Women in War and at War
“WOMEN IN WAR AND AT WAR”
Aberystwyth University (Penglais Campus)
11 - 12 May 2012
Call for papers
Sexual and gender-based violence against women (SGBV) is one of the greatest threats to human rights in contemporary armed conflicts. SGBV is not inherent to the armed conflicts of the past. Nor is it an inevitable element of collateral damage. SGBV continues to be used in modern wars as a deliberate strategy and illegitimate method of warfare, which poses serious threats to women’s lives. Only recently, press and media reports (June 2011) from the Libyan war zone exposed the use of sexual violence by Colonel Gaddafi’s forces, especially rape as a weapon of war.
For women, the war is not over when it’s over. Wartime SGBV has a real, enduring impact on women’s lives even long after the fighting has stopped.
Although International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as well as Human Rights Law (HRL) clearly prohibit the use of SGBV, the international community is confronted with the reality of continuing ‘gender warfare’ and the challenge of ensuring adherence to the rules of IHL by actors in armed conflicts. Developments in International Criminal Law (ICL) have encouraged the long overdue prosecution of wartime SGBV at the international level. They have also emphasised the fact that women too can be perpetrators of violence and that they actively participate in combat as freedom fighters, guerrilla fighters and also members of regular armies.
But where do we go from here? Is the law adequate? How do we nurture respect for the existing law? How can the situation of women in the aftermath of conflict be addressed? How much can the law actually achieve?
We invite proposals for papers in the following or related areas:
- International Humanitarian Law: effectiveness and challenges
- International Criminal Law and prosecution of gender-related crimes
- Representations of women in and at war (women as civilians, fighters, victims and perpetrators)
- Women in post-conflict settings
- Gender and conflict
If you have any queries in relation to this conference or would like to pay please contact womeninatwar@gmail.com.