On the Battleground of Women's Bodies: Mass Rape in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Citation:

Snyder, Cindy S., Wesley J. Gabbard, J. Dean May, and Nihada Zulcic. 2006. “On the Battleground of Women’s Bodies: Mass Rape in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work 21 (2): 184-95.

Authors: Cindy S. Snyder, Wesley J. Gabbard, J. Dean May, Nihada Zulcic

Abstract:

This article critically reviews the literature pertaining to mass rape during times of war to identify and understand the unique factors that promote it. A greater understanding of these factors is considered a productive initial step toward proffering effective solutions to address this significant problem. The former Yugoslavia, particularly Bosnia-Herzegovina, serves as a case study against which this literature is reviewed. The authors conclude that women's experience of rape in war, like the abuse of women's human rights, is often determined by the intersection of a variety of factors, such as age, race, class, religion, ethnicity, and nationality. Future studies should further explore how these complex variables relate to each other in an attempt to understand the horrific crimes that are often perpetrated against women during wartime.

Keywords: Bosnia, Yugoslavia, war, rape

Topics: Armed Conflict, Ethnic/Communal Wars, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Sexual Violence, Rape, SV against Women Regions: Europe, Balkans, Eastern Europe Countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina

Year: 2006