Sexual Violence in African Conflicts

Abstract

Civilians in Africas conflict zonesparticularly women and children, but also menare often vulnerable to sexual violence, including rape, assault, mutilation, and sexual slavery. This violence is carried out by a range of actors, including government security forces, rebel groups, militias, and criminal organizations. Some abuses appear to be opportunistic, the product of a larger breakdown in the rule of law and social order that may occur amid conflict. In other cases, attacks appear to be carried out systematically by combatants as a strategic tool to intimidate and humiliate civilian populations. While such abuses are by no means limited to Africa, weak institutions in many African states can mean that victims have little redress. In addition to health and psychological consequences, survivors are also often shunned by their families and communities. Within Africa, the issue of sexual violence in conflict has been particularly prevalent in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where security forces, rebel organizations, militias, and other armed groups have inflicted sexual violence upon the civilian population on a massive scale. This report provides a detailed case study of DRC and an overview of the U.S. strategy to counter sexual violence there. The issue of sexual violence in conflict is complex, with implications for international programs and policies related to health, humanitarian relief, global womens issues, the justice sector, the security sector, and multilateral activities. Multiple U.S. government agencies and implementing partners contribute to efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence in African conflicts, including the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense, among others.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 23, 2011
Accession Number
AD1172098

Entities

People

  • Alexis Arieff

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Congress
  • Criminals
  • Department Of State
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Human Population
  • Human Rights
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Training
  • Personnel Management
  • Sexual Assault
  • Societies
  • United States
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • History
  • Sociology

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.