Which armed groups have perpetrated sexual violence in recent conflicts?
This article presents patterns from the new Sexual
Violence in Armed Conflict (SVAC) dataset. The
dataset, coded from the three most widely used sources in the
quantitative
human rights literature, covers 129 active
conflicts, and the 625 armed actors involved in these conflicts, during
the period
1989–2009. The unit of observation is the
conflict-actor-year, allowing for detailed analysis of the patterns of
perpetration
of sexual violence for each conflict actor. The
dataset captures six dimensions of sexual violence: prevalence,
perpetrators,
victims, forms, location, and timing. In addition
to active conflict-years, the dataset also includes reports of sexual
violence
committed by conflict actors in the five years
post-conflict. We use the data to trace variation in reported
conflict-related
sexual violence over time, space, and actor type,
and outline the dataset's potential utility for scholars. Among the
insights
offered are that the prevalence of sexual violence
varies dramatically by perpetrator group, suggesting that sexual
violations
are common – but not ubiquitous. In addition, we
find that state militaries are more likely to be reported as
perpetrators
of sexual violence than either rebel groups or
militias. Finally, reports of sexual violence continue into the
post-conflict
period, sometimes at very high levels. The data may
be helpful both to scholars and policymakers for better understanding
the patterns of sexual violence, its causes, and
its consequences.
Read the article here