It has been six years since Nadia Murad — Yazidi human rights activist — and Dr. Denis Mukwege — Congolese gynecologist and global campaigner against sexual violence — were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, marking a pivotal moment in global awareness of sexual violence in war and armed conflict. But while there have been notable advances since in legal jurisprudence, efforts in reparative justice, et improved engagement with survivors to minimize retraumatization, these efforts have not translated into preventing or decreasing the rate of sexual violence.
In fact, evidence points to a rise in sexual violence, in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan, Ukraine, Libya, Myanmar, Iraq, and — most recently — Israel and Palestine.
Why is it, in fact, increasing? Like all crimes, sexual violence must be understood within the broader context in which it occurs. The factors contributing to this increase are multifaceted but can generally be linked to the increased militarization of societies, the proliferation of arms, and deterioration of the rule of law.
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