Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict
*Trigger Warning: this episode includes content dealing with upsetting, sensitive and potentially triggering themes including sexual violence, torture, and death.
Sexual Violence in armed conflict is not a new phenomena and this epidemic of sexual violence as “weapon of war” has existed for as long as there has been conflict. Sexual violence during armed conflict as a crime against humanity has been formally recognized through the establishment of the International Criminal Court as well as in international instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by United Nations General Assembly in 1970. However, as stated in the 2022 Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Report of the UN Secretary-General and shown in the ongoing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, women and children continue to suffer from sexual violence and the Covid-19 pandemic and heightened natural disasters and conflict have elevated risks of sexual exploitation. In recognition of the upcoming International Women’s Day, this episode aims to break the silence around sexual violence which is often a peripheral concern in any armed conflict.
In the first segment, Dr. Noëlle Quénivet will talk about the international legal and policy framework regarding sexual violence in armed conflict including its limitations and how the existing system can be improved to appropriately and effectively address conflict-related sexual violence.
The second segment of the episode focuses on the situation in the Ukraine War where, Professor Kim Thuy Seelinger provides some insight into the current efforts to investigate and prosecute cases of sexual violence in the invasion of Ukraine.
Producers:
Yunji Hwang - Junior Producer
Anukriti Randev - Junior Producer
Raagini Singh Panwar - Junior Producer
Further Reading:
Noelle Quénivet (first speaker) and Melanie O’Brien. (June 8, 2022). Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Women in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict.
Weill, Sharon, Kim Thuy Seelinger, and Kerstin Bree Carlson (eds), The President on Trial: Prosecuting Hissène Habré (Oxford, 2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 June 2020),
United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG). (29 March 2022). Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Report
