The Elephant in the Room: An Overview of How Sexual Violence came to be Seen as a Weapon of War

This report outlines how our understanding of the political significance of the use of sexual violence in war has changed over time, and what challenges and implications these changes might pose. It draws on several different kinds of documentation and thereby different kinds of knowledge of the impact sexual violence has had in wars since World War II up until today. To summarize, it is obvious that the understanding of sexual violence in war has gone from being under-documented, under-analysed and misunderstood as a private affair, to being documented and analysed more than ever before, and is now part of the discourse and conceptualizations of international peace and security. This is nothing less than a minor revolution, but the renewed focus brings multiple dilemmas and concerns to the fore which policy-makers and researchers need to address.

First, the new conceptualizations have raised questions about what exactly is being documented and discussed when sexual violence in war is addressed. Are we talking about sexual violence only during the war years, or also after? Are we only interested in sexual violence where the perpetrator is armed and in uniform and the victims are civilians? And what about domestic violence: Is this part of the research and policy agenda?

Second, it is not self-evident how we should study and understand sexual violence in war. Nor is it not just a question of methodologies, but also of ethics. While policy-makers and researchers alike agree that it is important to document sexual violence, how to do so is not as straightforward as we might like. How do we ask possible victims whether they have had this experience and, equally important, who should ask and in which setting? Can aid workers ask in refugee settlements? Can we set up facilities in war settings where rape victims can get help and thereby also be documented? Can we carry out surveys, and, if so, how? There are no straightforward answers to these questions, but there is a clear need for careful consideration in order to get the numbers right, and in the right way by the right means.

Finally, it is clear that we need carefully to consider why we need more information about sexual violence in war. We all agree that we need more information about sexual violence if we are to implement the best measures possible to help the victims. This is by no means a controversial claim, but sexual violence needs to be addressed in all its complexity, which brings two new groups to centre stage: the perpetrators and the children conceived through sexual violence. How do we document this form of violence in order to be able to implement measures which will prevent ordinary men from becoming perpetrators? How do we legally prosecute perpetrators in a way that will deter potential future perpetrators? How do we deal with children conceived through rape? What is their social status in post-conflict societies, and what are their legal rights vis-à-vis war compensation?