Sexual Violence by Militias in African Conflicts: Not a question of ‘delegation’ by states

PRIO Policy Brief

Cohen, Dara Kay & Ragnhild Nordås (2012) Sexual Violence by Militias in African Conflicts: Not a question of ‘delegation’ by states, CSCW Policy Brief, 1. Oslo: CSCW.

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In a study of African conflicts from 1989 to 2009, we find that governments do not seem to ‘delegate’ the commission of atrocities to militias in order to avoid accountability, as has often been assumed. On the contrary, when militias commit  acts of  sexual violence, states are also reported as perpetrators.

Also counter to conventional wisdom, our data show that:

  • Only 30% of African militias perpetrated sexual violence.
  • Conflicts with few killings often see militias committing widespread sexual violence.

What characterizes those militias that use sexual violence? We find that such militias often rely on child soldiers and operate in the poorest countries, but do not operate in the conflicts with the highest casualty
rates from regular battles. 

15/02/2013
Policy Briefs on Sexual Violence

Sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings is increasingly recognized as a threat to international peace and security. PRIO and the Centre for the Study of Civil War have recently published a number of policy briefs on the topic of conflict-related sexual violence.

18/02/2013
Successful Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post Conflict Settings

On 14-16 February 2013, partners of the Missing Peace Initiative together with Stockholm International Peace Research Institute North America convened a group of expert scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and military and civil society actors for the first Missing Peace Symposium on preventing conflict-related sexual violence. 

At the symposium, which took place at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) in Washington DC, participants examined the issue of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings, identified gaps in knowledge and reporting, and explored how to increase the effectiveness of current responses to such violence.

Watch the video from the Missing Peace Symposium 2013 here. 

Special Report

To mark the first Missing Peace Symposium, a special report entitled 'Wartime Sexual Violence: Misconceptions, Implications, and Ways Forward' was developed by Dara Kay Cohen, Amelia Hoover Green, and Elisabeth Jean Wood, and launched at the symposium. 

Read the special report here.

Policy Briefs

Also for the occassion of the first Missing Peace Symposium, the following PRIO Policy Briefs on sexual violence were published: 

About the Missing Peace Initiative

The Missing Peace Initiative was established in 2013 as a collaborative project of the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and Women In International Security (WIIS). 

The Initiative brings together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and military and civil society actors to examine the issue of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict settings, identify gaps in knowledge and reporting, and explore how to increase the effectiveness of current responses to such violence.

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