Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts, 1989–2009 (SVAC)
Led by
Inger Skjelsbæk
Jun 2010 -
Sexual violence is widespread in many armed conflict contexts, and has detrimental consequences for the individuals and the communities that fall victim to it. The stories of the victims of horrific sexual abuses by armed forces have reached the ears of the world’s leaders, and the international community is now increasing the efforts to deal with this problem. In 2008, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached "unspeakable proportions" in some conflict-ridden societies, and the Security Council voted unanimously in favor of two resolutions addressing sexual violence directly – UNSCR 1820 (June 2998) and 1888 (September 2009), both classifying rape as a weapon of war.
To better devise strategies to address the problem and install preventive measures, we need systematic knowledge about variations in where and when sexual violence is a weapon in war. This project will therefore map sexual violence (including, but not limited to, rape) in war-torn countries. Specifically, we will study the phenomenon of sexual violence in wars across a large sample of civil war contexts, and focus on who the perpetrators and victims are, as well as why, when, and where sexual violence in war occurs – as well as where and when it does not occur. The research described here will produce a database of sexual violence in civil wars in the years 1989-2009.
Reference Group:
Libby Wood, Dara Kay Cohen, Mia Bloom , Amelia Hoover Green
The Policy Brief