The Inuit Battle - Its not about gender

Environmental genocide is a major cause of cultural death around the world. The destruction of the Brazilian rain forest, cancer causing electrical towers in US neighborhoods, toxic fumes from burning oil wells in Iraq, the diamond trade in Africa, and e-waste in China are just a few examples to justify my statement. Most of the research and media coverage on these issues is filled with gender bias. The Lucas article tries to use the Inuit battle to address gender bias. However, the article is not a fair representation of the Inuit battle.

Ms. Lucas attempts to address an environmental issue as a gender issue. However, the NACEC research she uses and the information in her article are contradicting. Lucas leads her readers to assume that the findings of the research study conducted by the NACEC were solely based on the affect of dioxins on the Inuit women. This is not true. The study was conducted to test the newly create model of tracking dioxins. Lucas would also have her readers assume that legal claims, discussed on pages 193 through 197, will not work because the battle would be between big govenrment and the Inuit women. Shelia Watts Cloutier’s fight is not gender based. Ms. Cloutier’s fight is for the more than “140,000 Inuit population,” both male and female. Therefore, the battle is between big government and the Inuit people.

Regardless of Lucas’ attempt to make the dioxins issue facing the Inuit people a gender issue; she does make valid points about the lack of feminist thought in international laws. Women in war torn Iraq could benefit from the Convention against Torture and Rape (198) if the International community would adhere to feminist critique about the exclusion of non-state offenders.