Abstract
Over the past decades, scholars have paid greater attention to sexual violence, in both theorization and empirical analysis. One area which has been largely ignored, however, is the sexual violence during times of armed conflict. This paper examines the nature and dynamics of sexual violence as it occurred during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Drawing upon testimonies given to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), descriptions of rapes--both singular and mass—were qualitatively analyzed. In general, three broad types of assaults were identified: opportunistic, assaults which seemed to be a product of the disorder inherent within the conflict; episodes of sexual enslavement; and genocidal rapes, which were framed by the broader genocidal endeavors occurring at the time.
Recommended Citation
Mullins, Christopher W. "“We are going to rape you and taste Tutsi women”: Rape During the 1994 Rwandan Genocide." (Nov 2009).
Comments
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in The British Journal of Criminologyfollowing peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version in Vol. 49, no. 6 is available online at:
10.1093/bjc/azp040