Journal Entry 05 - Week 10 - War Crimes
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Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes Class: Women and Peacemaking Instructor: Dr Anna Snyder By (321875)
Table of Contents <Title of assignment>......................................................................................................................1...........................................................................................................................1
Theory Rhonda Copelon work deals with an extremely important field of research: Rape and sexualized violence against women in times of war. Right in the beginning she brings up a central question: Is rape a crime of war and why? Luckily, at least from the point of view of international relations this question has been answered: Yes, it is. And for all the right reasons, as laid out in Resolution 1820, on which the United Nations Security Council decided on 19 th of June 2008. It reads: 4. Notes that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide, stresses the need for the exclusion of sexual violence crimes from amnesty provisions in the context of conflict resolution processes, and calls upon Member States to comply with their obligations for prosecuting persons responsible for such acts, to ensure that all victims of sexual violence, particularly women and girls, have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice, and stresses the importance of ending impunity for such acts as part of a comprehensive approach to seeking sustainable peace, justice, truth, and national reconciliation;
Carsten Kaefert: Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes→Theory Page 1/3
This leaves the question of the “why” unanswered – for which Copelon several options provides. She offers two basic options: Rape is a crime of violence or a crime of honor – while she obviously prefers the first notion. The interpretations of rape as a crime of honor differ only in nuances in their awfulness: One reading is that the woman as property of her husband is violated, thus his honor is violated. The other one, concerned about the womans honor, is only better on a first look, as it interprets womans honor as stemming from virginity or castity – thus perpetuating the notion that already fueled the interpretation. Luckily the Security Council goes with the notion of rape as a crime of violence: Recalling its condemnation in the strongest terms of all sexual and other forms of violence committed against civilians in armed conflict, in particular women and children; Reiterating deep concern that, despite its repeated condemnation of violence against women and children in situations of armed conflict, including sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, and despite its calls addressed to all parties to armed conflict for the cessation of such acts with immediate effect, such acts continue to occur, and in some situations have become systematic and widespread, reaching appalling levels of brutality, Recalling the inclusion of a range of sexual violence offences in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the statutes of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals,
Carsten Kaefert: Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes→Theory Page 2/3
Creativity For my creative application of Copelons work I decided on the trailer of a recently released German motion picture with the title “Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin”. It is available at www.spiegel.de/video/video-38387.html This movie – and the accompanying scientific research – to me underline the importance of the topic: It is the story of a woman who survived rape at the hand of red armists in the last days of World War 2. This topic – rape of German women in the war – has been much of a taboo in both German states after the war for different reasons and continued to be one even after the Wende. Until now, 63 years later. I know of cases of this in my own family and how they have devastated people ever since. That the topic is coming up now, losing its taboo, conveys the chance for survivors to speak up about it – and perhaps find some closure.
Carsten Kaefert: Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes→Creativity Page 3/3
Table of Contents <Title of assignment>......................................................................................................................1
Theory Rhonda Copelon work deals with an extremely important field of research: Rape and sexualized violence against women in times of war. Right in the beginning she brings up a central question: Is rape a crime of war and why? Luckily, at least from the point of view of international relations this question has been answered: Yes, it is. And for all the right reasons, as laid out in Resolution 1820, on which the United Nations Security Council decided on 19 th of June 2008. It reads: 4. Notes that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide, stresses the need for the exclusion of sexual violence crimes from amnesty provisions in the context of conflict resolution processes, and calls upon Member States to comply with their obligations for prosecuting persons responsible for such acts, to ensure that all victims of sexual violence, particularly women and girls, have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice, and stresses the importance of ending impunity for such acts as part of a comprehensive approach to seeking sustainable peace, justice, truth, and national reconciliation;
Carsten Kaefert: Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes→Theory Page 1/3
This leaves the question of the “why” unanswered – for which Copelon several options provides. She offers two basic options: Rape is a crime of violence or a crime of honor – while she obviously prefers the first notion. The interpretations of rape as a crime of honor differ only in nuances in their awfulness: One reading is that the woman as property of her husband is violated, thus his honor is violated. The other one, concerned about the womans honor, is only better on a first look, as it interprets womans honor as stemming from virginity or castity – thus perpetuating the notion that already fueled the interpretation. Luckily the Security Council goes with the notion of rape as a crime of violence: Recalling its condemnation in the strongest terms of all sexual and other forms of violence committed against civilians in armed conflict, in particular women and children; Reiterating deep concern that, despite its repeated condemnation of violence against women and children in situations of armed conflict, including sexual violence in situations of armed conflict, and despite its calls addressed to all parties to armed conflict for the cessation of such acts with immediate effect, such acts continue to occur, and in some situations have become systematic and widespread, reaching appalling levels of brutality, Recalling the inclusion of a range of sexual violence offences in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the statutes of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals,
Carsten Kaefert: Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes→Theory Page 2/3
Creativity For my creative application of Copelons work I decided on the trailer of a recently released German motion picture with the title “Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin”. It is available at www.spiegel.de/video/video-38387.html This movie – and the accompanying scientific research – to me underline the importance of the topic: It is the story of a woman who survived rape at the hand of red armists in the last days of World War 2. This topic – rape of German women in the war – has been much of a taboo in both German states after the war for different reasons and continued to be one even after the Wende. Until now, 63 years later. I know of cases of this in my own family and how they have devastated people ever since. That the topic is coming up now, losing its taboo, conveys the chance for survivors to speak up about it – and perhaps find some closure.
Carsten Kaefert: Journal Entry 05: Resistance to War Crimes→Creativity Page 3/3
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