La Violencia Sexual como Arma de Guerra

Sexual violence is one of the most widespread weapons of war in recent armed conflicts. Its effectiveness as an instrument of collective and individual simultaneously explains in part its presence in a large number of armed and political conflicts. Since the decade of the 1990s, in the wake of the Rwandan genocide and the armed conflicts in the Balkan region, sexual violence as a weapon of war became a matter of public interest after a long history of silencing. Its presence in public debates on armed conflicts and its impact on the civilian population has been growing. However, this greater public concern - largely as a result of the efforts of women's organizations in places affected by this violence - has not always translated into responses that have meant greater protection for female survivors. Taking gender perspective and feminist contributions as a frame of reference to the analysis of armed conflicts, as well as the psychosocial approach in accompanying the victims of conflicts, this booklet aims to provide a reflection on the causes and impact of sexual violence as a weapon of war against women in contemporary armed conflicts and to analyze some experiences of response to this violence, from a critical perspective.