A Sustainable Psychosocial Model to Support the National Investigation and Prosecution of Conflict-related Sexual Violence Crimes

Abstract

Abstract This article presents a psychosocial model that can be used by national jurisdictions to cope with the multiple challenges in prosecuting conflict-related sexual violence crimes. Best practices developed over years of professional experience with victims of crime and trauma survivors guided the authors in developing a trauma-centred approach. In the proposed model, the judiciary plays a central role in empowering survivors of heinous crimes to become active agents of their lives by positively contributing to the quest for justice. The authors aim at offering specific and practical recommendations to investigative and judicial staff dealing with the multifaceted issues arising out of conflict-related sexual violence prosecutions. The hope is to offer a flexible model that can be adapted to different national jurisdictions’ needs, can produce sustainable long-term interventions for survivors’ well-being, and improve the quality of the evidence collected.