Sexual violence has been used in all recent wars and conflicts to pursue poli...

Sexual violence has been used in all recent wars and conflicts to pursue political and military aims, including in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. It has been used to dominate, to terrify and humiliate opponents, to uproot communities and ethnic groups, and thus to contribute to the collapse of entire societies for generations to come. Based on our own tragic experiences of the aggression to which Croatia was exposed at the beginning of the '90s, in which rape was also used as a method of intimidation and terror, we are convinced that the issue of sexual violence in conflict can be adequately addressed only through a comprehensive approach. The Croatian Government has therefore proposed a new law for the protection of victims of sexual violence in war, with the aim of legislating the rights of such victims, together with an accompanying system of compensation and rehabilitation.