sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)
86 Articles
Rape as a Tactic of Terror: Holding the Islamic State Accountable
Earlier this year, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney spoke at the United Nations to press the global body to hold the Islamic State accountable for rape and other crimes committed…
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the UN: A New Approach for a Real Change?
A new United Nations report on sexual exploitation and abuse at the UN, along with its high profile media launch, may signal “a new approach” by the organization. It also reflects…
Slow Justice is No Justice: Sexual Exploitation in Military and Civilian Operations
The conflict and long-term crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) is characterized by its inter-ethnic cleavages and deepened by scattered surges of violence and state disintegration.…
Top 10 Gender and Security Developments of 2016
These developments and issues are not in any hierarchical order. They represent a broad swath of gender-related practices, actions, opportunities and setbacks that emerged in 2016.…
International Justice Day Round-Up II: Bemba, the Crime of Aggression, and More Justice for Chile
This is Part II of an International Justice Day Top-10 Round Up. Part I—which discussed the recent judgment against Hissène Habré in the Extraordinary African Chambers, the…
Commanders Put on Notice
Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down its third, and in some ways most important, sentence in its short existence. The court sentenced Jean-Pierre Bemba,…
Forced Nudity: What International Law and Practice Tell Us
A number of weeks ago it was revealed that CIA operatives systematically photographed detainees who were being held as part of the “war on terror” while naked. It…
Readers’ Guide on Recent Developments in International Criminal Law
It has been a busy few weeks in international criminal law, with a range of important judgments out of the International Criminal Court, the International Tribunal for the former…
US Foreign Assistance Fails to Support the Reproductive Health Needs of Genocide Victims
In a groundbreaking move on March 17, Secretary of State Kerry accused Daesh — another name for the Islamic State — of committing acts of genocide against ethnic and religious…
Sexual Violence and Commanders’ Responsibilities During Conflict
On March 21, the ICC rendered the long-anticipated verdict in the Bemba case. Just three days later, the ICTY rendered its own long-awaited legal trial judgment in the Radovan…
The Bemba Conviction at the ICC: Lessons for the Future
Last Monday, Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former military commander from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was convicted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for murder, rape,…
Prosecuting Trump
There has been much discussion of Donald Trump’s open pledge to commit torture and war crimes if elected President. He has said that he would bring back waterboarding and techniques…