Skip to Main Content
Printer Friendly Home > Issues > Rape in War

Stop Rape in War

Current Work

PHR's Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones 

Every year, sexual violence is used against tens of thousands of women and girls during and after armed conflict. And all too often, those who commit the violence will never be accused, they will never be arrested, and they will never stand trial or even face a fine.

The crisis is acute in many East and Central African countries, including those where the International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently investigating mass atrocities—Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. Learn more about the program.

Join the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict

PHR, Nobel Peace Laureates, international advocacy organizations, and groups working at the regional and community levels are launching an international campaign. Help create a world without war, rape, and gender violence where women and men are equal—join the campaign.

Background

According to international law, using rape as a weapon of war is a war crime. Despite this legal protection, in dozens of global conflicts, armies have used rape as a tactic of war, ethnic cleansing, and genocide with impunity.

Through our medical and forensic documentation of rape in conflict areas, we work with local partners and the growing international campaign to end rape in war by:

  • Assuring greater accountability for mass rape by training doctors, nurses, lawyers, police, and judges to thoroughly and accurately document evidence of rape for use in courts.
  • Raising awareness regarding local cultures of impunity that allow women to be raped.
  • Enabling survivors to obtain justice, including reparations for their suffering.

Darfur and Chad

Mass rapes in Darfur effectively terrorize the people, break their will, and destroy the fabric of society. In addition to causing horrific mental and physical trauma, rape has serious social and economic consequences in Darfurian society. Victims are often ineligible for marriage, and are ostracized by the community and even their own families.

>> Learn more about stopping the use of rape as a weapon of war

International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict Launches (May 6, 2012)

Today PHR, Nobel Peace Laureates, international advocacy organizations, and groups working at the regional and community levels announced the launch of The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict.

Darfur nine years on: murder in a media vacuum (April 24, 2012)

The New Statesman reports on PHR's recent brief on Darfur, detailing the widespread attacks that take place in the absence of active armed conflict.

Eyewitness to Slavery and Freedom (April 14, 2012)

The Jewish Daily Forward's Leonard Fein invites PHR's Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Eisa to celebrate Passover and share his story of growing up in Sudan.

Sexual Attacks in Syria Mapped by Women's Media Center Using Crowdsourcing (April 12, 2012)

Susannah Sirkin, Deputy Director of PHR, comments on the utility of crowd sourcing in tracking sexual attacks in Syria, reports the International Women's Media Foundation.

More Darfur and Chad News »
More East and Central Africa News »
More Rape in War News »

International Campaign to Stop Rape in Conflict Holds DRC Launch (May 18, 2012)

On May 11, at the Hotel Residence in Bukavu, 130 representatives of civil society organizations as well as individuals gathered to learn about the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict.

Finally… Kenya’s Sex Offenders Register Launched (May 10, 2012)

What would you do if your child was kidnapped, held in a secret location, and defiled? For one father, it led him to give up everything he has spent his life working for, including his job, in the pursuit of justice for his daughter.What would you do if your child was kidnapped, held in a secret location, and defiled? For one father, it led him to give up everything he has spent his life working for, including his job, in the pursuit of justice for his daughter.

ICC to Investigate Rape in Misrata Using Doctors’ Testimonies and Hospital Records (April 24, 2012)

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has announced his intention to investigate mass rape as a weapon of war in Misrata, Libya during last year’s conflict.

International Women's Day: Advancement of Women Survivors of Sexual Violence (March 8, 2012)

Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, PHR reaffirms our commitment to comprehensive justice for survivors of sexual violence and support for those working on the front lines to help them. Through our Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones, we strive to improve women’s health, ensure greater access to justice for women, and give women an increased voice.

More Darfur and Chad Posts »
More East and Central Africa Posts »
More Rape in War Posts »

Grading the Benchmarks (April 2010)

Now, almost six months after the policy review, an honest accounting of the "benchmarks" for progress in Sudan suggests how much important work remains to be done if broader conflict is to be avoided.

Action Agenda for Realizing Treatment and Support for Women and Girls in Darfur (March 2010)

This 9-page white paper, published March 17, 2010, on the eve of the US Special Envoy to Sudan's first twelve months in office, urges the US Envoy to address the urgent need of women and girls in Darfur through diplomatic efforts and the resources appropriated to the office for urgent peace and security interventions.

Nowhere to Turn (May 2009)

PHR's report documents the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence experienced by women who fled attacks on their villages in Darfur and are now refugees in neighboring Chad.

Rape as a Weapon of War: Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict (April 2008)

At the request of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), PHR submitted a statement for the record as part of "Rape as a Weapon of War: Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict" hearing held on April 1st, 2008 by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee.

More Darfur and Chad Research »
More East and Central Africa Research »
More Rape in War Research »

Featured Investigation

Nowhere to Turn

PHR's report documents the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence experienced by women who fled attacks on their villages in Darfur and are now refugees in neighboring Chad. Read More »

Featured Expert

Susannah Sirkin

Susannah Sirkin, M.Ed.

Susannah has been with PHR since shortly after its founding in 1987; she has organized health and human rights investigations to dozens of countries and been expert editor and author for many of PHR's reports and papers. She currently is heading up PHR's work against sexual violence and rape as weapons of war. Read More »