Rape as a Weapon of War: Military Perpetration

Abstract

<p>Over the course of the past 15 years, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (ORe) has been engaged in bloody civil and international war, mainly concentrated in its North and South Kivu regions. As part of the conflict, the DRC has seen millions die accompanied by massive amounts of sexual violence perpetrated by both military personnel and armed rebel groups. The purposes of my research focus around this perpetration by armed soldiers and also what causes Ifrape as a weapon of war" to be experienced at such a systematic level against women and children. Different scholars point to various reasons for these atrocities and it is important to evaluate the causes and aftereffects, as experienced by the victims and also the understandings of gender relations, through the eyes of the soldiers. Studying the possible reasons for why wartime rape is prevalent within many conflicts throughout history is imperative for its ultimate elimination. For future research, I plan to incorporate statistical analysis methods in hopes of developing a "typology" for wartime rape.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 8, 2011</p>