Sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings
The laudable focus on assisting victims of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings distracts attention from the need to focus on dealing with the perpetrators of such violence, which is the only way to prevent it from happening. The current British initiative is an attempt to do this. Generally, zero-tolerance policies regarding military sexual violence should be implemented and their implementation should be monitored, militaries should train their soldiers to avoid violent sexual behaviour and more men should be engaged to promote work on gender equality and against violent sexual behaviour. Another area that needs attention is the forgotten victims of sexual violence, including male victims of such violence and children born from rape.
Policy brief
Published
Authors
Inger Skjelsbaek is senior researcher and deputy director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo and holds a PhD in social psychology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her research interests include gender studies, political psychology, peace and conflict research, and research methodology. She gives regular guest lectures and supervises master’s and doctoral students at the University of Oslo’s Department of Psychology. She has received research grants from, among others, the Fulbright Foundation, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Research Council of Norway. Her most recent book is entitled The Political Psychology of War Rape: Studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Routledge, 2012) and she was on the steering committee for the February 2013 Missing Peace Symposium: Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict held in Washington, DC.
License
Copyright NOREF