Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
- Philipp SchulzPhilipp SchulzInstitute for Intercultural and International Studies, University of Bremen
- , and Anne-Kathrin KreftAnne-Kathrin KreftDepartment of Political Science, University of Oslo
Summary
Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, notable progress has been made toward holding accountable those responsible for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), with a view toward ending impunity. Developments by the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, as well as by the International Criminal Court, were instrumental to advancing jurisprudence on sexual violence in the context of armed conflict. Despite progress in seeking to hold perpetrators accountable, critics note that there is persistent impunity and a vacuum of justice and accountability for sexual violence crimes in most conflict-affected settings globally. At the same time, feminist scholars in particular have critiqued the ways in which criminal proceedings often fail sexual violence survivors, especially by further silencing their voices and negating their agency. These intersecting gaps and challenges ultimately reveal the need for a broader, deeper, thicker, and more victim-centered understanding of justice and redress in response to sexual violence.
Subjects
- Development
- Human Rights
- International Law
- Politics and Sexuality and Gender
- Security Studies