The Rape Epidemic: The Weaponization of Sexual Violence in African Conflicts

Abstract

Rape and sexual violence in an African context have transitioned from opportunistic individual attacks in the background of weak states and judiciaries, to systematized, strategic tools of war targeting specific civilian communities – so much so that “during wartime, it’s often more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier”. This sexual violence includes rape, mutilation, molestation, forced incest, and sexual enslavement, and is being employed not only by rebel groups, but also by state security forces and militia. The victims of sexual violence include all genders and age groups targeted as a result of various political, economic and social objectives. These objectives have included: boosting troop morale; and political intimidation or humiliation; revenge; ethnic cleansing and disruption of reproduction; spreading terror to induce a community into leaving its land. The emotional, physical, psychological and social affects of the rape pandemic are staggering. This presentation will examine three pertinent case studies of conflicts where sexual violence was/is widespread – the civil war in Sierra Leone; the Second Congo War in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and the current genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. These examinations will illuminate how sexual violence has been and can be used for different ends and the ramifications of this new weapon. This presentation will also review the role the international community has played in discouraging sexual violence. Based on these analyses, this presentation will demonstrate that sexual violence is a potent tool of war because of its versatility of use and devastating ramifications, and that its prevalence in Africa is promoted by the subordinated position of females in both African culture and the international system generally.