Enforcement of Sexual Violence Law in Post-Civil Conflict Societies

Citation:

Haglund, Jillienne, and David L. Richards. 2017. "Enforcement of Sexual Violence Law in Post-Civil Conflict Societies." Conflict Management and Peace Science 35 (3): 280-95.

Authors: Jillienne Haglund, David L. Richards

Abstract:

The climate of impunity in many post-civil conflict societies results in unprecedented levels of violence against women, making legal implementation and law enforcement particularly difficult. We argue that the presence of strong legal provisions mediates the negative influence of the post-civil conflict environment on violence against women. Specifically, we examine the role of strong legal protections on the enforcement of sexual violence legislation in post-civil conflict countries. To examine our hypothesis, we utilize an original dataset measuring the strength and enforcement of domestic legal statutes addressing violence against women for the years 2007–2010 in post-civil conflict countries. We find elements of civil conflict as well as domestic and international legal regimes to be reliably associated with the enforcement of violence against women laws and rape prevalence in post-civil conflict states.

Keywords: Gender, gender-based violence, political institutions, post-civil conflict, violence against women

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Post-Conflict, Sexual Violence, Rape, SV against Women, Violence

Year: 2017