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Sexual Violence During Armed Conflict

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Abstract

This chapter examines the nature of, and variation in, sexual violence and sexualized violence in armed conflicts. It presents a typology of forms the violence takes and examines various theoretical explanations for such acts, drawing heavily upon criminological and feminist theories to understand causative forces at the micro, meso, and macro levels. It draws upon historical accounts and materials from the archives of international courts and truth and reconciliation commissions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The potential of these types of cases entering a civilian court is legally problematic. Under Geneva, a state cannot apply domestic criminal law to captured prisoners of war. The question of whether a civilian prosecutor could charge any non-POW would vary widely across jurisdictions.

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Mullins, C.W. (2016). Sexual Violence During Armed Conflict. In: McGarry, R., Walklate, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43170-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43170-7_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-43169-1

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