell phone of a UNICEF worker in nearby Malaysia.

“All paperwork will be taken care of. No fee. Please state age and sex of child required.”

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An OpEd in the Boston Globe tackles an issue which is part of the reason we put so much energy into Sepia Mutiny – Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Living / Arts / Deliver us from faraway evil

Human apathy toward mass deprivation is legendary. Aid organizations know this. For decades, the relief organization Save the Children has urged first-world donors to underwrite the well-being of a specific child somewhere in the Third World. Why? Because no one cares about saving children in the abstract. But people do care about saving Marzina, an 8-year-old from Bangladesh, who is currently seeking a sponsor. The media likewise know that gargantuan disaster stories have to be correctly packaged to capture readers’ attention. There is an old, politically incorrect saying in newsrooms: How do you change a front-page story about massive flood devastation into a 50-word news brief buried inside the paper? Just add two words: ”In India.”

Sad but True.

Back in the early 90s, a round of cyclones / floods in Bangladesh killed almost 140k folks — a comparable number to the Tsunami’s toll (for now). This situation was possibly more acute because all the carnage was concentrated in a single, dirt-poor nation with 140M people and few resort beaches. Needless to say, that story appeared & disappeared from our headlines pretty darn quickly.

Still, I don’t fault the newspaper editors of the world too much – it’s human nature for Americans to care more about Americans & Swedes about Swedes (be they on Phuket resorts or down a well in Midland, Texas). My takeaway is that it’s an important reaffirmation of the importance of micro-media outfits like Sepia Mutiny, desi blogs, and vast collaboration media like the Internet.