Proposal Title
Rape as an Act of Genocide: History and Law
Location
Room 2-048
Start Date
9-11-2018 2:00 PM
End Date
9-11-2018 3:00 PM
Presentation Type
Paper
Abstract
The intent of all genocides is to exterminate a group, and historically perpetrators have targeted the reproductive capabilities of the victim group in order to achieve this. I argue that the use of sexual violence during genocide correlated with perpetrator beliefs that racial, ethnic, or religious identity is determined by men. Many perpetrators have deliberately attacked their victims through sexual violence, to both impregnate victims with the perpetrator group and prevent male victims from procreating. Recognizing this is crucial to understanding how genocide has taken place and continues to take place today. This paper examines the history of sexual violence as an act of genocide, against both men and women. It covers the use of sexual violence by perpetrators during 20thC genocides, including Armenians in Ottoman, Turkey, Muslims in Bosnia, and Tutsi in Rwanda. It will also consider how these historical trends are reflected in the 21stC genocides of the Yazidi in Syria/Iraq and Rohingya in Myanmar/Burma. It will also consider the legal precedents that defined rape first as a war crime, and then as an official act of genocide under international law.
Rape as an Act of Genocide: History and Law
Room 2-048
The intent of all genocides is to exterminate a group, and historically perpetrators have targeted the reproductive capabilities of the victim group in order to achieve this. I argue that the use of sexual violence during genocide correlated with perpetrator beliefs that racial, ethnic, or religious identity is determined by men. Many perpetrators have deliberately attacked their victims through sexual violence, to both impregnate victims with the perpetrator group and prevent male victims from procreating. Recognizing this is crucial to understanding how genocide has taken place and continues to take place today. This paper examines the history of sexual violence as an act of genocide, against both men and women. It covers the use of sexual violence by perpetrators during 20thC genocides, including Armenians in Ottoman, Turkey, Muslims in Bosnia, and Tutsi in Rwanda. It will also consider how these historical trends are reflected in the 21stC genocides of the Yazidi in Syria/Iraq and Rohingya in Myanmar/Burma. It will also consider the legal precedents that defined rape first as a war crime, and then as an official act of genocide under international law.
