Global Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Ewelina U. Ochab is a senior lawyer with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, author and co-founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response.

'The sexual violence makes survivors feel shame, their loved ones - guilt as they could not stop it and the rest of the community fear, as it may happen to them. Those emotions - shame, guilt, and fear weaken the ties in the community, enabling perpetrators to achieve their goals. I hope this book, which helps us to understand such a complex crime, will also help us to prevent it.'Oleksandra Matviichuk, Centre for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate'This manuscript is absolutely vital, and I commend Dr Ochab for all her hard work. It is critical that there are definite steps taken in international and national laws to protect female victims and survivors who have been left exposed and vulnerable for far too long. ‘It is time to turn the pledges to prevent CRSV into a legal duty’ is a powerful call to arms to the international community that it cannot passively sit by any longer. There are clear suggestions for action which can and should be taken. As a foreign correspondent specialising in coverage of war and hostile environments, I have been interviewing the survivors of CRSV for decades now. My work has taken me to Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Myanmar, Mali, DRC, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Yemen, to name a few, and still, there is no protection or even recognition of what women have endured and suffered in international and national laws. This needs to be addressed with strength and determination right now. Dr Ochab's manuscript provides a clear blueprint of where the law is wanting and what needs to be done to redress what can only be described as an abomination in its absence. We cannot change the past, but lawmakers can provide a better future where justice and protection for both female and male victims and survivors are at its legal heart. This book provides the tools to do just that.'Alex Crawford OBE, War Correspondant'Dr Ochab’s book is a powerful reminder that sexual violence in conflict is not incidental but systematic, and it can signify genocidal intent. She elucidates how and why states must act before atrocities unfold, not afterwards. Her timely call for stronger international tools to address CRSV must not be ignored.'Baroness Arminka Helic, Peer, UK House of Lords

• Foreword by Professor Denis Mukwege; Foreword by Baroness Kennedy LT KC; Introduction; 1. Sexual and/or Reproductive Violence as International Crime; 2. Where Sexual and/or Reproductive Violence and Genocide Meet; 3.The Need for Prevention, Protection and Justice; 4. Conclusion and the Way Forward