CIAO DATE: 09/2013
January 2012
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Conflict-related sexual violence has been a feature of war for generations, and in many places around the world. In recent years, however, members of the international community including, United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action), governments, humanitarian organizations, grassroots movements, and researchers, have challenged the notion that rape and other forms of sexual assault and abuse are an inevitable part of conflict, and that the needs of conflict-related sexual violence survivors are not a priority. There has been growth in the number and scale of programs to address the needs of female sexual violence survivors in humanitarian, conflict and post-conflict situations, as well as increasing efforts aimed at preventing sexual violence. Yet it is a complex issue, and the needs of both women and men, and girls and boys, who live with the health, social, psychological, justice, and economic consequences of sexual violence, and the challenges of preventing conflictrelated sexual violence, continue to outstrip available resources. Agencies working in conflict and post-conflict settings are increasingly undertaking research on sexual violence, either on their own or with the support of academic institutions and researchers. The increase in research on sexual violence in these contexts has been driven by a growing concern about the scale of the problem; as well as the importance for prevention and response of having data on the magnitude and nature of sexual violence in conflict situations; the vulnerabilities of women and children in conflict; the risk factors for perpetration; the short, medium and long term service needs of victims/survivors; and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent and respond to sexual violence. In spite of the clear needs for and increased efforts to collect these data, the evidence base remains scant.
Resource link: A research agenda for sexual violence in humanitarian, conflict and post-conflict settings [PDF] - 351K