Abstract
The deep-seated structural causes of ethnic conflict, political violence, and war have shaped large parts of the world today. Poor, indebted countries suffer economic and environmental decline, asset depletion, and the erosion of any form of a subsistence base, perpetuating further impoverishment and food insecurity for vast sectors of the population. Increasing ethnic and religious tensions over a shrinking resource base often lead to the emergence of predatory practices, rivalry, political violence, and internal wars. While the nature of armed conflict has changed substantially over time, the asymmetrical burden and trauma affecting women in conflict-affected areas have not. There are few short- or long-term impact assessments on gender-based sexual violence in countries affected by war. Just now, the emergence of scientific studies focusing on experiences of collective suffering (e.g., sexual violence in conflict) and trauma-related disorders is beginning to emerge. Still, current conceptualizations of mass suffering and trauma reflect a poor understanding of the relationships among critical social determinants and the range of systems that impact affected individuals and communities. We seek to provide a broad picture of sexual assault in conflict, the impact on women in these conflict-affected countries, policies and prevention programs currently in practice, and recommendations to further the effect of gender-based sexual violence prevention development
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Wilson, R.A., Cook, S.L. (2022). Wartime Sexual Violence: A Historical Review of the Law, Theory, and Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_196
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