As we address the problem of sexual violence in conflict against this backdro...

As we address the problem of sexual violence in conflict against this backdrop, it must be borne in mind that there exist social conventions whereby violence against women is permitted and has, unfortunately, come to seem normal and commonplace. Rapes committed during conflict are intended to terrorize, break families and communities apart, and transmit infections, and, at times, change the ethnic composition of populations. However, beyond the motivations for the use of such acts as weapons of war, they also contribute to the possession and control of women as pawns of war.