Rape as a Weapon of War
In the last 25 years, campaigns of mass rape by armed state and non-state actors have become widespread, appearing to take place as a structured aspect of organized hostile action against civilian populations. These campaigns have occurred in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Liberia, Sudan, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mass rape can serve the strategic aims of aggressors and is peculiarly suited to campaigns of ethnic cleansing and genocide intended to remove or destroy a stigmatized population and demolish the potential for regeneration.
Research to Inform Policy
The ongoing incidence of mass rape in current wars challenges the international community to explore further options, in terms of policy, program, and research. HHI aims to present an analysis of current patterns of mass rape in internal wars, identifying key factors of opportunity, vulnerability, and impunity that support the ongoing practice of mass rape. HHI's research also offers an assessment of current approaches taken by relief agencies, highlighting avenues for further efforts that can reduce the future incidence of these atrocities and relieve the suffering of current survivors, their families, and their communities.
Current Projects
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Published Reports
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Nowhere to Turn: Failure to Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women
Nowhere to Turn is a report documenting the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence experienced by women who fled attacks on their villages in Darfur and are now refugees in neighboring Chad. The report is based on a scientific study, conducted in partnership with Physicians for Human Rights, of women's accounts of rape and other crimes against humanity that they have experienced in Darfur, as well as rape and deprivations of basic needs in refugee camps in Chad. |
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This report uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore sexual violence in the Democratic Replublic of Congo. Results from this report show the sexual violence perpetrated by armed actors in the DRC has features that indicate rape is being used as a weapon of war. The violence in DRC embodies a new kind of war emerging in the 21st century - one that occurs in villages more than battlefields and affects more civilians than armed combatants.
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