Should International Relations Consider Rape a Weapon of War?

Carter, K. R.

doi:10.1017/s1743923x10000280

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The research on sexual violence has since then encompassed three different key themes; explaining the occurrence (or lack of occurrence) of sexual violence (for example Wood 2006;Cohen 2013); documenting the disproportional risks and harms suffered by women in conflict zones (for example Hynes 2004); and analysing the identity and agency of victims or perpetrators of sexual violence (for example Moser and Clark 2001). The first trend, attempting to explain sexual violence, has divided researchers along two broad themes: those who consider sexual violence to be so systematic and endemic, that it has to be treated as a tool of warfare (for example Carter, 2010) and those who argue that this explanation is simplifying a much more complex reality (see for example : Wood, 2006: Wood, & 2008: Wood, & 2009Cohen et al 2013). Although there are some differences of approach, most recognize that sexual violence at times is used strategically, depending on context, perpetrator and victim.…”

Section: Sexual Violence In the Congomentioning

confidence: 99%

The civilised Self and the barbaric Other: ex-rebels making sense of sexual violence in the DR Congo

Ingelaere

Wilén

2017

Journal of Contemporary African Studies

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This article addresses discourses on gender and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Based on discussions with 101 ex-combatants, we seek to answer how former FDLR members make sense of sexual violence by examining prevailing gendered images of Self and Other. This analysis of the mindset of potential perpetrators is part of the puzzle to find preventive measures. The findings demonstrate that ex-combatants attribute overwhelming power to biological "givens" such as "urges", "basic needs" and "domination" in their interpretation of sexuality. In addition, they differentiate themselves from out-groups -enemy fighters and other nationals, especially Congolese -by attributing the latter with lower degrees of restraint. These insights complicate the existing knowledge on sexual violence in the DRC by demonstrating that a process of Othering is at work at the intersection of sex-gendernation within the Congolese warscape. The findings suggest that the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of sexual violence in war needs to place the notion of intersectionality central stage.

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Section: Sexual Violence In the Congomentioning

confidence: 99%

The civilised Self and the barbaric Other: ex-rebels making sense of sexual violence in the DR Congo

Ingelaere

Wilén

2017

Journal of Contemporary African Studies

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“…Carter states that if rape is truly just a women issue then what are we to say about the victimization of men and children during such conflict which affects overtime communities, states, and global security? 35 [8]. According to several nongovernment organizations, the conflict of Rwanda-Congo has inflicted several cases where men were victims of rape, and that it was harder for men to recover from such atrocity than women.…”

Section: "In These Situations Gender Intersects With Other Aspects Omentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The attributes mentioned earlier creates two separate spheres, and they are distinct because women do not possess the masculine-western traits which are necessary to conduct realpolitik. The role that women are assigned in the western world -domestic work or reproduction is considered irrelevant to the construction of the field of IR and SS 8 . It should be noted that even the features that traditionally characterize men and allow them to enter the world of politics such as, being a warrior, and being powerful are questionable male characteristics [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In International Relations "W" Stands for Women in "Why" and "(No) Where"

Al-Kassimi¹

2015

J Pol Sci Pub Aff

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Fortune is a woman, and it is necessary if you wish to master her, to conquer her by force -MachiavelliForward, by Professor. Kimberly R. Carter: This important paper is a reminder of the "troubled engagement" ignited in the widely-read International Studies Quarterly (1997-98) conversation between J. Ann Tickner and Robert Keohane. In many ways, the last fifteen or so years have seen realists and feminists engage in their own scholarly Cold War -you go your way, and I'll go mine as we "just don't understand" one another's worldview. To continue with this analogy, Al-Kassimi's paper is an effort at rapprochement. Not only do we understand one another, but feminists are keen to dive off the sidelines of IR scholarship and swim into the mainstream; at times, the best way is to frame important gendered security issues in ways that are appealing to those audiences who remain at the disciplinary centre. As our world continues to change at rapid pace, I, for one, look forward to a new chapter in IR driven less by theoretical dogma and more by young scholars making important connections between theories in order to help us explain and understand the most relevant security threats of the twenty-first century. AbstractAs the tittle proposes the aim of this paper is to understand the position of women in International Relations (IR) by utilizing feminism as an approach and the individual as the referent object of security. The essay is divided in 3 sections consecutively. The first section deals with the "why" and "where"; why women are marginalized in IR, this section touches upon epistemology and western philosophy that in turn allows us to locate the position of women in IR. The second section demands that rape is recognized as a weapon of war because it represents a threat to national security even by assessing it using a realist approach to IR with the state as a security referent object. Lastly, the third section discusses how realism took centre-stage as an approach after the catalyst event of 9/11 which resulted in some optimism and pessimism by feminists because the administration adopted its own kind of feminist rhetoric. Referent object, Hegemonic masculinity, Rape, Feminism, Individual, State, 9/11 The aim of this article is to shed light on reasons as to why women are marginalized in the field of International Relations, which subsequently answers the question as to where are women in international relations. To answer such question, I will approach International relations from its sub-approach, that is, International Security Studies (ISS) or more specifically Feminist Security Studies. The reason for such selection of approach is because feminists or women in general face gender-specific security problems which are overlooked because of the nature of IR which is a men dominated, hyper-masculine field and precisely because IR and its traditionalist realist approach hold the state as the main referent object of security. The first section will discuss that because the post-cold war era lacked a catalyst ...

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“…Based on the Resolution 1820 of the Security Council, Maedl recalls that “mass rape is a tactic of war which intends to humiliate, dominate, instill fear in, disperse and/or forcible relocate civilian members of a community or an ethnic group” (Maedl, 2011, p. 130). Going even further, Carter argues “systematic rape should be conceptualized not only as a war crime, but also as a destructive and increasingly deployed war weapon.” As such, rape should be submitted to arm controls and statecraft, assuming its rightful place as a topic of security studies, and thus of International Relations, analysis (Carter, 2010, p. 367). The scale of rapes: This raises the question of the appropriateness of the care provided to rape victims, be it health care, legal rehabilitation processes, or social reintegration. UN reports estimate that the annual number of rape cases amount to 15,000.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rape in Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature

Mpinga

Koya

Hasselgård-Rowe

et al. 2016

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature between 1996 and 2013 on rape in war-ridden Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to better understand the interest of the scientific community in describing the magnitude and characteristics of the problem. The literature search was conducted in French and English using several databases (Pubmed, PsycInfo, Sapphire, BDSP, Embase, Rero, and Web of Science) with the key words "rape and DRC" combined with several Medical Subject Headings concepts. Our systematic review yielded 2,087 references, among which only 27 are original studies, that is 20 are based on population surveys and the remaining 7 are original data based on case studies and reviews. Ten studies provided prevalence rates of rape victims, 18 provided specific information on the profile of the victims, 10 reported that most of the perpetrators of rape were military personnel, 14 referred to the negligence of the government in protecting victims, and 10 reported a lack of competent health-care facilities. The awareness of rape in conflict-ridden DRC is still limited as reported in the scientific literature: Published scientific papers are scarce. Yet more research would probably help mobilize local authorities and the international community against this basic human rights violation.

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Should International Relations Consider Rape a Weapon of War?

Cited by 7 publications

References 45 publications

The civilised Self and the barbaric Other: ex-rebels making sense of sexual violence in the DR Congo

The civilised Self and the barbaric Other: ex-rebels making sense of sexual violence in the DR Congo

In International Relations "W" Stands for Women in "Why" and "(No) Where"

Rape in Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature

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