Conflict Related Sexual Violence

While it is “more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier” (spoken by Major General Patrick Cammaert, the Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2008 )in times of war, violence against women or Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) should not be seen as an inevitability of war. There is far too much variance in the kinds of violence that women face during war. June 19th was the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in conflict - a commemoration of the victims of CRSV that is only 5 years old, as rape has only been recognized as a method of war in the last five years. There exist countless stories of rape, forced abortion, forced sterilization and other forms of violence against women being used as methods of war. Unfortunately, Conflict-Related Sexual Violence is just one more form of violence facing women: structural violence and poverty are contributing factors. Conflict-related sexual violence, like any gender-based violence, is not an inevitability, and I believe CRSV can be eradicated or diminished even if conflict prevails. 

In order to discuss ways in which CRSV can be reduced, it is important to understand it. First, there is CRSV inflicted by military agents often as a condoned tactic of war. These methods include forced eviction of girls and women (such as described in Women Caught in Conflict referring to Sarajevo and Afghanistan), rape as a method of war to terrorize women, humiliate women, or forcibly impregnate women (Women Caught in Conflict) and as described in reference to the Rwandan genocide where approximately 2000-5000 “children of bad memories” were sired by rape, Sexual slavery, as outlined brutally in the material “Contextualising Violence” with the experiences of a Burmese girl, forced abortion, and forced marriage (as described by a Liberian woman in “Caught in Conflict”. In my opinion, these instances of CRSV are not inevitable. These are war crimes, as outlined in article 75 of the Geneva Convention. In conflict, some warring groups authorize these crimes (as in Rwanda), some create a policy (as was done in the DRC), some ‘look the other way’, and some governments ban sexual violence as a method of conflict. These different choices show that the horrific crimes of conflict related sexual violence are not an inevitability, and while not perhaps formally a strategy, have become a legitimized practice. This practice needs to be abolished with direct action, and I have outlined some possible methods below. 

There are many ways that CRSV can be reduced or eliminated. The International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict has a mantra “Protect, Prevent, Prosecute”. Stopping CRSV, like all violence against women, requires a paradigm shift in which women are seeing as equals, and as people, not simply “the spoils of war” or, as was done in the DRC, as payment in lieu of wages (IILS). Institutionalised impunity must be taken away. In the Dialogues with with refugee women, the UNHCR outlined three similar points: preventing Gender-Based Violence, Improving response to survivors, and tackling impunity. In these subtopics, they spoke about the importance of involving men and boys in the prevention of rape and the declassification of rape as a “women’s issue’. Improving response to survivors would mean de-stigmatizing rape and providing necessary health care (physical and mental) to survivors). Female leadership, particularly in the military and police, has also helped in tackling impunity. These are all avenues which can reduce direct Conflict Related Sexual Violence. 

However, conflict does cause a significant number of problems and its impact negatively impacts on women’s health in particular, particularly as women are displaced. In some refugee camps, violence against women is rife, especially violence against members of the LGBTQI+ community, so even in places where women are supposed to be protected, they have violence enacted on them. In refugee camps, women are still tasked with a number of burdens that men are not subject to, such as searching for food. They are also more likely to go without food and suffer from malnutrition. They are also often victims of sexual violence at the hands other refugees, or AID workers, as in the case of Rose from Haiti (Women Caught in Conflict). In faith-based refugee camps, female members of the LGBTQI+ community face rape as a ‘sexual correcting method’. In addition, women in refugee camps are more vulnerable for heath issues related to maternity, abortion, and menstruation. They could endure FGM/C in reaction to the pressure of others, or face psychological and mental health issues. In post-conflict zones, violence against women increases significantly (Women Caught in Conflict). Therefore, it is important to consider that Gender-Based Conflict Related Violence does not simply end when conflict ends. In order to address all the ways women are mistreated related to conflict, refugee camps and post-conflict zones must also be addressed. 

Violence against women in war is not just sexual, but also violence against their person. Conflict puts added pressure on a system that disadvantages women, so as a result women are less likely to receive medical attention (Women Caught in Conflict). In Serbia, “Women in Black” is an organization lobbying for ‘transitional justice’ and actively working against violence against women. There are many other NGOs tackling gender parity within conflict, refugee camps, and post-conflict zones. In order for violence against women in conflict to be reduced and eradicated, funds must be allocated to provide for women so that they do not have to resort to sex work. But, more significantly, global gender norms must change, and women must be given equal access to resources and granted equal personhood.