Sexual violence and armed conflict

摘要

Sexual violence and armed conflict, until recently a taboo subject, is a topical issue that is receiving increasing global attention because of serious abuses in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other locations in the world, across a wide range of conflict zones. The recent fiftieth anniversary of the independence from Belgian colonial rule of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been described as 'the worst place in the world to be a woman', has focused attention on the issue.rnNevertheless, there is a serious lack of critical analysis of the causes and nature of the problem and ways to combat it. The book is, therefore, a very valuable analysis of the complex dynamics that lead to rape and sexual abuse in war, offering a comprehensive analysis of the causes, consequences and responses to sexual violence in modern armed conflict.rnThe book is divided into six chapters, examining the function and effect of sexual violence in conflict and the conditions that make women and girls 'most vulnerable to these acts both before, during and after conflict'. The book concludes by analyzing strategies of prevention and protection as programmes to aid the rehabilitation of survivors and their communities.