• Conflict

Violence against women during conflict

This report attempts to explore some of the underlying reasons for violence against women. Evidence gathered by Amnesty International in recent years supports the view that conflict reinforces and exacerbates existing patterns of discrimination and violence against women. The violence women suffer in conflict is an extreme manifestation of the discrimination and abuse women face in peacetime, and the unequal power relations between men and women in most societies. In peacetime, such attitudes contribute to the widespread acceptance of domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual abuse against women. When political tensions and increasing militarization spill over into outright conflict, these habitual attitudes and abuses take on new dimensions and distinctive patterns, and all forms of violence increase, including rape and other forms of sexual violence against women.

The report shows some of the ways in which conflict affects women, and the many different roles which women play in conflict. Women are not only victims and survivors, but also activists, negotiators, peace-builders and human rights defenders. It states that attempts to address the human rights consequences of conflict, including its particular effects on women, can only be comprehensive and long-lasting if women play an active part in rebuilding society at all levels. The report calls for the international community, governments and other parties to armed conflicts to act without delay in order to:

• condemn violence against women in any circumstances - all parties to armed conflict must publicly denounce gender-based violence, issue clear instructions to their forces to refrain from all forms of violence against women, train their personnel on the rights of civilians and combatants no longer participating in hostilities to protection, including the prohibition of violence against women
• commit to ending impunity for violence against women - governments (and where appropriate armed groups) must cooperate in bringing to justice perpetrators of serious crimes by armed groups through the exercise of extraterritorialjurisdiction and support for international judicial bodies such as the International Criminal Court
• provide effective and prompt reparations to survivors of violence, and offer humanitarian assistance to survivors of violence, including emergency healthcare programmes, and longer term medical, psychological, social and legal support and to challenge the stigma aimed at survivors of sexual violence and people living with HIV/AIDS
• take steps to prevent violence against women in armed conflict - all governments must encourage monitoring mechanisms to combat violence against women, introduce education and public information programmes, amend discriminatory laws which constitute or facilitate violence against women
• ensure violence against women is prohibited in national law as a criminal offence with effective penalties and remedies for all forms of violence against women in armed conflict - all governments must ratify and implement relevant international human rights and international humanitarian law treaties
• ensure that peacekeeping and other field operations forces do not violate women’s human rights
• end the misuse of arms to perpetrate violence against women
• end support and assistance for governments and armed groups which could result in violence against women
• provide assistance and protection to refugees and internally displaced women
• stop the use of child soldiers
• ensure that human rights defenders can carry out their work without fear
• involve women fully in peace processes

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