The evolving status of conflict-related rape and other acts of sexual violence as crimes under international law / Jean de Dieu Sikulibo

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Document type:

Article

Title:

The evolving status of conflict-related rape and other acts of sexual violence as crimes under international law

Author zone:

Jean de Dieu Sikulibo

Host item entries:

Humanitäres Völkerrecht : Informationsschriften = Journal of international law of peace and armed conflict, Vol. 27, 2/2014, p. 83-92

Languages:

English

Abstract:

This article seeks to analyse whether wartime rape and other forms of sexual violence have gained recognition and firmly established as international crimes. Considering whether these crimes have been recently defined in international criminal law, the paper begins by underlining how this endemic conduct in war has been for too long ignored or sometimes given cursory treatment despite being inflicted for centuries as an integral aspect of warfare. This article offers a critical assessment of the contribution of international criminal tribunals and courts in the prosecution of rape and other forms of sexual violence as international crimes. The author argues that the effective prosecution of these crimes is still hindered by various challenges, despite increasing legal tools in this regard.

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