Syria: Rape as a weapon of war In wars, rape has been used as a tool to go beyond the physical and military defeat of the enemy, to subdue a society politically and morally. The present article, written by psycho-therapist Dr. Jamal Khalil Sobh, sheds light on the repeated war crime of rapes of women, including the recent tragic incidents in Syria. By Jamal Khalil Sobh
From a 'missing link' to a gender-sensitive approach. Peace and security need women and the gender perspective At the international seminar “The Missing Gender-Link: Justice and Reconciliation Processes after War Crimes and Violations of Human Rights against Women“ Gitti Hentschel, executive director of the Gunda-Werner-Instute, held a speech on the need of a gender perspective in peace and security issues.
The conviction of Liberia's former president Charles Taylor Background to the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) and the sentencing of war-related sexu-alised violence By Claudia Throm
Blind in one eye? The International Criminal Court 10 years on Dr. Monika Hauser of Medica Mondiale, Cologne about the experience of justice, impunity, law enforcement strategies, as well as a general and specific review of the work of the International Criminal Court on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary on 1 July 2012. By Monika Hauser
Gendered memories Co-organized by Sabanc› University Gender and Women’s Studies Forum and Central European University, the conference looked at how war and political violence are remembered from the perspective of gender. The conference, supported by the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Turkey Representation, hosted 46 feminist academics as speakers or panelists, and 200 participants from 22 countries.
Former Liberian President Taylor Convicted - Milestone against sexualised war crimes? The 26 April 2012 was a day of celebration for many people in Sierra Leone. They celebrated the verdict passed by the special criminal tribunal in The Hague in the case against the former warlord and former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor. By Dr. Rita Schäfer
Understanding Gender Based Violence: Deconstructing Masculinity and Femininity Gender Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a major global social, economic and developmental challenge, with far reaching ramifications on men, women, children and the society as a whole.
No longer silent Through six testimonies of women abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), ‘No Longer Silent’ highlights their experience in returning to their communities and rebuilding their lives. Access to housing and land, as well as food security and the desire for their children to receive an education, are amongst their primary challenges and concerns. The documentary exposes the shortcomings of the current Peace, Recovery and Development Plan of the Ugandan Government which has to date not included women as beneficiaries in the reconstruction programmes.
Blind in one eye? - Is the ICC a model of how sexual crimes should be investigated and treated? The strides that international penal law has undergone over the past twenty years are remarkable. However, in terms of investigating and prosecuting sexual violence as international crimes, significant shortcomings are still apparent. By Silke Studzinsky
War-related sexualised violence – has international criminal justice failed here? The trying of cases involving war-related sexualised violence is the exception in international criminal trials as well as at the national level. By Gitti Hentschel